Williston's New Animal And Parking Ordinance: What To Know

The city commission has made changes to two different ordinances that may effect you.

According to a post on the Williston Police Department Facebook page, the following adjustments to ordinances are now in effect.

Animal Ordinance:

The commission voted to change Ordinance No. 4-10 & 4-1, which deal with animals.

The ordinance now reclassifies the following penalties for certain animal-related offenses:

Keeping a known vicious animal within city limits is now considered an infraction instead of a Class B misdemeanor.

Most other animal ordinance violations are now also infractions, unless otherwise specified in Ordinance 4-5 & 4-89.

Parking Ordinance:

The commission also updated ordinance No. 10-264, having to do with parking restrictions within the city.

-Vehicles parked on public streets must be moved more than one block or 600 feet to reset the 48-hour limit.

-Minimal movement no longer restarts the clock.

-This change aims to reduce long-term street parking and improve community accessibility.

Both at first blush appear to be welcome changes to the city, in keeping us safe when it comes to "vicious animals," as well as to opening up streetside parking.

However, as the city has seen in the past, that process to determine if an animal is vicious or not could have you separated from man's best friend for months while the case slogs through bureaucratic channels.

As for parking, questions arise about enforcement, especially for residents who may not be able to get out every day, let alone every day.

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The next time you are out and about in Williston, will you be taking note of some vehicles that have sat in the same spot for days, weeks, or even months at a time?