City of Seward wants to take away snakes!!!

Thanks for everyone that is willing to send letters. If you could, I know its going to be hard for me, but try to be nice, kind, loving, and all that mushy good feeling stuff when you write letters. Try not to chew them out for having a rediculous rule, which it deserves, because it will probably make them all upset and hurt their feelings therefor hurting are chances. Thanks everyone!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

City Administrator Daniel Berlowitz, ADA Coordinator, 537 Main

Street, Seward, Nebraska 68434, Telephone (402) 6432928

(voice) and (402)6432928

I'm still not sure they have this ridiculous rule.

Are you sure they do?

Drawing attention to a situation that doesn't need it isn't going to help you.

Before you get a letter writing campaign going, be sure you need one.

Bureaucracy is complicated and often bites its own tail.

Go apply for the permit first then deal with the fallout.

You may get it with nothing else being done on your part.

I would be more worried about this:

6-212 section A:

EXOTIC ANIMAL shall include:
a. Canines, felines and other animals not customarily domesticated in the
United States.
2. Marsupials, primates, bears, and birds of prey.
3. Any species prohibited and/or regulated by the State of Nebraska by
statue, and
4. Any mix or breed of any of the species mentioned above.

and section B:

Livestock, Hoofed And Exotic And Wild Animals Prohibited; Permits Required.
1. It shall be unlawful for any person to keep, own or harbor any fowl ,
livestock, hoofed, exotic or wild animal within the City limits of the City of
Seward unless a permit has been obtained. This section shall not apply
to educational institutions, exhibitions sponsored by the Seward County
Agricultural Society or Veterinary Clinics.
2. Permits authorizing the keeping of fowl, livestock, hoofed, exotic or wild
animals with in the City limits shall be issued by the City Administrator in
his sound discretion, with right of appeal to the City Council.
3. Pets authorized under this section requiring a permit shall be limited to
one (1) per household or residence. This section shall not apply to small
caged birds or aquatic or amphibious animals kept solely as pets.

I would say that if you need a petition then talk to the property owners not the renters. After all, it's the property owners who pay city and county property taxes...


Rob


P.S. Before you go before the City Council watch the movie "Footloose." Do your research and make them think...

I was told by the officer that I must have signatures from everyone within 200 feet and I have 2 people within that limit that will not sign. He told me that they must sign or the permit petition is voided. I haven't heard anything from the administrator yet, but I am assuming that he will not give the permit considering he is the one that told the officer that I must have everyone's signature. I figured that if people sent letters to him, educating him on the positive points of reptiles and how they are no nuisance to the public, especially in my basement. If you want to send letters in regard to the situation I would think that it would help the administrator realize how many people actually keep reptiles and how they can do nothing to anyone. The only thing that reptiles do right now is strike fear in the hearts of uneducated people or people with irrational fears due to the media making them all sound like killers.

Hi,

Or, conversely, he might get annoyed with all the increase in his workload from out of town/ state correspondance and look upon your application with renewed displeasure. :weirdface

You have to look at both sides before starting a campaign like that.


dr del

So how do your neighbors know that you have snakes in the basement?

My neighbor doesn't exactly know that I have snakes in my basement, she just claims that I have them in my basement. She looked in my window and saw a shadowy figure that looked like a snake then she assumed that it was a snake and called the cops. Me not thinking it was a bad idea, allowed the officer to look at them and he didn't think that I had anything wrong besides the fact that they have a bogus ordinance that applied to them.

That really sounds like a load of crap. What it sounds like is that somebody that has some pull used their strings because they have it out for you.

I'm not sure how many dogs you have, but what you should do is house the snakes at a friends house, or a family members house that don't mind, and tell them you got rid of the snakes. If anything goes from there file a complaint that you're being harassed.

A few years back I had a similiar situation with one of my neighbors and something like that, she pulled some strings, and I pulled higher strings, and got her in some trouble for some other stuff. So needless to say it came to an end.

Regardless of how you got turned in or who did it, the laws are there. As stupid as they are.

Staying in that house, in the city limits, with more than one snake, without a permit - you are breaking the law.

Get the law changed, or move outside city limits, or drop to one snake and get a permit for it, or face the consequences for knowingly breaking the law.

It really sucks, but your gonna have to deal with it somehow. Good luck to ya.