Tuesday, Feb. 05 2013 5:29PM

Walmart vote expected this week

Public hearing scheduled for Feb. 7 Lee’s Summit City Council

By Russ Pulley

rpulley@lsjournal.com

It could soon get a little easier to buy a dog or cat license in Lee’s Summit. And the fate of a proposed Walmart on the south end of town might be decided at the City Council meeting.

The Lee’s Summit City Council on Feb. 7 will hold a public hearing on Walmart. The meeting begins at 6:15 p.m. Following the hearing, council members normally would decide whether to go forward with ordinances to allow the project.

A 161,842 square-foot Walmart Supercenter is proposed at 3410 S.W. Market Street in the Missouri 150 Corridor. Some residents are questioning the impact on traffic and appropriateness of a big box store in that area.

An ordinance revision ready for a vote would allow veterinarian clinics to charge up to $3 fee for issuing a dog or cat license.

Currently the city issues about 3,700 tags a year at City Hall, online and at the animal control facility. There are an estimated 45,000 pets in the city.

The city, in 2007, has authorized clinics to issue dog and cat licenses.

The program had not been implemented, said Bud Hertzog, a Lee’s Summit veterinarian, and the ordinance is being tweaked to make it active.

The city fee for a license is $10.

Hertzog said having animal clinics issue the licenses is common in many cities and could improve the percentage of animals licensed.

Pet licenses benefit the pet owner by allowing animal control officers to return pets directly to their home without having to board them at the animal shelter.

It is less stressful to the animal and eliminates exposure to possibly diseased animals or possible injury, and the owner avoids boarding charges, fees and citations.

Veterinarian clinics would not play a role in enforcing the licensing ordinance.

Other ordinances scheduled for a vote would update restrictions on picketing funerals so they are consistent with recent case law and ordinances pertaining to stalking and order of protection ordinances to match state law.