Town of Medora: Gore board approves $5,000 animal-control budget and police equipment purchases; recreation-site lease remains unresolved

Town of Medora: The Gore town board approved several operational measures at its July meeting, including a $5,000 animal-control line item for the 2017 budget, up to $200 for two police printers, and permission for the marshal to dispose of obsolete uniforms and equipment under required procedures. The board also approved paying the $50 mandatory pre-basic training fee for incoming officer Seth Boyd. A proposed lease for a private recreational facility—including a crawler course and miniature drag-racing area—was discussed but not finalized; the parties remained divided over rent, with $200 per year for a three-year term among the options, and another approval would be required once terms are settled. Residents may also see temporary water-service changes while the water tower is painted later in the week.
• Town of Medora established a $5,000 animal-control fund for the 2017 budget. The town has been housing about 10 dogs and plans to pursue vaccinations, spaying, owner reunification, rescue placement or adoption rather than maintain long-term housing.
• Town of Medora: The town’s existing animal-control enforcement includes a $50 first reclaiming fee plus $5 per night, increasing to $100 and $150 for later offenses; after a fourth offense, the ordinance calls for the dog not to be returned. Officials plan to locate and post animal, yard-trash and related ordinances on the town website.
• Town of Medora approved two additional police printers costing under $200 total for electronic ticketing, after the department received one donated printer but determined the donated system’s paper would cost about $300 per box.
• Town of Medora approved disposal of outdated, unusable police uniforms and obsolete emergency lights and vehicle equipment, subject to state-required documentation and proper disposal or trade-in procedures.
• Town of Medora approved paying the $50 cost of Seth Boyd’s required 40-hour pre-basic law-enforcement training. Boyd had offered to pay the bill himself, but the board chose to cover it; he had completed the course but had not yet been sworn in.
• Town of Medora: The police department reported 36 calls for service and 20 traffic stops during the prior month. Crash-reporting and electronic citation systems were installed on department laptops, and officers will receive training on those systems and evidence chain-of-custody tracking.
• Town of Medora: The town expects the water tower to be painted over roughly three or four days, tentatively beginning Friday through Sunday. During the work, the tower will be offline and the town will use an emergency connection; the tower must be refilled, chlorinated and pass a bacteria test taken 24 hours later before returning to service.
• Town of Medora: A proposed lease for a private recreational operation at a town facility was not approved. Officials supported moving forward in principle but had not written the lease and said the final terms would require later approval. Discussion included a proposed three-year term at $200 per year, with renegotiation afterward, while the town estimated lease-preparation costs of about $600.