Treats for pet owners A FREE pets giveaway leads the latest Frankston Council push to reward responsible ownership of animals. Councillors at the 13 August public council meeting voted to back a proposal by Cr Kris Bolam to “give away” the first 15 animals adopted from council managed pounds in the month of October when the Pets Day Out event is held. Frankston dog owners who can provide evidence of accredited obedience training will be eligible for a 10 per cent discount on annual registration fees. There will be no registration fees for service animals such as guide dogs. “By having a joint emphasis on both responsible pet ownership and enhancing pet adoptions, the message should be that Frankston is indeed a pet-friendly city,” Cr Bolam said. “All animals eligible for adoption at council’s pound have had their vaccinations and relevant health checks. They are ready for a new and happy life.” Owners who want the “menacing animal” status of their pet revoked after three years must now mandatorily put their pet through accredited obedience training. “If a canine has been classified as a ‘menacing dog’, it is with very good reason,” Cr Bolam said. “This new process ensures that there has been a manifest improvement in their behaviour before that classification is removed.” The latest council incentives for responsible pet owners come after councillors voted in July to drop the first year registration fee for any animals adopted by Frankston ratepayers from councilrun pounds.
Eyes on voters as election in sight MORE surveillance cameras on Frankston streets have been promised by both sides of politics in the lead up to November’s state election. Law and order is shaping up as a political point of contention between the Labor state government and Liberal National Coalition state opposition. Victorian Police Minister Lisa Neville visited Frankston last Thursday (16 August) to unveil 15 new CCTV cameras in central Frankston’s Young Street area. Footage from the cameras will be monitored in real time days and nights from Frankston Police Station. “The upgraded CCTV network will help police keep a close eye on the Frankston CBD and Young Street transit hub, making it a safer and more inviting space for the community,” Frankston Labor MP Paul Edbrooke said. “This is an important upgrade for the CBD and feeds into our government’s massive redevelopment of the area.” The $273,000 CCTV system was funded by Frankston ratepayers and state taxpayers through a public safety infrastructure fund. The switch on of the CCTV cameras in central Frankston came days after the opposition promised to make grants of up to $250,000 available to councils, including Frankston, for more surveillance cameras. “Only a Liberal Nationals Government will ensure that residents of the City of Frankston are safe in their community,” Liberal state Upper House MP for the South Eastern Metropolitan Region Inga Peulich said. Victoria Police Detective Senior Sergeant Michael Lamb is the Liberal state candidate for Frankston and will face off against former firefighter Mr Edbrooke in the ultra-marginal seat on polling day in November. Neil Walker
Frankston Times
20 August 2018
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