ORANGE — The police chief plans to work closely with Agricultural Commission to craft a proposed bylaw in an effort to address the ongoing issue of animals getting loose around town.

James Sullivan will meet with the five-member commission and Selectboard member Julie Davis, the animal control liaison, to draft language that can be presented to the Selectboard at its Oct. 30 meeting. He and Animal Control Officer Jennifer Arsenault spoke at last week’s meeting, during which Arsenault implored board members to work toward a bylaw that gives her leverage against irresponsible animal owners. A proposed bylaw was tabled at a Special Town Meeting in January.

“Jen is 100% correct. We need something,” Sullivan told Selectboard members. “There was an excessive amount of pushback on the original [proposed] bylaw. I’ve met with the Ag Comm. I’ve met with them several times, before the Town Meeting and after Town Meeting. It’s not going to pass as written. ... I do not believe that for a second.”

Residents voted overwhelmingly in January to take no action on a warrant article proposing fines for anyone who allows a goat, sheep, cow, equine, pig or fowl to go at large on any street, sidewalk or other public place in Orange. Livestock can cause disturbances and impede traffic.

Arsenault, who is also the animal control officer in Athol, said that town has an adequate bylaw.

“It has worked wonderfully over the last 26 years that I’ve been doing animal control out there. I’ve written two citations out there in the last 26 years,” she said. “We try to work with people to get them to understand that these animals cannot be out in the road causing havoc.”

She stressed she is not aiming to issue citations and will use courtesy and diplomacy to speak with animal owners about violations. She also mentioned there are a couple of farms that are particularly problematic “and no matter what I say, no matter what I do, it’s not stopping.”

Selectboard Clerk Andrew Smith said the wording of the proposed bylaw — not the concept of an animal control bylaw — was shot down by voters. Sullivan, who mentioned that some residents suffer property damage from loose animals, said he worked with the Agricultural Commission on a concept that involved animal control complaints being directed to its members to try to resolve the issue. If that attempt failed, Sullivan said Arsenault or one of his officers would issue a citation.

Town Clerk Nancy Blackmer recommended waiting until Annual Town Meeting in June, as the fall Special Town Meeting is fast approaching. She said any adopted bylaw will be rejected by the state Attorney General’s Office if the language is not proper.

Selectboard Vice Chair Pat Lussier said consequences are needed to incentivize responsibility in animal ownership.

“Talking, apparently, isn’t going to work,” she said.

Andrew Smith asked if a proposed bylaw is the result of a couple of “bad actors” and Arsenault said there are few additional problematic spots in town. But Selectboard Chair Tom Smith said being lax with a couple of violators might lead to others following suit.

“You have no right having your animals on someone else’s property,” he said.

Sullivan said he frequently uses his police cruiser’s air horn to entice animals off the road when he encounters them on his work commute.

“And their retreat is to somebody else’s property,” he said. “It’s not to the property of the person who owns them.”

He also said that — just like speeding tickets — citations for animal control bylaw violations would be issued at an officer’s discretion.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.