By Andrea Bruner, White River Now
A block in the city of Batesville is currently not getting their mail – but it’s not the residents who seem to be troubled by it.
Tuesday night, a letter carrier came before the Batesville City Council to voice concerns about dogs roaming loose and biting people.
Sarah Gay spoke during the citizens’ comments portion of the agenda and said that before going to work for the postal service, “I served in the Army and worked in the Department of Corrections for several years so I know what a hazardous environment is, and I never thought delivering mail in a small town would be hazardous or dangerous but it is because we’ve got numerous dogs all over the place that are biting people and no one is checking up on them.
“There are people seen walking around Westside with golf clubs and baseball bats for protection against these dogs, and the only time I’ve seen animal control pick up a dog was one that I’ve known for years to not be aggressive. The dog was in its own yard, and it got out (of the fenced-in portion), and he caught it in its own yard so he could write (the owner a ticket).”
Gay said her first call to animal control was about a pit bull within the city limits that had had attacked her on numerous occasions, although the city passed an ordinance in 2010 prohibiting the breed (both in full and mixed). The residence did not receive mail for more than two months, she said, because the post office refused to deliver to the home.
“The last call I ever made to animal control ended with me getting yelled and cussed by the owner of the dogs because they told me that animal control told them that I was the one that called, which was completely unprofessional. Now, there is an entire block (on Wycough Street) that has not had their mail delivered in over a month. It’s almost two months now, because of a dog that’s been biting people.
“He (City Animal Control Officer LaRoss Nelson) told postal employees he would pick up that dog; that was two months ago, and it still hasn’t happened. I took a picture of that dog yesterday.
“A year ago, he told me himself that he would pick up a pit that was in city limits. They attacked me and bit another mail carrier, resulting in that mail carrier having to go to the emergency room to get stitches. The dog is still there. It’s tied to a doghouse – not on the pulley system like the ordinance says – and when I went to check up on it, it was shut inside of the doghouse.”
Gay said she has seen dogs in the city limits chase people and said the safety of residents and mail carriers is a real concern.
Mayor Rick Elumbaugh also asked Nelson to come up to the microphone to speak.
Elumbaugh asked Nelson what the shelter hours are, and he said office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but he is personally at the shelter seven days a week. He said besides himself, the staff includes the assistant animal control officer, Jessica Martin, who started approximately two months ago, and then Fay Brinkley, office manager, whose schedule is technically noon to 4 p.m.
Alderman Scott Fredricks asked Nelson what were his biggest challenges, and Nelson said, “People.”
Nelson said some residents do not want to register their animals or follow city ordinances. “They get very passionate about their dogs. I’ve had my life threatened because I told people they can’t tie their dog to a tree. That’s just preposterous that you would threaten somebody’s life over something like that.”
He also said Westside has always had more issues. “The lots are smaller, there’s more people, they’re stacked on top of each other. I’d say maybe half of the dogs we bring in come from the Westside area.”
He said his office is short-staffed, with only two full-time and one part-time employee, so he’s thankful to have extra help, such as the police and fire departments on site from time to time. “We appreciate any help we get, but I think staff (or lack of) is just the biggest issue.”
He said there are calls that come in after hours, and the outgoing message states that if this is an emergency to call 911. If someone leaves a message, an email is sent to his phone.
“If it’s something pertinent, I’ll take care of it right away,” but otherwise, he may check on the call on his way to work. He also said 911 dispatch has called him after hours regarding animals. “I’ve had callouts at 2 or 3 in the morning for everything you can imagine, and we’re always a call away.”
Elumbaugh referenced an earlier story published by White River Now in which Nelson said he had picked up 280 dogs and 146 cats in 2023, and 291 dogs and 162 cats in 2024. As of Sept. 30, the city has picked up 16 dogs and 126 cats so far this year.
Nelson said pickup is not his first choice, however. “If we can find the owner, we’d rather them go home; we’d rather advise people what they need to fix in order to correct the issue and just be compliant. Compliance is an issue with a lot of people.
Elumbaugh asked what the protocol is if a person is bitten and the dog has been picked up. Nelson said by state law, the dog must be quarantined for 10 days. Vaccinated animals may be quarantined at the owner’s house (if the owner can ensure no exposure to other animals); others are quarantined at the city animal shelter, and after 10 days, sent to a veterinarian for an examination and vaccination. Unclaimed animals are generally euthanized; “vicious” unclaimed animals are sent to the state Department of Health for rabies testing.
Alderman Fred Krug asked Nelson what he does if he sees a pit bull within the city limits, and Nelson said it depends, but if it clearly belongs to someone, he will tell the owner that the breed is not allowed in the city limits. He said they have seen new breeds pop up that “derive stock” from pit bulls but are classified as something else.
“We also run into a lot of emotional support and service animals that are pit bulls. By federal law, those are allowed,” Nelson said.
Alderwoman Brittany Bennett asked if the service animal law supersedes the city ordinance, and Nelson said it does.
“What do you do when you see a dog on a chain?” Krug asked, and Nelson said he would first give a courtesy warning, such as on a door hanger, to let the resident know that they must have the dog on a runner or a fenced-in area.
Elumbaugh asked about cats, and Nelson said the shelter is already full. Last month, his office brought in 53 cats. He said feral and stray cats are usually euthanized before entering the building. Nelson has been with the city 11 years and said he’s only had two or three cats reclaimed. “Most people, once their cat is gone, they don’t go looking for it.”
Animals can be adopted after the 10-day quarantine to ensure good health, Nelson said. “We do try to adopt out everything we can.”
Alderman Robb Roberts asked if the city has written protocol about when the city should pick up dogs and other policies, and Nelson said there is “probably an older copy on the book somewhere down at the office.”
“There’s a lot of different factors at play, so there’s never a blanket policy on how to treat every one,” Nelson said. “If we’re not able to find the owner, we’ll take it to the office.”
He said the animals are checked for microchips and photos are posted online in an attempt to find the owner. He said collars and tags are also required by the city, but he sees a lot of animals with neither.
In other business Tuesday night:
— The council gave its blessing for two Main Street restaurants to apply for private club permits from the Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Control Division.
The first was The Twisted Spud, LLC, to be located inside the old Stella’s Bistro location at 250 E. Main St., requested by Alisha Hightower, and the other was Maw’s Downtown Table, LLC, at 325 E. Main St. (formerly home to Old World Lanterns by Benoit), requested by Jessica Bumann.
Both requests were approved by ordinance.
— Following an executive session, the council re-appointed Scott Lancaster to another five-year term on the airport commission and Chris Milum to the public facilities board, and also appointed Steve Case to a term on the airport commission as well.
Case’s position is a new one; Alderman Robb Roberts said the airport commission’s by-laws do not state an exact number, but the city needed to increase the current number of commissioners because the current six is too close to the minimum number required by the by-laws. He said others could be added to the commission if good candidates are found.
— The council rescheduled its next meeting to Nov. 10 due to the second Tuesday falling on a holiday (Veterans Day) in which city offices are closed. The city council usually holds two meetings a month, the second and fourth Tuesdays, but sometimes cancels the second meeting if there is little to no business to conduct. However, Elumbaugh said this is budget time, and there could be a budget meeting called.
— Elumbaugh also asked the council to approve the purchase of a new Dodge truck for the cemetery/landscaping department. He said there was a vendor with two 2025 models with utility bids priced at $57,500, and both sold before the city of Batesville could make a commitment to purchase or at least have the vendor hold them until the city could complete the purchase.
“We paid $82,000 earlier this year for the ’25; they have one on the ground that a bed could be placed on. This would save us approximately $20,000,” Elumbaugh said.
He said the cemetery/landscaping department, which is led by Supervisor Johnny Abbott, “gets all the hand-me-downs. What I mean is, we’ve had to put transmissions in these vehicles, and he goes all over. He takes over – he takes care of our parks and cemeteries, and he’s got to have a vehicle.”
Elumbaugh said that although there is a truck in the 2026 budget, he would like to purchase the vehicle now and pay for it out of the 2025 budget. He also said he would like to leave the truck in the 2026 budget, even if it meant cuts to the budget elsewhere. The council agreed.
All council members were present.
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