Small town targeting Amish horse manure

A type of vehicle waste that is not normally regulated is causing problems in one Western Kentucky town. When local Amish come to Auburn, Ky., population about 1,000, around 20 miles west of Bowling Green, "their horses leave droppings in the streets" and some residents are complaining about the mess and smell, Pam Cassady of The Daily News in Bowling Green reports. "City leaders are hoping an animal excrement ordinance will help clear the air," Cassady writes. (Daily News photo by Alex Slitz)

Mayor Dewey Roche told Cassady that when the Amish moved to the area they agreed to clean up after their horses when in town, but that hasn't happened. "They say they want to be part of the community," Roche said. "And we want to get along." The city's animal-excrement ordinance only covers dogs, but at a City Council meeting in March members voted to start amending it to cover all animals.

Roche says some Amish residents, unhappy with the vote, told him they would take their business to nearby Franklin, in another county. Glen Sears, owner of a local hardware store, said he would hate to lose the business of the Amish and said if the city is going to force them to clean up after the horses, it needs to also enforce the dog provision. The council is scheduled to have first reading of the new ordinance Monday, April 11. (Read more)