HUNTINGTON -- After months of public debate, committee meetings and protests that involved animal lovers chaining themselves to trees at Ritter Park, the city of Huntington now has a dog tethering ordinance.

City Council approved the ordinance Monday night by a 9-2 vote. Councilmen Jim Insco and Nate Randolph were the two dissenting votes.

The adopted ordinance is a simplified version of the original measure that City Council debated this past summer. The original proposal limited tethering to no more than 10 hours a day and would have prohibited the practice entirely depending on the outside temperature.

Recognizing the first proposal would be difficult, if not impossible, to enforce, Councilman Jim Ritter pared down the ordinance to prohibit tethering only when a dog's owner or guardian is not present. Tethering will still be allowed when the owner or guardian is at home, said Ritter, the ordinance's sponsor.

Penalties will range from $50 for the first offense to $500 for four or more offenses.

"It may seem like I'm trying to punish some people who really take care of their dogs, but I just can't see someone chaining up a dog and not taking care of it," he said. "Seeing what I've seen here with dogs, I felt there needed to be some sort of tethering law in the city."

Randolph, who owns a dog and keeps it indoors, said the ordinance has good intentions but is afraid it could have adverse effects. The ordinance should have focused on the humane treatment of animals in general rather than tethering only, he said. Dog owners who tether their pets while they are away from home now may put their dogs into cages for several hours a day, he said.

The ordinance also punishes dog owners who take care of their pets but may need to tether them for short periods of time, Randolph said.

"There are so many circumstances involved with tethering a dog, and we're painting every dog owner with a broad brush," he said. "I don't think the end product will be what we're hoping for with this ordinance."

Sue Brown, president of Little Victories animal shelter, said tethering a dog is a form of animal abuse. She said she's seen too many owners who chain their pets at an early age and forget to loosen the chain as they grow. As a result, the chain becomes embedded in the dog's skin, she said.

Too many owners use tethered dogs as a cheap alarm system, Brown said. Because the dogs have little interaction with humans, they can become dangerous to unsuspecting children, she said.

"The neglect of a dog that is chained in a yard day after day, year after year, is a form of abuse," she said. "The only way they can be part of a family is if they are inside with a family."

In other business Monday, the council unanimously approved two resolutions making the city a participant in a new retirement system for municipal firefighters and police officers.

The West Virginia Legislature approved the measure during a special session in November, and Gov. Joe Manchin signed the legislation into law earlier this month. The new retirement system requires approval from local governing bodies.

Here's a look at other actions from Monday's meeting:

TEEN COURT: The council referred an ordinance that assesses a $5 fee on municipal court cases to its public safety and finance committees. The fees, which would not apply to parking tickets, would go toward the establishment of a teen court in Cabell County.

Tim White, coordinator of the city's Weed and Seed Program, told council members during a work session Friday that the teen court is vital because Cabell County incarcerates more juveniles than any other county in West Virginia and also because the state Supreme Court recently decided to eliminate the Cabell County Juvenile Referee's Office. The county was one of three in the state that had a juvenile referee.

The teen court would be for young people who are between the ages of 11 and 17 and are nonviolent first offenders, White said.

TAX AUDITS: The council moved to a third reading an ordinance that authorizes the law firm of Bailes, Craig and Yon to undertake business and occupation tax collections. A third reading is required because the council made an amendment to the ordinance on second reading.

The law firm will contract with an accounting firm to perform audits of business and occupation taxes. The accounting firm would be paid no more than $75 an hour, while attorney fees would range from $150 to $285 per hour. Each audit would take no more than three hours to conduct, Finance Director Deron Runyon said.

The city already contracts with a Columbus, Ohio-based agency that collects delinquent municipal and refuse fees.

POLICE VEHICLES: The council unanimously approved the second reading of an ordinance authorizing the purchase of three 2010 Chevy Tahoes and one cruiser for the Police Department. The Tahoes are $83,213 and will be purchased with an Edward G. Byrne Department of Justice grant, Community Participation grant and collision-loss recovery funds from previously wrecked cruisers.

The cruiser is $24,290 and will be purchased with Byrne grant funds.

SEWER PROJECT: The council moved to a second reading an ordinance that authorizes a contract for a long-awaited sewer line extension project that will service KineticPark and broaden the potential for development along W.Va. 10.

The project consists of three miles of sewer line that begins at the intersection of Enslow Boulevard and Washington Boulevard and extends southward along Fourpole Creek to Mount Union Road. In addition to KineticPark, it will serve the R&J commercial development area across from KineticPark.

The $2.3 million contract would be awarded to Chapman-Martin Excavation of Huntington.

INVESTIGATION: Council Chairman Jim Insco appointed council members Frances Jackson, Mark Bates, Ritter and Randolph to a committee that will look into allegations made by Huntington Sanitary Board employees.

Those employees have expressed concerns relating to purchases of various pieces of equipment and cost overruns, Insco said after the meeting.

Jackson will serve as chairwoman of the committee.

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Huntington City Hall.