Lower Township Council voted 3-2 to approve an ordinance to ban dogs and other pets from the beaches of the township from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Labor Day. The vote came at a special late-afternoon session of council that had nearly 200 people in attendance, with many comments in opposition to the new law. Mayor Mike Beck and Deputy Mayor Norris Clark voted against the ordinance, while Council members Erik Simonsen, Dave Perry and Tom Conrad voted in favor of the regulation. The new ordinance takes effect on June 28th. Other sections of the ordinance removed proposed restrictions on motorized boats and personal watercraft and continued to ban the use of alcohol, drugs, firearms, fireworks and fires on the beaches.
