Smiths Falls council were provided a rundown of bylaw calls in 2023 and 2024.
Fire Chief Rick Chesebrough says calls regarding property standards take up a significant portion of the call volume.
There was also a sharp increase in animal control calls, representing 37% of their field work compared to 28% in 2023.
Chesebrough noted their officers were the busiest in the region.
The two bylaw officers worked 149.5 hours of overtime in 2024.
Animal control duties will soon be deferred by bylaw so it’ll relieve some of their responsibilities. Carleton Place has five by-law officers and fielded 600 calls last year, while Perth had 66.
Story by Grant Deme
