SACO — A decision to vote on an ordinance change requiring dogs to be on leash at the beach six months out of the year has been put on hold to give the city of Saco time to consult with an attorney.

The Saco City Council had been set to vote on an ordinance change on Monday night that would have required dogs to be on leashes at all times from April 1 through Sept. 30.

The City Council voted four to three to table the vote until Sept. 4, with councilors Marshall Archer, William Doyle and Alan Minthorn opposed.

Under current city ordinance, dogs must be on leashes at the beach only from 9 a.m .to 5 p.m. in July and August.

The city is considering the proposed, more restrictive ordinance to match requirements of a beach management plan the city signed this summer with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. The beach agreement ensures protection of endangered and at-risk wildlife, including piping plovers, a tiny shore bird that is a federal threatened species and state endangered species.

City officials approved the beach management plan as a requirement for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to agree to a beach replenishment project, city officials said. That project would use sand from dredging of the Saco River to replenish a stretch of eroded coastline in the Camp Ellis area.

At a public hearing earlier this month residents from Scarborough advised the city that it didn’t need to have such a restrictive dog ordinance in order for the U.S. Army Corps to move forward with the beach nourishment plan.

In 2013, Scarborough passed a leash ordinance similar to the one Saco recently proposed, after a plover was killed by an unleashed dog on Pine Point Beach. The town later altered the restrictions after a resident-run petition drive.

Archer said he opposed the suggested ordinance change, citing two lawsuits involving municipalities in a similar position.

The move to table the vote was spearheaded by Johnston, to give the city time to consult with an attorney to determine if there were options other than the suggested ordinance.

Johnston said the current dog ordinance was a compromise made by the City Council after an outcry by residents who wanted to ban dogs on the beach during the day in the summer. He said the ordinance has worked very well for the city.

“Today, we’re recognized as one of the most dog-friendly beaches in all of the state of Maine,” he said. “This ordinance reverses that course, and in my opinion, moves us in the wrong direction.”

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.