GRANBY — A special Town Meeting next week will give residents a chance to approve a property tax work off program for seniors and veterans and adopt a new animal control bylaw with stricter leash laws.

Voters will discuss the six-article warrant starting at 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 21, in the East Meadow School, 393 E. State St. With the exception of the animal control bylaw, which mandates all pets be leashed in public, most of the articles pertain to budget items and taxes.

Two articles transfer money to the Fire Department to pay bills and fund the fiscal year 2025 budget. One article ask to transfer more than $6,000 from existing stabilization funds to pay off bills. The other article seeks to raise $104,640 for the Fire Department and $112,000 for the ambulance department through a combination of free cash, stabilization funds, bonds and borrowing. The articles come after the previous Town Meeting in May when the Finance Committee recommended to vote against the department’s request for funds.

The town’s new animal control bylaw would require all domestic animals to be restrained by a leash no longer than 10 feet. Only residents with the strength and knowledge to control an animal would be allowed to walk their dog in public spaces.

The law exempts dogs at a fenced-in dog park. Working, hunting and service dogs would also be exempt from this regulation when actively working or hunting.

This is a major change from the town’s current laws, which only require dogs to be in sight and under voice command when off leash.

Tax work off programs are also on the warrant, particularly for both anyone over the age of 60 and anyone who is a veteran. In exchanges for services to the town, residents who qualify for the program based on income eligibility would be able to lower their tax bill.

The final article transfers $20,000 from Cemetery paving accounts to pay for paving areas of the Granby Public Library.

Emilee Klein can be reached at eklein@gazettenet.com.