BRISTOL — The Bristol selectboard is considering whether to develop a livestock running-at-large ordinance to help prevent animals from getting loose and running into the road.

Bristol resident Dennis Hysko approached the selectboard this past spring and requested the town develop and adopt such an ordinance, raising concerns about a neighbor’s horses escaping and running onto his property.

A handful of other Vermont towns have adopted ordinances to regulate livestock running at large, including New Haven. The Bristol selectboard reviewed those ordinances at its July 8 meeting. Such ordinances classify livestock running at large as a public nuisance and establish regulations for impoundment of animals found running at large, enforcement officers and civil penalties.

“They’re very similar in structure and have provisions for fines, different levels for fines depending on the number of events, but also impoundment,” Bristol Town Administrator Valerie Capels said of other towns’ ordinances.

The selectboard also heard from Police Chief Bruce Nason about how widespread the issue of livestock running loose is in Bristol. Nason said the police department has not received any recent calls related to loose horses, though such calls do come in periodically.

He noted that the ordinance could provide an opportunity to address calls the department receives of other animals running at large.

“If we’re going to look at this, we should be looking at other livestock. We do get calls from time to time about chickens, believe it or not,” Nason said. “At some point, it’s not just about dogs and we’ve got to address some of the other things.”

Selectboard members discussed the logistics of developing an ordinance, particularly without the means to impound livestock running at large in Bristol. Town officials noted that Bristol could exclude impoundment from the ordinance if developed.

“I liked that part in the New Haven ordinance which was just focused on paying a fee,” selectboard member Jessica Teets said. “So that it would basically be if you’re animal gets out, you are charged a fine, but I would also like to see that the first offense is just a warning.”

The selectboard will continue discussion of whether to develop and adopt an ordinance at its next meeting.

In other activity at its July 8 meeting, the Bristol selectboard:

• Authorized the Bristol Police Department to purchase a 2023 Dodge Durango Pursuit all-wheel-drive vehicle for $39,687 to replace a 2018 Ford Explorer currently used by the department.

• Approved the Green Mountain Stage Race’s request for use of town roads during their annual bicycle event on Sunday, Sept. 1.