Powell City Council mulling response to pet goat lawsuit

POWELL (WNE) — The Powell City Council is considering how it will respond to a resident’s lawsuit that challenges the city’s decision to ban her pet goat from town. 

“As we move forward, hopefully we can find a solution,” Mayor John Wetzel said in a Wednesday interview. 

Resident Venus Bontadelli sued the city early last month, asserting the council’s refusal to issue an exotic pet permit for her Nigerian pygmy goat Porsche Lane violated her civil rights. 

Bontadelli’s attorneys with the Pacific Legal Foundation argue the city’s decision — and the entire exotic pet permitting process — are unfair and arbitrary. 

Wetzel previously said he believes the city has been consistent in denying requests for exotic pets. 

The council discussed the litigation with City Attorney Scott Kolpitcke for more than an hour in a rare, closed-door executive session on Nov. 17. 

Another 25-minute executive session related to the suit was held at the end of Monday’s council meeting. 

The city was originally due to file its answer to Bontadelli’s suit in Wyoming’s U.S. District Court on Wednesday, but that deadline has been pushed back to Dec. 17. 

Tom Thompson of the Wyoming Local Government Liability Pool, which is representing the city, said in a late November filing that he needed more time to review Bontadelli’s complaint, discuss the facts with the city and prepare a response to the allegations. 

Bontadelli’s attorneys did not object to the delay and presiding U.S. District Judge Scott Klosterman approved the 14-day extension last week. 

The case has attracted national attention, including coverage from the news agency Reuters and the libertarian media outlet Reason.

This story was published on Dec. 4, 2025.