ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY, N.Y. -- There have been concerns expressed in the Village of Gouverneur over horse manure on private property. A public meeting was held Thursday night to receive input about a proposed law that would attempt to regulate where a horse is allowed to go to the bathroom.

St. Lawrence County is home to large Amish communities, whose main mode of transportation is horse and buggy. There is serious concern about the burden such a law would place on the Amish. It would require horse owners to pick up after their animals immediately, whether they are pulling a carriage or being ridden, and horses would not be allowed to be left unattended.

"The law was written to help keep the street a little cleaner. We have a DPW that works incredibly hard to keep our streets clean and when you add the feces to it, it creates more of a burden," said Gouverneur Mayor Christopher Miller.

However, the mayor says the way the law was written, it comes off discriminatory toward the Amish population. A number of people say they do not support it and say it seemed to be a "knee-jerk" reaction to an individual problem.

A decision regarding the proposal will be made at a future public hearing.