PORTLAND – A consultant is recommending that off-leash dogs be banned from a historic cemetery in Portland.

The consultant’s final report suggests that the city find an alternative site for off-leash dogs by April 30. After that, leashed dogs should be allowed in the Western Cemetery only during limited hours.

A city committee is taking a harder line, recommending that all dogs be banned from the 171-year-old burial ground.

It has been a polarizing issue in Maine’s largest city, a place where dog lovers don’t have many options for letting their pets romp.

Dog owners say the cemetery has benefited from their presence. They’ve organized cleanup days and raised money for restoration work at the cemetery that had been neglected.

“I don’t know where we go from there,” said David Eaton, president of the Friends of Western Cemetery, which supports a dog presence in the cemetery.

The Boston-based consultant will present his findings next week at a public meeting. Ultimately, the City Council will decide if dogs should be allowed in Western Cemetery.

It has been a controversial issue for several years. Many historic preservationists, neighbors and city officials believe it’s inappropriate for animals and their owners to tread on graves, a few of which date to 1796.