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HomeMy WebLinkAboutASAB minutes 021914Animal Services Advisory Board (ASAB) 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, February 19, 2014 Meeting Summary MEMBERS PRESENT: Michelle Walker (Chair) Warren Porter (Vice Chair) Beth Grooms (new member) , Mike Stewart, Caroline Green (new member), Arthur Sprinczeles, Judy Miller, Suzanne Roy, Dewana Anderson Staff Present: Bob Marotto, Director, OCAS; Drew Brinkley - Operations Manager, OCAS UNC Nonprofit Board Fellow for Orange County Animal Services : Ellie Nave Public Present: Marilyn KIlle; Peppermint Spring Farm, 219 Old Fayetteville Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27516 Agenda: Proposed agenda approved unanimously with the addition to the agenda of Outside Agency Funding Review (proposed by Michelle Walker). Summary of January 22, 2014 Meeting: Approved unanimously with the term "Agricultural Farmland " changed to "Agricultural Preservation Board". Mike Stewart asked to have advance warning if there is a change in the meeting schedule. Bob Marotto said that we will work together at the end of the year to plan for the following year's meetings. Review of public participation guidelines Presented by Warren Porter, ASAB Vice-Chair General public comments on items not on the agenda: Marilyn Kille; Peppermint Spring Farm Ms. Kille came to the Board meeting asking for help. Her land and her animals have been targeted by poisoning and people using her land for partying (without her permission) and littering. Ms. Kille said that law enforcement have and every level of government has been contacted. Vandalism has occurred after 11:00 pm at night. Ms. Kille distributed an information sheet to the Board for review (which is attached). Monthly Meeting Attendance Record was confirmed complete All ASAB members introduced themselves to the new Board members and welcomed them. Animal Services Field Statistics Review, Drew Brinkley, Operations Manager  Bob Marotto introduced Drew Brinkley, OCAS Operations Manager. All Board members received a summary of all the field statistics 2013 Summary Statistics Animal Control Activities by Call Type  One in five calls relate to bites or rabies exposures. There was a 12% increase in activities in 2013 as compared to 2012. Activities by Jurisdiction 2012-2013  Animal control responsibility for Carrboro started in 2013.  53% of all impounds come from Chapel Hill, Eno and Cheeks.  Increased pick-ups in some areas - i.e. Chapel Hill and Cheeks  Would like to have access to GIS mapping data to know exactly where these animals are being picked up. Animal Outcomes: 2006-2013 Adoption and Euthanasia Statistics Adoption Statistics  2013 set a record for adoptions  Over 400 animals were adopted in the summer  Adoption specials helped raise the adoption numbers Live Release Rates 2009-2013 is made up of transfers, adoptions, and return to owners  3200 animals was the lowest intake since animal control came into existence - 25% fewer from 2005-2009 Number of placed cats are way up. Last year was the second highest total of adoptions since we started our statistics. Impressive to Drew Brinkley to have these kind of numbers at an open admissions shelter. Euthanasia - Last year OCAS had our lowest euthanasia rate ever. Most medical reasons for euthanasia are upper respiratory infections, heartworms and feline leukemia. Shelter staff make behavioral assessments to determine which animals are adoptable. A GIS map of rabies cases was done a few years ago and Bob Marotto wants to be able to do a GIS map of intake. This map will inform the efforts of subsidized spay/neuter outreach. ASAB affairs Spay/Neuter Day Resolution - Bob Marotto , Warren Porter, Michele Walker, Sarah Fallin and Rachel Williams attended the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting on February 18th. They presented the Spay/neuter resolution and it was adopted. February 25th is declared Spay/Neuter Day in Orange County. On February 25th one may sponsor a spay/neuter for another's pet or make an appointment to spay/neuter one's own pet. At the end of the meeting the BOCC appointed the ASAB's three new members. Caroline Green and Beth Grooms who were in attendance and Marshall Gray, an attorney with animal law background. Potentially Dangerous Dog Appeal Hearings - There weren't any this past month but one is coming up. Outside Agency Funding Requests - It is time for selected members of the ASAB Board to sit with Bob and Irene Phipps to review outside agency funding requests. This cycle, there is just one request for funding from Piedmont Wildlife. Bob Marotto said the we need to think of these funding requests in terms of strategic partnerships. The Kids for Kindness organization, which provides education about responsible pet ownership and the importance of spay/neuter to fourth graders at Hillsborough Elementary School, expressed need for resources to do the program on a wider basis. The ASAB Board would love to encourage Kids for Kindness to apply for funding next year as their mission aligns perfectly with that of OCAS. The timing to apply for this year wasn't right and we are hoping that next year it will work out. Wendy Stewart and Sandy Greene, the directors of the program will be presenting at the ASAB March meeting. Partnerships are critical to the OCAS enterprise. Bob Marotto said that there is an instrument that, any agency who is applying for funding, needs to fill out, after which the funding request is evaluated. Caroline Green, Judy Miller and Mike Stewart volunteered to be the members to work on reviewing outside agency funding and were unanimously approved by the ASAB Board. Old Business 1. Free Roaming Cat Task Force Charge and Update Dewanna Anderson, the Task Force Chair, reviewed the charge and thanked the Task Force members for helping to prepare it. The entire Board reviewed it and some small changes were made to the text which were voted on and approved unanimously. Changes included  Educate about the nature and needs of cats  Bold the bullet and switch the wording to, "Reduce the number and improve the health of free roaming cats"  Remove the bullet of "Explore Ordinance Changes and change to "Explore Trap Neuter and Release programs for free roaming cats" and,  Explore model programs and ordinances Bob Marotto reminded Board members that it's important not to prejudge how a Trap-Neuter- Release (TNR) would look in Orange County. First, we need to decide whether to have TNR and, if we do, what will make it workable and consistent for Orange County. Unified Animal Ordinance Update - Michelle Walker gave a brief update  ASAB and staff have been working on it for a long time  Confusion with the different ordinances in OCAS' jurisdiction.  About a year ago there was public feedback and most recently feedback was received from, Aimee Wall, JD, an attorney from the UNC--Chapel Hill School of Government  Asked to implement the changes that Amy Wahl proposed  Go before the Board at their work session on April 8 to go through any questions that they have . The notion of defining trespass is a very difficult one. We have received a trespass chart created by the School of Government. The notion of consent and negligence by and of the owner must be taken into consideration and the notion of "implied consent". There is a need to find a middle ground when it comes to these notions. The issue of "watchdog" is still tricky when dealing with someone coming onto the owner's property and the subsequent behavior of the dog. There is an exception to (legal repercussions?) if a dog is a "watchdog". However, the definition of watch dog is very broad and is essentially a dog that barks and is watchful/vigilant (barking, snarling and growling) if someone comes on the property. . There is also the question of "Does the person have consent to come on the property?" Behavior is a specific situation not a blanket term, i.e. my dog is a "watchdog". We are looking to find a middle ground. The County attorneys will do the drafting and then the Unified Ordinance will probably come bac k to ASAB. New Business 1. Animal Services Update - Bob Marotto  Winter Storm Activity - Irene and Bob spent the better part of 24 hours in the Emergency Operations Center. Didn't do as much as they needed to do to let people know that they need to prepare for their pets as well as themselves.  Community Spay & Neuter Program - In 2013 a total of 472 cats and dogs were spayed and neutered on the basis of the partnership between Animal Services and AnimalKind. A total of 373 dogs and cats belonging to clients of Orange County Department of Social Services (DSS) were spayed and neutered on a "no pay" basis.  Miscellaneous - There is a vacant Training & Lead Animal Control Officer position which OCAS hopes to fill in the near future. The staff has receive d training from the State Wildlife Commission (WRC) personnel in regard to field euthanasia of injured deer. There will be trainings provided by CLAWS in the upcoming months regarding responding to and referring wildlife injuries and safe handling, housing and transport of injured and orphaned wildlife  Veterinary Outreach - Josh Fisher, the new Veterinary Health Care Manager at OCAS and Andi Morgan, Communication Specialist, are meeting with seventeen or so veterinary clinic staff in Orange County to build stronger relationships. The response to date has been very positive. Ongoing and Upcoming Events  Low Cost Rabies Vaccination & Microchip Clinic, 3 to 5 pm, Thursday, February 13, 2014  Beat the Heat Campaign - January to March 2014 Billboards on 70 East and 70 West in Hillsborough up February 10 to March - There has been good feedback from community members about the billboards. They were purchased at a decent cost and receive lots of traffic daily.  Beat the Heat advertising and outreach  Spay/Neuter Day, January 31 and February 27, 2014  Valentine Adoption Special - February 1-28 Accompanying Documents 1. Meeting Summaries for November 20, 2013 and January 22 , 2014 ASAB 2. Annual Services 2013 Statistical Package 3. 2014 Community Spay /Neuter Annual Report 4. Orange County Animal Services Advisory Board Free-roaming Cat Task Force Charge: DRAFT February 5, 2014 5. Animal Services News, February 19, 2014 6. January, 2014, Monthly Sheltering Statistical Summaries (http://www.co.orange.nc.us/animalservices/monthlyreports2013.asp) (forthcoming) 7. January, 2014, Field Services Statistical Summaries (http://www.co.orange.nc.us/animalservices/fieldstatistics2013asp) (forthcoming)