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HomeMy WebLinkAboutASAB minutes 021710 Animal Services Advisory Board (ASAB) Approved Minutes for February 17th, 2010 Meeting Present ASAB Members: Daniel Textoris, Jean Austin, Susan Elmore, Kris Bergstrand, Suzanne Roy and Dewana Anderson. Absent ASAB Members: Bonnie Norwood, Mike Nelson, Tracy Carroll and Katie Brooks Others in Attendance: Animal Services Director Bob Marotto, Shelter Manager Jess Allison, and Assistant Shelter Manager, Drew Brinkley. Public Members Present: Tonya Powell Welcome and Opening Comments—ASAB Chair, Jean Austin called the meeting to order. Motion was made by Kris Bergstrand and seconded by Susan Elmore to adopt the Agenda dated February 17, 2010. VOTE: Unanimous. Motion was made by Susan Elmore and seconded by Kris Bergstrand to approve the minutes dated November 18, 2009 with a few typographical changes. VOTE: Unanimous ASAB Vacancies and Candidates—Jean Austin gave an overview of how the Animal Services Advisory Board is structured and described the various sub committees and their responsibilities. Jean explained that members are appointed by the BOCC to work with staff to consider various policy issues and operational issues and make recommendations to the County. Paula Ragan in coordination with the Clerk’s office invited Tonya Powell to attend this evening's meeting. Ms. Powell currently has an application on file to be considered for the vacant #12 ASAB position. This gave her the opportunity to meet board members and to get a better understanding of how the committee works. Ms. Powell gave a small introduction about herself and the types of experience she has with animal care and the handling of animals, including domestic, laboratory and exotics. Bob Marotto gave an overview of the current vacancies; they are the Town of Chapel Hill, Town of Carrboro, Certified Animal Handler and the unincorporated area (previously held by Rob Gray). Applications have been reviewed along with the Clerk’s office. The Town of Chapel Hill is making their recommendation to the BOCC at their next Town Council meeting. This item was to originally be on their February 8, 2009 Agenda but was postponed. The BOCC and County Manager are currently reviewing county boards and commissions. Specifically, they have been looking at how commissioners will work with boards in the future. As a result, the BOCC has placed a temporary suspension on new appointments to Boards until the review is complete. This may cause a delay in filing our vacancies. Page 2 of 4 ASAB Approved Summary February 17, 2010 General Public Comment—None Old Business— Dangerous Dog Task Force— Motion was made by Kris Bergstrand and seconded by Suzanne Roy to adopt the report made by the committee. As reported at previous ASAB meetings this year, Chair Jean Austin said that after gathering statistics from Animal Control over the past 2-3 years regarding animals that had been declared dangerous, she recommended against a change in the animal control ordinance to address “specific” size/type of enclosure that dogs declared "dangerous" must be kept in. A memorandum of the statistics and the committee’s findings will be prepared and submitted to the County Manager’s office for review. VOTE: Unanimous Placement Partner Committee—Bob Marotto reported that the committee has been working with the County Staff Attorney to review and revise the Placement Partner Agreement. The only change of any substance is to specify in the agreement that micro chipping would be available, and that spay and neuter will be performed for the direct cost to OCAS -- $30/neuter $60/spay. The issue regarding insurance has been resolved by including a provision that requires general liability insurance up to $100,000 along with auto insurance for all Placement Partners. It was decided that the agreement and guidelines would be finalized and implement as part of this year’s Strategic Plan. A survey conducted last year of six partner placement groups found that just one of these organizations would be unable to meet the insurance requirement. Motion was made was made by Kiris Bergstrand to support the Placement Partner Agreement and seconded by Susan Elmore, VOTE: Unanimous January Statistical Summary—Jess Allison reported that 242 animals were admitted to the facility, with a total of 101 adoptions. Animal Control brought in 39% of the intakes; there were nine rabies exposure investigations with zero positive tests. The first rabies clinic was held on February 16, 2010 with a total of 93 one-year vaccinations administered. Animal Services Updates—Bob Marotto reported that there would be ongoing activity for 2010 regarding the move into the new facility. Mr. Marotto stressed the importance of staying on task regarding the core activities for the Animal Services department. There is a small punch list of items that need to be completed, most of which are still under warranty. Some equipment is still needed, such as grooming tubs, commercial dishwasher and furnishings for the adoptable areas. Mr. Marotto reported that the transition to the in-house spay/neuter has been implemented and is running very well. There are some program elements that are still missing and will require a development of appropriate operational procedures for the facility. Tethering is a final implementation phase; written warnings will be written starting May 19th, 2010 and a third report will be provided to the BOCC with an overview and update. Page 3 of 4 ASAB-Approved Summary February 17, 2010 The Community Spay/Neuter is on track with the Strategic Plan. Animal Services will continue to move forward and work with AnimalKind to review and submit a request to the County Manager’s office to renew an Agreement for 2010/2011. Spay Day will be held next week and there are plans to do another event at end of the year. To date there have been 18-20 surgeries scheduled for Spay Day with hopes of that number increasing. Mr. Marotto reported there is an Agreement between Orange County Animal Services and POPNC that has been submitted to the County Manger’s office for approval, which will allow Wendy Royce, owner of POPNC to keep the spay/neuter van on site and use for upcoming special events. Animal Services staff continues to work with EMS and Red Cross for the pet co-location plan. A Companion Animal Mobile Equipment Trailer (CAMET) has been purchased and is located at the Orange County EMS. There is a Memorandum of Understanding between the State and County regarding the use of the unit. Animal Services staff will be attending a training next week and the goal is to be in a position for implementation by the beginning of hurricane season. Annual Sheltering Statistics—Drew Brinkley provided handouts to members of the 2005-2009 sheltering statistics. It covers animals admitted, live releases, dispositions, euthanasia and placements. Mr. Brinkley reported that the 2009 totals are on track, transfers are up, adoptions have been consistent over the past three years, return to owners for dogs are higher and cats have declined a little each year from 2006. Jess Allison also provided handouts of statistical graphs on the Placement Partner Transfers. The time period covers 2006-2009, overall the average transfers by month are between 30-40 per month. Committee members commended OCAS staff for maintaining adoption numbers throughout difficult economic times. Nuisance Ordinance: Farms and Farm Animals—Jean Austin gave an overview of the previous meetings held regarding the concerns of Orange County citizen Mr. Allen Green regarding fines assessed by Animal Control for his farm animals getting out on two different occasions. Mr. Marotto provided members with a copy of an email that Mr. Green sent on January 14, 2010. Mr. Marotto reported that the Staff Attorney for Orange County concluded that there was no conflict between the Animal Nuisance Ordinance and the Farm Land Protection Regulations to which Mr. Green referred in his email. Mr. Green wants to adjudicate the County’s decision. After this discussion and review, the ASAB decided not to recommend changes to the nuisance ordinance that would exclude large animals. The Board further decided to produce written draft document for presentation at the next ASAB meeting that summarizes the basis on which this decision was made. After approval by the ASAB, this recommendation and accompanying report will be conveyed to the County Manager’s office through the Chair and Vice-Chair of this board. Page 4 of 4 ASAB-Approved Summary February 17, 2010 The ASAB further decided that staff should contact the Sheriff’s office to determine how many traffic accidents involving large animals have been reported. Motion was made by Jean Austin and seconded by Kris Bergstrand to adjourn the meeting. VOTE: Unanimous. Next ASAB Meeting: Wednesday, March 17, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. in the Multipurpose Conference Room at the new Animal Services Center, 1601 Eubanks Road, Chapel Hill.