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HomeMy WebLinkAboutASAB minutes 021109Animal Services Advisory Board (ASAB) Approved Minutes for February 11, 2009 Meeting Present ASAB Members: Daniel Textoris, Pat Sanford, Jean Austin, Kris Bergstrand, Bonnie Norwood, Rachel Beckham, Suzanne Roy, Tracy Carroll, Susan Elmore Absent ASAB Members: Rob Gray, Dewana Anderson and Ross Oglesbee. Others in Attendance: Animal Services Director Bob Marotto, Shelter Manager Jess Allison, Administrative Assistant Paula Ragan, Program Coordinator Sarah Fallin and Animal Control Manager, Irene Phipps. Public Members Present: None Welcome and Opening Comments—ASAB Chair, Susan Elmore, called the meeting to order. Motion was made by Kris Bergstrand and seconded by Susan Elmore to approve the Agenda dated February 11, 2009, with one change to move Item 5a under New Business before Item 4, Old Business. VOTE: Unanimous. Motion was made by Daniel Textoris and seconded by Susan Elmore to approve the minutes dated January 14, 2009, with the correction of a few typographical errors. VOTE: Unanimous General Public Comment—None Animal Services Appreciation- Sarah Fallin introduced Eunice Chang of Locopops in Chapel Hill. The Animal Services Advisory Board recognized and thanked Ms. Chang for her contributions to the Animal Shelter and a Certificate of Recognition was presented to Locopops for donating all the funds from the sale of popsicles to the Animal Shelter. ASAB members requested that staff bring these appreciation awards to the attention of the Chapel Hill News (specifically, its Raspberries and Roses column). Unfinished Business— January Statistics—Jess Allison gave an overview of the January 2009 Animal Sheltering Statistics and she reported that the number of animals admitted were less than December 2008. FY09/10 Ten (10) Budget & Service Priorities—Bob Marotto provided a handout dated February 11, 2009, with a summary of FY09/10-10 percent budget reductions and potential discussion points with the County Manager and Budget Department. Key points include the opening of the new Animal Services Facility and existing, staffing challenges. Recommended operational reductions will include training and uniforms and recommended service reductions will include microchiping and school education. In addition, funds for possible future revenue ASAB February 11, 2009 Meeting--Page 2 Approved Minutes offsets will be reviewed. They include the pet tax for sterilized animals, targeted donations, and a surrender fee for out-of-County residents. Motion was made by Jean Austin and seconded by Daniel Textoris that the ASAB is strongly committed to sustain both pre-adoption spay/neuter and targeted spay/neuter programs in order to address pet overpopulation and that these should be protected programs in the County’s budget process. VOTE: Unanimous ASAB Committee Status Reports— Potentially Dangerous Dog Appeal Committee—A hearing was held regarding a dog that approached a person that was not on his property in a threatening and terrorizing manner. Although there were no injuries it was apparent that the person approached was fearful of the dog’s behavior and that the incident otherwise met the legal requirement for the declaration. After reviewing the case the committee determined that the declaration would be upheld. Dangerous Task Force—A meeting was held on February 4, 2009, and minutes from the meeting were distributed to all members. The committee reviewed the OC Animal Ordinance “Vicious Dog” section, the Chapel Hill Animal Ordinance on “Vicious Animals” and the NC State Statues 67-4 of Dangerous Dogs. The committee felt that the OC Animal Ordinance “Vicious Dog Section” lacked the structure needed to protect the public and animals. A list of those concerns is captured in the minutes. Ms. Austin will be preparing a draft of the proposed new ordinance section for consideration of the ASAB committee. The next meeting will be held on February 16th and everyone is encouraged to attend. Spay/Neuter Committee—No meeting was held but at the next meeting they will be asking the ASAB committee to consider a strategic plan to reduce euthanasia by 30 percent no later than 2011. Guidelines for ASAB Ad Hoc Committees—Bob Marotto provided a handout of the guidelines for any ad hoc committee meetings without direct staff support given that he had suspended staff support for ad hoc committees until the budget cycle was competed and the new Animal Services Center fully operational . This will help to ensure the smooth operation of these committees and continue to ensure the effective communication between Animal Services Staff and the ASAB. Motion was made by Kris Begstrand and seconded by Pat Sanford to adopt the ASAB Ad Hoc Committee Guidelines dated February 11, 2009. VOTE: Unanimous New Business— Annual Volunteer Program Report- Sarah Fallin provided members with handouts on the 2009 Special Event Calendar and Animal Services Volunteer Hours. Ms. Fallin reported that the volunteer hours have increased over the past four years. For 2008, there were an average of 82 ASAB February 11, 2009 Meeting--Page 3 Approved Minutes volunteers a month with a total of 5835 hours. There will be more trainings provided for the volunteers to help assist with the “meet and greets” for potentially adoptable animals. Five of the volunteers have been chosen and recognized by Village Pride, WCHL 1390 and will be honored this month at a dinner. Community Service workers are also utilized at the shelter an average of 3 workers a month for a total of 503.5 hours in 2008. Partnering Organizations—There was also a handout provided with a list of Community Partnerships, which the ASAB members are invited and encouraged to identify additional organizations that may be possible partners for Orange County Animal Services. It was stressed that during these trying economic times it is very important that we identify, explore and nourish these partnerships in order to ensure that Orange County residents and their animals receive the best possible services. Tracy Carroll of Paws4Eve (formerly Animal Protection Society of Orange County is one of the Animal Services existing partners. Ms. Carroll gave a brief update on their mission, which is to educate, care, adopt animals on a guaranteed basis, and train animals. Some of their goals are to promote the welfare of animals through humane education, low cost spay neuter program, guaranteed adoption center and the dog-training program. The one thing that they put emphasis on is not to be called a “no kill shelter”. Motion was made by Jean Austin and seconded by Susan Elmore to adjourn the meeting at 8:05 p.m. VOTE: Unanimous. Next ASAB Meeting: Wednesday, March 18, 2009, at 6:30 p.m. in the John Link Government Services Center Conference Room, 200 S. Cameron Street, Chapel Hill.