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HomeMy WebLinkAboutASAB minutes 101508Animal Services Advisory Board (ASAB) Approved Minutes for October 15, 2008 Meeting Present ASAB Members: Daniel Textoris, Susan Elmore, Bonnie Norwood, Tracy Carroll, Dewana Anderson, Pat Sanford, Kris Bergstrand and Rachel Beckham. Absent ASAB Members: Ross Oglesbee, Jean Austin, Suzanne Roy and Moses Carey. Others in Attendance: Bob Marotto, Animal Services Director; Jess Allison, Animal Shelter Manager; Irene Phipps, Animal Control Manager; Drew Brinkley, Assistant Shelter Manager; Paula Ragan, Administrative Assistant. Public Members Present: Ted Dorsi Welcome and Opening Comments—Susan Elmore, ASAB Vice-Chair, called the meeting to order. Motion was made by Daniel Textoris and seconded by Pat Sanford to approve the Agenda dated October 15, 2008. VOTE: Unanimous. Motion was made by Bonnie Norwood and seconded by Rachel Beckham to approve the minutes dated September 17, 2008. VOTE: Unanimous General Public Comment for Items not on the Agenda—None Unfinished Business— Tethering Ordinance Update—Bob Marotto reported that there were some members of the board present at the BOCC Work Session on September 22, 2008. The commissioners requested the following revisions be made to the amendment: (1) include how multiple dogs are counted to determine minimum square footage requirement; (2) make an exception for tethering in camping and recreational activities; and (3) incorporate an exception for tethered dogs in the company of a person who is outside with and within view of them. In addition, staff was asked to compile available statistical information about tethering and present that to the BOCC as part of the abstract. Revisions requested by the BOCC are being made by the County Attorney and the revised proposed amendment will be presented at the next BOCC meeting on November 6, 2008. Dangerous Dog Appeals—No hearings were held. Animal Services Advisory Board October 15, 2008 Meeting—Approved Minutes Page 2 Dangerous Dog Considerations—A staff memorandum on issues previously raised by Mr. Dorsi was presented for discussion. Also, Mr. Dorsi spoke to the ASAB about his concerns about dangerous dogs and belief that more should be done about them in Orange County. He noted that other jurisdictions go beyond the requirements of NC State Statute in different ways in regard to their regulation of dangerous dogs, e.g., owners are required to post signage, purchase a permit and/or pay a registration fee above and beyond the normal license fee for the county, requires the dogs to be spayed or neutered within a specific number of days and requires the owner to provide proof of minimum liability insurance coverage. A motion was made by Pat Sanford and seconded by Bonnie Norwood to form an ASAB Committee to review dangerous dog regulations and recommend changes to Orange County’s animal control ordinance. Pat and Bonnie agreed to be on this committee and the third person recommended for this committee was Jean Austin or Ross Oglesbee (given their legal training and experience). VOTE: 7 in favor and 1 opposed, motion carries. Placement Partner Committee—Mr. Marotto reported that it was expected that the final version of the placement partner agreement would come back to the ASAB in the next few months. Spay/Neuter Committee—Mr. Marotto reported a meeting would be held on Wednesday, October 22, 2008. The Board of County Commissioners has approved the Animal Kind Agreement and the final version will be submitted for signatures. Also, Pat Sanford provided members with a “Draft” copy on the Strategic Plan to reduce the euthanasia rate at the Orange County Animal Shelter. September Statistical Summary—Ms. Jess Allison gave an overview of the September 2008, statistical summary. She reported that the pattern reported in recent months continued to hold especially in terms of the proportion of placed animals and the increased number of intakes. New Business— Select Updates— World Rabies Day— This event was held on September 27, 2008, and in conjunction with the event, Animal Services offered three clinics at various locations in Orange County with approximately 240 vaccinations administered. There are two more clinics remaining for 2008; one will be held at the Animal Shelter on October 22nd and the other at Animal Control on October 29, 2008. New Shelter Hours—The new business hours previously reviewed with the ASAB will be implemented on October 19, 2008, on a three-month trial basis. The new hours will be Animal Services Advisory Board October 15, 2008 Meeting—Approved Minutes Page 3 Monday/Wednesday/Friday, noon to 6:00 p.m.; Tuesday/Thursday, noon-7:30 p.m.; Saturday, noon-5:00 p.m.; and closed on Sunday. UNC Remediation Project—The project is complete and the entranceway and parking areas are now the way they use to be. EARS Realignment—The EARS program was taken over by Animal Control on October 1, 2008. It is done on a two-team rotation for two weeks with each team of two Animal Control Officers having one week off. New Facility—The new facility is expected to open in the first quarter of 2009, and there should be tours of the facility in early November. Value engineering is continuing throughout the construction process given the tight budget of the project and the need to still procure medical equipment and furnishings. Also, there will be an alternative source of wash down water. Well water and rainwater will be gathered in a cistern, treated, and used to disinfect the kennel areas. Questions have emerged as to whether this water will meet the EPA standard for potability, despite the treatment process since early tests showed high levels of certain inorganic compounds. Further research is being done to assess this situation including whether it is necessary to meet the EPA standard for inorganic compounds as well as coliform bacteria. Veterinary and Medical Services at the New Facility—Mr. Brinkley provided members of the board with a handout outlining costs of three different models being considered for staffing the surgical suite and other medical ser vices at the County’s the new facility. The current practice is to send all animals to veterinarians for the spay/neuter surgeries and we contract a veterinarian to come in house to provide other veterinary services. One of the challenges will be to deliver these services through the realignment of available resources because some of these resources may be needed to operate the new facility. Mr. Brinkley noted that staff has already presented the different models to staff from Budget, Purchasing and Human Resources Department for review and feedback. Fiscal Year 09/10 Budget and Service Priorities—Mr. Marotto reported that we would be required to achieve a continuation budget for FY0809, i.e., one without inflationary adjustment or other increases. Assuring that this is the “worst case scenario” will require a lot of work by staff and strong support from the Animal Service Board members, stakeholders, and “friends” in the context of the upcoming budget cycle. We have already been asked to reserve 2 percent of the operating expenses, and even larger reductions in the area of vehicle mileage and fuel usage given the current cost of fuel. We need to work to maintain our budget at the current level and to think about how to obtain and achieve the same objectives with fewer resources. The Animal Services Department has already inventoried services (mandated and non-mandated) Deleted: . Animal Services Advisory Board October 15, 2008 Meeting—Approved Minutes Page 4 and submitted that information to the budget department as part of the 09/10-budget process. The second stage of this process is to apportion the budget by those services. 2009 ASAB Officer Nominations—The Nomination Committee, consisting of the current and past ASAB Presidents (respectively, Ross Oglesbee, Tracy Carroll and Kris Bergstrand), presented the following officer slate: Susan Elmore for Chair and Jean Austin for Vice-Chair. Both Susan and Jean have agreed to serve in these capacities. A motion was made by Pat Sanford and seconded by Bonnie Norwood to accept the slate and to vote at the November 19, 2009 ASAB meeting. VOTE: Unanimous 2009 ASAB Meeting Calendar—Paula Ragan submitted a draft copy of the proposed 2009 ASAB meeting calendar. The meetings will be held on the third Wednesday of each month from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. with no meeting being held in December. The meeting locations will be rotated between the Chapel Hill and Hillsborough locations. Ms. Ragan invited feedback with the expectation that a final calendar will be adopted at the November ASAB meeting. Motion was made by Daniel Textoris and seconded by Bonnie Norwood to adjourn the meeting at 8:30 p.m. VOTE: Unanimous. Next ASAB Meeting: Wednesday, November 19, 2008, at 6:30 p.m. in the Southern Human Services Conference Room, 2501 Homestead Road, Chapel Hill.