HomeMy WebLinkAboutMeeting Summary from AugustOrange County Animal Services
1601 Eubanks Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27516
919-942-PETS (7387)
ANIMAL SERVICES ADVISORY BOARD (ASAB)
6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Meeting Summary
MEMBERS PRESENT: Susan Elmore (Chair), Michelle Walker (Vice-Chair), DeWanna Anderson, Jenn
Merritt, Judy Miller, Marshall Morris, Warren Porter, Michael Stewart
MEMBERS ABSENT: Kate Doom-Patel, Aviva Scully, Suzanne Roy
STAFF PRESENT: Bob Marotto (Animal Services Director)
COUNTY COMMISSIONER PRESENT: Bernadette Pelissier
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Agenda: Motion to approve agenda unanimously approved
Summary of June 19, 2013 meeting: Reviewed and unanimously approved
General Public Comments on items not on the agenda: None
ASAB Affairs
1. Membership
a. Marshall Morris present for first meeting after appointment to the at-large seat vacated
by Donna Bravo
b. New member orientation held for new members Dewanna Anderson, Marshall Morris,
and Warren Porter
2. Potentially Dangerous Dog Appeal Hearings
a. Michael Stewart provided summary of the one hearing that took place since the last
meeting. Because the victim was not present, the committee determined that it lacked
sufficient information to uphold a designation, but issued a warning to the owners of
the offending dog.
Monthly Meeting Attendance Record: Confirmed
Animal Services and County Updates
1. Animal Services took on emergency operations in transporting and sheltering displaced animals
in the wake of flooding in Chapel Hill and Carrboro.
2. Recruitment for 1 Animal Control Officer, 1 Animal Care Technician, and an Assistant Program
Coordinator is underway or impending. New Veterinary Health Care Manager, Josh Fisher, has
completed orientation and is undergoing county training.
3. Miscellaneous
a. Animal Services is partnering with Kidzu Children’s Museum in Chapel Hill for
programming and outreach.
b. Request received and application completed for UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School
Nonprofit Board Fellows Program to work with ASAB and staff.
4. Volunteer Guidelines for ASAB Members
a. Director Bob Marotto discussed potential need for policies governing ASAB members
who are also OCAS volunteers regarding the following:
i. Recognizing that role as advisor and volunteer are entirely separate
ii. Recognizing that ASAB member has no special standing as a volunteer
iii. Recognizing that ASAB member must meet highest standards in his/her role as a
volunteer
b. Staff will explore the issues and proposed solution to be presented to the ASAB for
review.
5. In light of retirement of County Manager Frank Clifton, Director Bob Marotto discussed goal of
balance of tensions between operations and governance.
Old Business
1. Unified Animal Control Ordinance
a. Director Bob Marotto discussed in detail a document created by staff highlighting
changes to proposed Unified Animal Control Ordinance and explaining rationale for each
as directed by the BOCC.
b. He also reviewed a meeting between chairs and staff of ASAB and Agricultural
Preservation Board that took place on August 19, 2013. Suggestions from that meeting
included changing proposed Unified Animal Control Ordinance to provide that acts
involving at-large livestock that are outside of farmer’s control not considered a
nuisance and make explicit that there is discretion as to whether a farm animal off
property should be considered as a public nuisance.
c. Public Comment: Bonnie Hauser gave comment in support of a Unified Ordinance with
no substantive changes in order to allow individual consideration of all identified areas
of concern, as well as an appeal process for entire ordinance to a quasi-judicial body
analogous to the Board of Adjustment.
d. Commissioner Bernadette Pelissier commented on analogous process of creating a
Unified Development Ordinance and suggested that changes that do not impair
operations could be deferred until after consolidation.
e. ASAB voted unanimously to approve the document prepared by staff, with two
suggestions for staff to: (1) provide additional explanation of the originating source(s)
and rationale for chosen content where differences among existing ordinances were
reconciled and (2) consider the possibility of (to the extent feasible) providing to the
BOCC alternate drafts of the proposed ordinance with the three controversial issues of
trespass, watchdog, and livestock left unchanged.
Meeting adjourned at: 9:00 PM
Name of Minute Taker: Michelle Walker