HomeMy WebLinkAboutASAB Annual Report Work Plan 2015 2016 REVISED Working Document
NAME OF BOARD: Animal Services Advisory Board
Report Period: 2015-2016
ORANGE COUNTY ADVISORY BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS
ANNUAL REPORT/WORK PLAN FOR COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
The Board of Commissioners welcomes input from various advisory boards and
commissions in preparation for its annual planning retreat. Please complete the
following information, limited to the front and back of this form. Other
background materials may be provided as a supplement to, but not as a
substitute for, this form.
Board/Commission Name: Animal Services Advisory Board (ASAB)
Person to address the BOCC at Work Session—if applicable and contact
information: NEW CHAIR, ASAB.
Primary County Staff Contact: Bob Marotto, Animal Services Director
How many times per month does this board/commission meet, including any
special meetings and sub-committee meetings?
In 2016, the ASAB will again have a monthly meeting except for the months
of July and December. Monthly meetings ensure that there is sufficient
time to listen to stakeholders and address agenda items in a deliberate and
timely manner. In the event that there is not a definite need for a monthly
meeting, none will be held.
Presently, the ASAB has only one standing committee:
Potentially Dangerous Dog Appeal Committee: This standing committee is
required by North Carolina General Statutes (NCGS) to hear appeals
initiated by owners of dogs declared potentially dangerous.
Note that adoption of the proposed unified animal control ordinance may
well have an impact in this area. If the ASAB becomes responsible for the
appeals process for administrative orders and civil penalties, a new
standing committee with only a projected work load will need to be formed
Brief Statement of Board/Commission’s Assigned Charge and Responsibilities.
The ASAB will continue to serve as a sounding board for stakeholder
groups, reviewing animal-related policy issues raised by residents or
identified by the BOCC. Animal Services and other county staff will
continue to direct residents to the ASAB as a critical step in any
consideration of stakeholder concerns, before bringing an item to the
Board of County Commissioners.
The ASAB would stress that it is fundamentally concerned not only about
animal welfare but about the human aspects of animal issues and services.
Indeed, one board member is the Health Board veterinarian for Orange
County. In addition, the ASAB values and seeks to support the “human-
animal bond” and the role of animal companions in enriching the quality of
life for individuals, communities and cultures.
Of special concern are the services needed by disadvantaged and often
underserved households. A good illustration is the ASAB’s support for
Animal Services partnership with the Department of Social Service to
provide affordable pet sterilization to households of lesser means. A more
recent initiative is support for efforts to create partnerships with the Family
Success Alliance and also the Roger’s Road Neighborhood Association
and Rogers Eubank Neighborhood Association (RENA).
What are your Board/Commission’s most important accomplishments?
The ASAB continued to work with staff and stakeholders to support and
promote a strategic plan for managing pet overpopulation in Orange
County. The board was integral to developing a five year plan to address
free-roaming cats as a critical component of pet overpopulation in Orange
County (see Appendix I).
The ASAB continued to conduct appeal hearings for potentially dangerous
dog declarations made under North Carolina’s general statutes. The
opportunity for an appeal is mandated and also an important check and
balance for county Animal Services. To date In 2015, So far in 2015 XY
eleven (11) potentially dangerous dog declarations have been appealed and
several of these are currently under further appeal in Superior Court.
The ASAB considered whether Animal Services should participate in
research oriented toward helping shelter animals. Ultimately, the ASAB
decided against recommending that Animal Services participate in such
research because of the risks involved in doing so on the basis of the work
of a subcommittee that was formed to consider this complex and
challenging issue. The subcommittee reported out on the pros and cons of
Animal Services participating in such research on two different occassions
before the ASAB made its final decision. The ASAB considered thie issue
of animal research at the request of staff They did so at the request of staff
which, absent known and accepted guidelines and protocols, has which
had declined to participate in such research because of the absence of
known and accepted guidelines and protocols. . (Most recently staff
regrettably declined a request made by a faculty member at the NCSU
College of Veterinary Medicine seeking to reduce morbidity and mortality
arising from diarrhea in young cats.)
The ASAB also collaborated with staff in reviewing applications as part of
the county’s process for funding outside agencies. The board sought to
identify agencies that augment the “animal services” provided by the
County as well as to seek support for efforts furthering or enhancing the
human-animal bond.
Finally, the ASAB has sought to assist the BOCC in ensuring that board
vacancies are filled in a timely and effective manner by making
recommendations based upon interviews with candidates for different
openings. In addition, the board provides each new member with an
orientation, which includes an introduction to the ASAB, a review of county
policies for boards and commissions, and an overview of County “animal
services.”
List of Specific Tasks, Events, or Functions Performed or Sponsored Annually.
In addition to activities mentioned above, the board hosts a variety of
partner organizations, thereby helping to strengthen important working
relationships, and supports the annual Open House, which promotes
positive community relations.
Describe this board/commission’s activities/accomplishments in carrying out
BOCC goal(s)/priorities, if applicable.
Work done by the ASAB in coordination with Animal Services staff touches
several principles and priorities. Three principles and priorities seem
noteworthy with respect to the ASAB in calendar year 2015. These are:
Sustainable Services
• Supported strategic plan for managing pet overpopulation to control
medium and long-term costs.
• Concentrated on necessary (or core) services and notable
developments in the field of animal welfare and continued to seek
and enhance partnerships through use of Partner Profiles.
Making County Government Accessible, Understandable and Transparent
• Served as a sounding board for stakeholder concerns about animal
issues and animal related policies and worked with staff to
communicate with the BOCC regarding citizen concerns.
• Made recommendations to the BOCC regarding various animal
issues as well as regarding candidates for board vacancies.
• Continuing Involvement as needed in the ongoing effort to establish
a unified animal ordinance for the county in order to create more
comprehensible regulatory rules for all county residents.
Advisory Board Roles and Responsibilities
• Provided a setting for stakeholder contact and interaction about a
broad range of animal-related matters.
• Sustained ASAB as a county board by vetting candidates for
vacancies and making recommendations to the BOCC, conducting
orientations for new members, and managing the succession of
members and officers
• Conducted potentially dangerous dog appeal hearing as part of the
ASAB’s basic charge from the BOCC in accordance with the
requirements of NCGS.
If your board/commission played the role of an Element Lead Advisory Board
involved in the 2030 Comprehensive Plan preparation process, please indicate
your board’s activities/accomplishments as they may relate to the
Comprehensive Plan’s goals or objectives.
(The Element Lead Advisory Boards include: Planning Board, EDC, OUTBoard,
Commission for the Environment, Historic Preservation Commission, Agriculture
Preservation Board, Affordable Housing Board, Recreation and Parks Advisory
Council)
Not applicable.
Identify any activities this board/commission expects to carry out in 20163 as
they relate to established BOCC goals and priorities.
If applicable, is there a fiscal impact (i.e., funding, staff time, other resources)
associated with these proposed activities (please list).
The ASAB expects to be especially concerned with several areas in the
coming year. These are:
Sustainable Services
• Working within a plan for positively and proactively managing pet
overpopulation with special emphasis on free-roaming cats.
• Concentrating on basic (or core) services but exploring emergent
trends in the field of animal welfare and how they fit in Orange
County;
• Seeking and supporting effective partnerships with other
organizations
Making County Government Accessible, Understandable and Transparent
• Serving as a sounding board for various issues and policy concerns,
and making recommendations to BOCC, in coordination with staff,
on matters of concern to stakeholders.
• Coordinating with staff to inform the BOCC of strategic initiatives
and significant policy considerations
• Involvement as needed in establishing a unified animal ordinance to
create more comprehensive regulations for all county residents.
Advisory Board Roles and Responsibilities
• Provide a setting for stakeholder contact and interaction about a
broad range of animal-related matter.
• Conducted potentially dangerous dog appeal hearing as part of the
ASAB’s basic charge from the BOCC in accordance with the
requirements of NCGS.
• Recommend ASAB applicants to the BOCC and orient new members
to the role and responsibility of the advisory board.
What are the concerns or emerging issues your board has identified for the
upcoming year that it plans to address, or wishes to bring to the Commissioners’
attention?
Managing Pet Overpopulatlon: Work with staff to ensure that
organizational forms and practices responsible for the county’s success in
managing over population are recognized, supported and extended into the
future to ensure that the country maintains a proactive and cost-effective
approach to this significant community problem. Significantly, this effort
now includes a 5 year plan for managing free-roaming cats as a critical
component of pet overpopulation (see Appendix I).. The board is also
committed to moving forward pertinent ordinance amendments, namely, a
differential recovery rate for reproductive versus sterilized stray animals
and a microchip requirement for the recovery of stray animals.
Potentially Dangerous Dog Appeal Process: Work with department staff
the county’s staff attorney to ensure that there is sufficient and ongoing
training about the requirements and expectations of this appeal process.
In addition, work with staff to better elucidate some of the definitional
issues that arise in these hearings given the lack of clear definitions of
terms such as “vicious,” “terrorizing,” and “attitude of attack” in the
statute.
Exploring New Frontiers: Work with staff to see how cutting edge
developments in the field can be put into place in Orange County. These
include efforts such as Pets for Life oriented toward supporting pet
ownership in underserved parts of the county and related efforts seeking to
reduce animal intakes. Critical to this effort will be supporting the kinds of
partnerships staff are establishing with the Family Success Alliance and
RENA and the Roger’s Road Neighborhood Association.
School Partnerships: Continue to work with staff to explore opportunities to Formatted:Formatted:Formatted:Formatted: Font:
collaborate with Orange County Schools and Chapel Hill Carrboro Schools
to promote responsible pet ownership among future generations of county
residents. One is to create stronger relationships with school social
workers to promote subsidized spay and neuter for pets belonging to
economically challenged families or families receiving public assistance.
Another opportunity is to support Kids4Kindness in offering pet education
to students in the fourth grade. It is hoped that other opportunities for
collaboration may emerge as well from such discussion of possible school
partnerships.
Free Roaming Cat Timetable:
Appendix ITIMETABLE
Initiative Outcome
2015 Year 1 Education from OCAS (when adopting
animals, recovering animals or visiting
low-cost rabies vaccination clinics)
Indoor cat promotion,
spay/neuter, identification
Coordination with veterinary community Indoor cat promotion,
spay/neuter education,
identification
Continued coordination with
Kids4Kindness regarding schools
Indoor cat promotion,
spay/neuter education
Public Affairs Campaign development Indoor cat promotion,
spay/neuter education
2016 Year 2 Partnership Exploration targeted spay/neuter, program
evaluation
Program evaluation framework created baseline database, shared
guidelines for tracking and
evaluation
Public Affairs Campaign- launch Indoor cat promotion,
spay/neuter education,
identification
Expand targeted spay/neuter increase number spay/neuters
2017 Year 3 Fosters for Feral Kittens reduce euthanized free-roaming
cats
Partnerships- development Feral fosters, neighborhood
problems
Program Evaluation determine past and current
success and evaluate for future
success
Pilot Programs Identify target areas
2018 Year 4 Pilot Programs increase number spay/neuters
Partnerships- sustenance and evaluation feral fosters, neighborhood
programs
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Pilot Program- implementation Expand spay/neuter for cat
caretakers, feral fosters,
neighborhood problem solvers
Evaluation of Plan determine rate of success
2019 Year 5 Pilot Program Evaluations determine rate of success
Cat regulations needed changes identified
Evaluate Plan and Sustainability sustainable program
Drafted October 286, 2015—RAM & MW