HomeMy WebLinkAboutASAB minutes 011619 Orange County Animal Services
1601 Eubanks Road, Chapel Hill,NC 27516
919-942-PETS (7387)
ANIMAL SERVICES ADVISORY BOARD (ASAB)
6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
Meeting Summary
MEMBERS PRESENT: Maureane Hoffinan(Chair), Molly Mullin (Vice-Chair), Evelyn
Daniel, Beth Grooms, Diane Obeid, Lee Pickett, Amanda Schwoerke (Secretary), Bryan Stuart,
Edmund Tiryakian, Lisa Wells
MEMBERS ABSENT: Susan Elmore
STAFF PRESENT: Bob Marotto (Animal Services Director); Andi Morgan (Animal Services
Asst. Director); Irene Phipps (Animal Control Manager)
GUESTS PRESENT: Representatives from Hope Animal Rescue
Call to order: 6:32 p.m.
Review and adoption of the Agenda: approved, after approving motion to add to the agenda a
Board vote regarding Spay-Neuter Day(see below)
Summary of November 21, 2018, meeting: approved
Review of public participation guidelines: Not reviewed
General Public Comments on items not on agenda: None
Membership Updates:
• Bob Marotto discussed officer terms: Terms are now for two years, and a vote will not be
necessary until next year
• ASAB applicant Lucia Welborne discussed her background and interest in serving on the
ASAB answered ASAB member questions; and asked questions about the ASAB
• Two vacancies remain on the ASAB. Discussed the optimal timing of voting on Ms.
Welbome's application and presenting her nomination to the Board of County
Commissioners (BOCC). Approved motion to vote on Ms. Welborne's application
immediately and present her nomination to the BOCC with any other nominations at a
later date
• Voted to nominate Ms. Welborne to the ASAB
Animal Services Advisory Board Updates:
Old Business
• 2019 Pat Sanford Award:
o Presented the award to representatives from Hope Animal Rescue
New Business
■ Spay-Neuter Day
o At Animal Service's request, approved motion to endorse the proposed
declaration of February 26, 2019, as Spay-Neuter Day, in accord with World Spay
Day
• Division 5 of the Unified Animal Ordinance
o Discussed whether to consider a request from a citizen to change Sec. 4-182 of
Division 5 to allow African spurred tortoises and red-handed tamarins to be kept
in Orange County
o Agreed that the request was not properly before us because the citizen did not
appear before the ASAB
o Discussed various issues with Sec. 4-182 of Division 5—Keeping of Wild
Animals Dangerous to Persons and Property—including clarity of the language,
inclusion of specific species, and opaqueness of the criteria for deciding whether
to add or delete species from the division
o Bob Marotto explained that safety/health is the only ground on which the ASAB
can exclude a species under Division 5, and that the ASAB would have to make a
recommendation to the BOCC with respect to removal
o Approved motion appointing a working group to review and clarify the language
of Sec. 4-182, consistent with the group's best understanding of the ordinance's
language as it currently stands and consistent with the ordinance's intent, for
recommendation to the BOCC
o Bryan Stuart(chair), Edmund Tiryakian, Amanda Schwoerke, Susan Elmore, Bob
Marotto, and Irene Phipps were appointed to the working group, and were
charged with reporting to the ASAB at its next meeting
o ASAB members also proposed possible future projects with respect to Division 5,
including recommending revisions to the exemptions in Sec. 4-183, and
recommending amendments to the division to allow for excluding species based
on criteria other than safety/health (e.g., animal-welfare concerns; conservation
concerns; capacity to manage escapes, etc.)
Adjournment and next meeting:
• The meeting was adjourned at 7:58 p.m. The next meeting is February 20, 2019, at 6:30
p.m., Orange County Animal Services Center.
Minutes taken: Amanda Schwoerke