Fingers pointed during angry meeting
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Health and Welfare Committee chairman Wayne Pryor outlined the reason for the meeting and the motion made at the last county commission meeting in December where the Animal Control Board recommended the balance of the shelter funding, around $43,000 out of $80,000 originally budgeted, be cut and used to fund an animal control officer for the county, and that the county pay a set fee like the city, which is currently $25 per dog.
Pryor then opened up the floor for discussion, and was addressed by Lisa Shepherd, the Humane Society representative on the Animal Control Board.
“I don’t understand why you’re pulling our funding,” said Shepherd. “Have we not done a superior job? Is the county wanting more from us that we’re not providing?”
Shepherd’s question drew a reply from Animal Control Board chairman Wayne Pryor who was quick to point out the issues presented in the board’s report to commissioners, including the theft of two dogs quarantined at the shelter for biting a TBI agent, and disagreements with some of the shelter’s financial practices.
From there, as some commissioners pointed out later, the meeting deteriorated into finger pointing and accusations, with the main bone of contention being the shelter’s failure to pick up animals in the county when called, something Humane Society representatives vehemently denied.
Commissioner George Smartt was particularly frustrated with the eventual direction and mood the meeting took on.
“The first breath that was drawn was mad,” Smartt said after the meeting. “And the last breath that was drawn was mad, and everybody was mad in between.”
Pryor said in an interview later it had also been his understanding the meeting would be to discuss a system for paying the shelter.
“But that’s not what happened,” he said. “We need to get together on this thing and not let emotions get in the way.”
Humane Society president Andy Anderson agreed the meeting accomplished little, and noted her frustration that the Humane Society had not been approached on setting up a system, something she had said she was willing to do after the motion at the last commission meeting.
“Nobody has talked to us about anything,” Anderson said.
County Executive Kenneth Rogers agreed little research had been done prior to the meeting, but said there would be other meetings before the next commission meeting in February, and that he was willing to discuss a contract with the Humane Society.
“We’re willing to talk about it,” Rogers said. “I don’t think that would be a bad idea if we could sit down with both parties and be rational and actually discuss what would be the best for Warren County.”
Smartt said his committee would be better prepared for the next meeting as well.
“Budget and Finance will be looking at expenses and projected costs so we can make something of an educated projection of what it’s going to cost us at the next meeting and vote on it,” Smartt said. “We’ll try to give the commissioners a little more information than we got tonight.”