HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-03-15 AWC Meeting MinutesAnimal Control Commission March V, 2015 5:30 p.m.
Commission Members Present: Emily Sexton, Ernest Galos, Becky Kaiser, Betsy Culp
Citizen Members Present: Matt Harmon
Council Members Present:
Agenda: No scheduled topics
Ernest: Calls meeting to order 5:31 pm, Review of minutes: no corrections, approved
New business: Matt Harmon gives overview: 3 -4 -15 strategy meeting at the shelter, building mission
statement, addressing 3 -5 year plan. Working on getting a grant for Pet Refuge and SBACC to do a 300
microchip giveaway around June 2015. Each month starting in May, partnering with a faith based groups
to be in the community and do outreach. There is a new attorney, Stephanie Steele, to represent the
SBACC and is excited about new vision connecting crimes with Animal Control. Now there will be the
ability to prosecute and have access to records from the police dept. that they haven't been able to use
before.
Ernest: How has the new ordinance regards to cold weather we've had, been busy with that kind of
stuff?
Matt: Not right now because it's not so cold, but during the extreme weather changes we are always
just so busy. This year has been even more so because now that people know about us they're more apt
to call, which is good we are trying to accomplish that. But we may need more officers to compensate.
Near future we will release the 2014 annual report, I'll send it out in a PDF once the Mayor's Office
makes it public. Breaks down, 1 officer per 31,000 people roughly. Pie graph breaks down different
types of calls /complaints. Starting to keep track of all this info to see how we can improve. St. Patty's
Day parade we will have our own spot so people will acknowledge the adoptions.
Matt and Becky discuss: Putting up notice on social media as soon as you get confirmation with the
Mayor's office
Ernest: Are you guys going to participate in any of the SB150 Events too?
Matt: Not technically but when we do an event we will contact the Mayor's office and get a stamp on it,
so yes and no. Dog Days, that stuff will be part of the event as well.
Discussion between all members goes on about how these events with dogs bring out so many people
from the community.
Matt talks about events and promotions: Spay neuter outreach month long, radio spots ready to go,
commercial for fixing a cat, etc. Want to do more outreach.
Emily: Going back to the youth faith events, you said there would be face paintings and things for kids,
are you going to be trying to gain volunteers or just make people aware that you're present. Will you
have animals?
Matt: Strictly outreach, and there won't be animals only because it's another realm of liability. But we
will open that up to volunteers. We are setting up the locations still, some are in people's front yards.
We are here to help the community, it's educational, pet ownership.
Emily: From reviewing the minutes from last meeting, you were talking about possibly sending out a van
that would do vaccines on site, will you be charging for that?
Matt: A lot of that stuff will be free to the community because we will be partnering with non - profit, and
grants to pay for those things. It's never full price. Any other questions for me?
Becky: Did you see the trailer I sent a couple weeks ago? I'm on the board of Fran Stanzler (sp ?) , we
talked about wouldn't it be nice if we could get an RV type trailer, and it just so happens that on FB
someone sent it and it was 2 "d hand from a place.
Emily: Are they local? I've never seen that advertised anywhere.
Becky explains Fran Stanzler (sp ?) was and the foundation. They pay for spay /neuter /vacs, they just
stopped microchipping. They did over $30,000 of spay /neuter /shots for low income people. It's easy for
people and affordable $10 -20.
Discussion between all members about the lower income communities and how they can feel
empowered and encourage them to take care of their pets.
Emily: What can we do, because we all have great ideas, but when can we start?
Becky: There is so much to do, that everyone should just figure out what their passion is. Volunteering,
walking dogs, etc.
Matt: One things I've committed to is a small fundraiser motorcycle ride, so that we can put all that
money into Care, so they can continue to do rescue spay /neuter, a lot of our dogs leave the shelter a
"finished product" strictly because of Care and Val Shay. Need a diagnostics suite and treatment room
for Care, where even wildlife can be held and there will be an outdoor area too. We don't have a
quarantine area, there's an isolation room but it's not practical. Care will be able to do lots of things in
house.
Currently there is euthanasia that take place in a room where animals are being isolated, so animals are
seeing other animals die, and that's not okay. This will be the last step to bridge the gap to make the
facility completely legitimate so animals being euthanized are completely separate.
I could really use help planning the motorcycle ride because those funds are going to help a lot with
Care. We need a route and permits ASAP.
Becky: Talk to Cory Mayer, he runs the police scholarship ride & can give you their routes.
Emily: Marcia Qualls would be a good person for the permits.
Betsy Culp enters the meeting at 6:03 p.m.
All members and Matt begin discussing the St. Patty's motorcycle ride and planning who they should
contact for routes and permits, ideas for shirts, food, etc. Will need to get people registered, contacts
bars, onsite registration, online.
Becky: Have you heard anymore of adoption at Pet Supplies Plus?
Matt: No but it's just a matter of asking them what weekend.
All the members discuss with Matt about prior adoptions. Suggestions moving forward would be to have
at least 1 adoption per month. In the summertime they could be outside of Pet Supplies Plus.
Incorporate other rescues /shelters. Focus on adoption events and Motorcycle ride.
Ernest: Do you have any short comings in the ordinance that you're having problems with at this point?
Matt: We have stumbled across a few actually, Todd is making a comprehensive list or things. The
breeding permits are a little bumping, minor things about adoption ages of puppies. We are figuring
these things out as we are enforcing different things.
Emily asks for a potential list of all the issues that have been found in the ordinance so far so she can go
over them with City Council Attorney.
Becky: In the past we never looked at the ordinance as a living breathing thing to see where the glitches
were. So once we can get these things we can amend the ordinance.
Matt: We are keeping a tally, and now that we have a lawyer again it's nice to be able to lean on her a
little bit.
Becky: Do you guys have the ability to do database stuff on your computers
Matt: Yeah fancy excel, we are working on putting together a call log, to track daily basic complaints.
Todd is working on a lot of this data.
Betsy Culp: I do have the INDIANA code, it was 8 weeks to sell, 15- 17 -18 -10
Members discuss animal advocacy and breeders selling puppies at 4 weeks. There is a summer full of
outreach events.
Matt: On October 4T" we are having a big event for 360, at the FOP. That will be a brew fest, "PAW -
TOBER-FEST". Becky suggests working on a calendar of events for the commission and the public.
Becky: Maybe start keeping that on your Facebook page, the events. See about incorporating some of
the other rescues for events and on social media.
Matt: Good idea, we have a lot of things coming up. Sort of like a central calendar for all the welfare
rescue things in the community. That will bring a lot of traffic to us.
Commission members recapping duties for moving forward planning the motorcycle ride. Need to get a
date, contact police, routes /permits /date.
Ernest: any motions to get back together again next meeting? 3 yes. Meeting closed