Animal Response Team Advisory Committee

Hampton Animal Control Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes – May 18, 2017 Present: Jim Thornton, Betty Bates, Debbie (Sheffield) Ott, Andy Anderson, Melanie Paul, Dan Winters, Steve Bond (City Manager’s Office), Angela Taylor (Animal Control), Deborah North (Interpreter), Kim Karle (City Attorney’s Office), Kevin Myers (Parks and Recreation Director), Donna Hodges (Recorder), Tom Oswald (Guest) Call to Order & Welcome Chairman Thornton called the meeting to order at 5:34pm. He welcomed everyone and asked guest(s) and members to introduce themselves. Review Agenda & Approval of Minutes Chairman Thornton asked if there were any additions to the agenda. Dan Winters and Andy Anderson both have comments to share under New Business. Motion made by Mr. Anderson to approve the revised agenda and seconded by Ms. Ott. Motion passes. Members reviewed the first set of minutes, dated March 16, 2017, which were distributed in advance for review. There being no changes, a motion to approve the minutes was made by Mr. Anderson and seconded by Mr. Winters. Motion passes. Members reviewed the special meeting minutes dated March 28, 2017, which were distributed in advance. There being no changes, a motion to approve the minutes was made by Mr. Winters and seconded by Mr. Anderson. Motion passes. City Manager’s Report Steve Bond indicated the city’s FY18 Budget was approved last week, which has pushed a few things back and therefore the items the committee plans to bring before council – leash law and number of animals – will be moved to the July 12th Council meeting. Also, he congratulated Angela Taylor for being the recipient of the Pat Minetti Excellence in Leadership Award. This is a big distinction of her leadership skills, her professionalism and commitment to the community, which is very deserving for Angela. Animal Control Report Angela Taylor indicated they are still in the process of hiring people. They are currently looking for 2 officers and 1 technician, all WAE positions. They currently have 8 authorized positions, but have 3 vacancies, which are the ones they are trying to fill. Animal Control has held several educational sessions at Phoenix and Armstrong schools. They also spoke to a group of students (several classes) at the request of Councilman Jimmy Gray and shared services of Animal Control, brought in some of their equipment, and also brought in some animals they get from Sandy Bottom – snake and turtle – and educate about safety with animals and how to deal with an aggressive animal. The sessions are very well received. Also, on May 27th Animal Control and 911 Communications will actually go live on the Kronos time system. This will alleviate a lot of their time management issues which will be very helpful. Questions:  Mr. Anderson asked if there is still an Animal Control Director position or is Angela it? Ms. Taylor responded she is it and her new title is Deputy Manager.  Ms. Ott asked if Animal Control is still getting a number of calls about feral cats where trapping is still a need. Ms. Taylor responded that they do have an ongoing list of people who do not want to trap animals themselves, although Animal Control staff continues to push the traps free of charge. They have also set up a couple of dog traps and have caught 2 dogs so far, one was emaciated and clearly needed care.  Mr. Myers asked if they should have notified Animal Control when the whale washed up this past weekend at Grandview. Ms. Taylor confirmed they should always be notified but also indicated they were notified about the whale and VIMS was contacted to address.  Ms. Paul asked why Hampton does not report when a raccoon is found and tested for rabies; she sees the notices in the paper of other localities reporting, but not Hampton. Response from Steve Bond was if you see it in the paper, it is probably a health issue. The Health Department comprises of several jurisdictions. They only test if the animal has bitten a person or another animal. Current Issues/Trends Ms. Taylor indicated the only issue is there are lots of kittens and baby animals because it’s spring time. Old Business Mr. Myers followed up with finding a possible location for a dog swimming area at Gosnold’s Hope Park. He provided pictures of the location by the BMX bike track (copy on file). He indicated this location may be the easiest to get ready without serious financial needs. A concern was voiced about a muddy bottom at the location, but if dogs were seen swimming there, it may work. Questions:  Ms. Ott asked if P&R had an office at Gosnolds. It was confirmed there is an office and maintenance building and Park Rangers that patrol throughout the day.  Ms. Bates asked if it would be “use at own risk” type of situation. Kim Karle responded yes, not sure on the exact rules, but similar to bark park.  What is next step, do we stick up a sign to let people know it is available?  Is it a fenced in designated area?  Can it be advertised? Response from Mr. Bond was we need to look at regulations, liability, and other research to make sure we can establish it as a viable location. (Action Item: Steve Bond will talk with appropriate departments to review the various issues and bring back to the Committee.) Mr. Myers indicated we could not put up any fencing because of the wetlands issue and anything that touches the bottom has to have a permit. Parking is also a challenge. There may be several issues that make it not a viable location. New Business Mr. Anderson shared his comments about Hampton CART (Community Animal Response Team). Emergency Management had a meeting and distributed the flyer and brochure (copy on file). There are only 4 civilians signed up and it will take a lot more so he is hoping to get the word out for more involvement. Bethel High School is the designated set up location for animals, when a need arises. Animal Control helps set up but it is the owner’s responsibility to care for the pet—feed, bathroom breaks, etc. It was suggested that they talk with Robin McCormick, Communications Strategist, to get the word out. Animal Control has posted it on their Facebook page and at the Regional Animal Shelter. Steve Bond indicated it was also shared at the Table Top Exercise that was held today. One of the reasons we use the schools is because they are ADA compliant. There are also staff/volunteers to help care for those people with disabilities and unable to walk and care for them while in the emergency shelter. Ms. Paul voiced concern that if someone brings a service dog to a shelter, the service dog must stay with the disabled person. Mr. Winters commented on Ms. Paul’s award and encouraged all to see the Daily Press article, “Therapy Dog Receives Animal Hero Award.” He said it explained what the award was about and was a very good article. Congratulations again to Ms. Paul and her dog. Mr. Winters also asked if there is a Mission Statement for the Animal Control Advisory Committee, and if so, where can he find it. Response: There is a mission statement on the ACAC website. Mr. Winters wanted to know the mission so the ACAC is not used as a “dumping ground” for citizen’s concerns. Mr. Winters also feels the survey that was done is not sufficient because the results received were only from 1 percent of the citizens (1 response for every 82 households). He feels the survey input needs to be valuable and there are better ways to do a survey. However, he did feel there was value with the comments shared and felt Robin McCormick did a good job capturing them all. Mr. Winters provided several statistics, such as the number of dogs and cats registered, number of households with pets and feels we are looking at a big number of unregistered dogs/cats and possibly unvaccinated dogs/cats. Only 7000 pets are registered. There is revenue loss and we need to make sure the system is working. He mentioned it cost $15 to euthanize one animal, but it cost at least $5/day to keep it for the 5 days required by law. Feral cats are a big problem. (Action Item: Mr. Winters will send out the statistical information he shared at the meeting.) Public Comment Mr. Oswald asked about the fossil pit for use as a dog swimming area. Response: The property has been bought by Gloria Dei. Mr. Oswald indicated he worked for DHDP and shared that there is a proposal for a dog park at Carousel Park, in the area between the Carousel and the Virginia Air and Space Center. Steve Bond confirmed there is a proposal but it has not been approved. The proposal is for a fenced area. No further comments shared. Next meeting is scheduled for July 20th at 5:30p at City Hall, Lawson Conference Room Meeting adjourned at 6:47pm. Respectfully submitted, Donna Hodges Donna Hodges, Recorder