Animal Response Team Advisory Committee

Hampton Animal Control Advisory Committee -Lawson Conference Room- Meeting Minutes – March 17, 2022 Voting Members Present: John “Andy” Anderson, Victoria Wineland, Pamela Christiansen, Elizabeth Peabody Ex-Officio Members Present: Angie Taylor Staff Present: Annette Oakley (City Manager’s Office), Olivia Wiggins (City Attorney’s Office) Guest Present: Melanie Paul, Debbie North Call to Order & Welcome Chairman Anderson called the meeting to order at 5:35 p.m. and asked everyone to introduce themselves. Review Agenda & Approval of Minutes Chairman Anderson stated the draft minutes from the February 7, 2022 meeting were distributed for review in advance of the meeting and asked if there were any questions. There being none, he called for a motion to approve. ACTION: Elizabeth Peabody made a motion to approve the minutes as written and Pamela Christiansen seconded. A vote was taken and the motion passed. City Manager’s Report *Note: Steven Bond was not present; he was attending the Planning Commission Meeting. Animal Control Report Angie Taylor reported on staffing and stated they currently have six officers; one is in training and should complete training next week. There is still one vacancy, two overhire positions and four people in process (background checks, etc.). Ms. Taylor said everything is going well. She reported they held Career Fairs at Bethel High School, Phoebus High School and Kecoughtan High School, and the focus was on students who may not be going to college and plan to stay in the area. There were several students interested in joining the HART Team after graduation. They plan to hold a Career Fair at Hampton High School on April 20, 2022. As a follow up to last meetings discussion on Hydrant Heroes, regarding concerns expressed about fire station noise levels, she stated PRAS checked the noise level and they plan to move forward with the program. They are looking to do a trial run, then extend as needed. They may have volunteers to spend time with the dog, as well as provide accommodations, such as a crate and a blanket, in case they get calls. Ms. Taylor reported HART is working on a crime analysis, pinpointing problem areas. She mentioned they plan to breakdown calls for service on the map, such as for animal cruelties, running at large, etc. to pinpoint issues in various areas and focus on calls for service. She stated they want to take a pro-active approach and hopes to find a pattern and resolve some of the issues. The committee members were pleased with this 1 approach. Ms. Taylor introduced Mike Falls, who has been an officer with HART/Animal Control for over eleven years. She stated Officer Falls is very helpful with paperwork and training newer employees, and is an asset to the team. Current Issues/Trends No Report Old Business – Bylaws Amendment Follow-up Committee Name Change: Olivia Wiggins discussed the item of changing the committee name to be considered as part of the bylaws change. She stated unfortunately we cannot make the change at this meeting, as we need a supermajority to vote and approve the name change. She stated hopefully we will be able to make the change at the next meeting, then everything would be submitted to City Council for final approval. Absenteeism: She reminded the committee, although this has not been an issue, a requirement in the bylaws is that if members accumulate three consecutive meeting absences, we are required to notify City Council and the member could potentially be removed from the committee. She mentioned City Council is putting more of an emphasis on making sure members of committees are consistently attending. She stated if members cannot attend, they would want to open up that slot for someone else in the community who may have the time and ability to commit. She mentioned, again, this is not an issue right now, but wanted to make the committee aware. New Business Paws, Claws & Tails: Chairman Anderson mentioned the educational forum held in 2019, called ‘Paws, Claws & Tails’, and gave background information. A copy of the event flier, that Melanie Paul helped create, was passed around for committee members. Chairman Anderson mentioned some comments made were that it was a great event, around 20 departments/organizations were involved, five presenters (including Animal Control), and around 40 people attended. Chairman Anderson inquired if there was any interest in doing the event again and some of the following comments/feedback were provided:  It was a wonderful event and hopes we can have it again.  We planned six to eight months in advance. The committee does not have a budget, although most of the resources are free, such as community center where it was held.  The committee talked about doing this pre-Covid; thinks it would be great and likes the idea. After some discussion, Chairman Anderson mentioned possibly holding the event in the fall of 2022, or winter 2023. Ms. Wiggins stated there was a process with requirements for participation. She stated maybe we can discuss further at the next meeting when more members are present. It was suggested the discussion include possible event topics and organizations. Public Comment Chairman Anderson read the protocol for public comment (copy of file). Melanie Paul mentioned she helped with training therapy dogs at the animal shelter. She shared an article about her dog that she got at three months old and who is deaf. Ms. Paul would like to be part of the 2 training of therapy dogs. She has been training dogs for twenty-one years and knows the requirements. Chairman Anderson thanked Ms. Paul. Other Business No Report Next Meeting The next meeting will be on Thursday, May 19, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. Adjournment There being no further business, Chairman Anderson adjourned the meeting. 3