Animal Response Team Advisory Committee

Hampton Animal Control Advisory Committee -Lawson Conference Room- Meeting Minutes – May 19, 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. Review Agenda & Approval of Minutes Chairman Anderson stated the draft minutes from the March 17, 2022 meeting were distributed for review in advance of the meeting and asked if there were any questions. Ms. Christiansen asked to change the word ‘cage’ to ‘crate’, under the Animal Control Report. There being no further changes, Chairman Anderson called for a motion to approve. ACTION: Elizabeth Peabody made a motion to approve the revised minutes, and Victoria Wineland seconded. A vote was taken and the motion passed. City Manager’s Report *Note: Steven Bond attending a conference out of town. Animal Control Report Angie Taylor reported on staffing and stated they currently have seven officers, with three in training; one is out (injured) and one out sick. She stated they now have one trainer, as Sara Woosley has resigned effective May 23, 2022. Officer Woosley has seventeen years of service with Animal Control and she will be missed. Ms. Taylor is currently on the road, with two trainees and Officer Falls has one trainee. She mentioned a former officer returned to the department and she already has a couple years of experience. Ms. Taylor stated summer months are very busy with calls, such as for baby wildlife and complaints at the parks. Chairman Anderson inquired about the vehicle situation. Ms. Taylor responded as of now all of their vehicles (four trucks and one van) are operational. Ms. Taylor stated due to current staffing, they are again closing on the weekends and will be shortening hours of 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Once all officers complete their training, they plan to reopen on the weekends. Ms. Wiggins asked Ms. Taylor to explain what happens when there are calls after-hours. Ms. Taylor stated for serious violations, the Police would respond. For other calls for service, such as a deceased animal, it would hold until the next day. She mentioned there is always an officer on-call for emergencies 24 hours a day. Ms. Christensen inquired if Ms. Taylor could elaborate on Animal Control taking on more 1 responsibility at the parks and why the Park Rangers do not handle those things, which are within the park area. Ms. Taylor also understood that the Park Rangers are to handle the parks and beaches, and she will get more information. Ms. Wineland inquired if they are staffed appropriately at Sandy Bottom Nature Park. Chairman Anderson responded they are not appropriately staffed, as they do not have a Chief Ranger at this time. He mentioned going to the Nature Center on a Saturday, but it was not open, as they did not have staffing and, typically, it would have been staffed at 9:00 a. m. a Saturday. Mr. Wineland stated if there is an animal-related concern at the park, a citizen has no way of contacting them. Ms. Taylor stated if there is an issue, they could contact 911 and have them contact the park ranger. Chairman Anderson mentioned he had to call 911, and there was a long delay in response because they are working at the parks, the beach, etc. Ms. Christensen inquired if there was a Park Ranger Advisory Committee. Chairman Anderson mentioned there is a Parks Advisory Committee. Ms. Christensen stated she feels this committee is here to help Animal Control and things they have to do; she is not sure how far into the weeds we should go, but that we should atleast ask questions. Current Issues/Trends Ms. Peabody mentioned that several years ago, pumps were installed in various bodies of water (those that do not get much movement) around Hampton, to deter mosquitos. She wondered if this is something the committee could address/request, as mosquitoes cause heartworms. Chairman Anderson stated that would fall under Public Works; they have an Entomology division. Old Business – Bylaws Amendment Follow-up Committee Name Change: In regards to the item of changing the committee name, to be considered as part of the bylaws change, Ms. Wiggins stated unfortunately we could not make the change at this meeting, as we need a supermajority, which would be five members. She encouraged all to attend the next meeting to vote on this item. She confirmed with the committee that the proposed name change would be ‘Hampton Animal Response Team Advisory Committee’. Ms. Wiggins will provide a new redline version of the bylaws prior to the next meeting. Paws, Claws & Tails: As information, a copy was provided of excerpts from various meetings where the committee discussed the Paws, Claws and Tails forum. Chairman Anderson also shared some information from the last event. After some discussion, the following comments/suggestions were made in regards to a future forum:  Presenter suggestions: o HART Representative – to include feral cats (“HART to Heart”) o PRAS Representative o Codes/Zoning (barnyards and kennels) o Homebased Rescue o Service dogs (vs. emotional support animals) o Department of Wildlife Resources (coyotes and foxes)  Timeframe: 6:30-8:30 p.m.: o 6:30-7:00 – Mingle/Vendors o 7:00-8:00 – Speakers o 8:00-8:30 – Wrap up  Possible Date: Saturday at end of January/first of February: o January 28, 2023 o February 4, 2023 2   Vendor Suggestions: o Cat Colony o Local Rehab – Wildlife Response o Viper – reptile rescue o Low-cost surgery o Banfield o Cat Corner o Animal Aid Society o ‘Chicken Lady’ o Health Department  Budget: o No budget/funds. Primary cost is the fliers/printing. o There was an inquiry if vendors could bring solicitation items/donations. Ms. Wiggins will look into it.  Additional Suggestions/Topics: o Wildlife o Parks & Recreation o Therapy Dogs International o Children and pets (approaching dogs) o Hampton Roads Dog Training o Merrimac Dog Training  Possible Venue: o Community Centers (held at NHCC last time) o Maybe a divided space to separate presenters from vendors Ms. Wiggins mentioned Mr. Bond should also weigh-in on the suggestions/ideas, as he may have additional insight. It was suggested to get the forum information out to the community by September. Ms. Wiggins asked the committee to think about the criteria for the vendors and prepare something before the next meeting, so she can review. New Business Ms. Peabody inquired if Animal Control gave out information to citizens, for example tips in the summer months. Ms. Taylor mentioned H.A.R.T. discussed doing mini-commercials and ‘hiring’ videos. Ms. Wineland suggested mailing flyers to citizens, for example the recycling fliers. Ms. Taylor stated budget is a factor. Ms. Peabody suggested possibly using the list of those who have registered their dogs. Chairman Anderson mentioned a former member, Dan Winters, worked with Animal Control to create an informational flyer. Ms. Taylor confirmed and stated Animal Control has the informational flyer and information is also included with the Police Division’s information. Ms. Peabody wants to be sure we increase the communication between the community and Animal Control, and to be cost effective in doing so. Ms. Wiggins stated this might also be something Mr. Bond can weigh-in on at the next meeting. She stated much of the Animal Control communication/information is posted through the Hampton Police Division. Ms. Peabody inquired if Animal Control had a Facebook page. Ms. Wiggins stated they do not. She mentioned since she has been involved with Animal Control Advisory Committee, a theme she has seen come up repeatedly is how to get Animal Control’s messages/information out to the community. She encouraged the committee to continue to think about ways to do so, as it is an ongoing challenge. Public Comment Chairman Anderson read the protocol for public comment (copy of file). 3 Ms. Oakley mentioned Ms. Paul wanted to let the committee know she had a video on her phone that she wanted to share, but we (nor Information Technology) could get the devices to ‘talk’ and therefore could not share the video. She also did not want to allot her public comment time to be taken up by showing the video. Ms. Paul shared her concern of dogs running without leashes in the parks and that are no signs at the entrances stating dogs should be on leashes. She referred to the video she had taken with her phone, which shows dogs without leashes in the park. She suggested to the PRLS Director to put the information on the entrance signs, to include the City Code. Ms. Paul also provided a copy of a Nextdoor.com excerpt (copy on file) and encouraged the committee to read Nextdoor.com, as there is a lot of information posted. She said the participants talk amongst themselves, but that they need to call Animal Control with their concerns. The Nextdoor excerpt shared information about people putting food in the street and when cats go to the food, they are killed by passing vehicles. Ms. Taylor stated she researched deceased cats in the referenced area and none was found. She has also not received any complaints or reports about this issue. Chair Anderson suggested she might want to address the issue of dogs running in the parks with the Parks Advisory Committee. He thanked Ms. Paul for sharing her comments. Other Business No Report Next Meeting The next meeting will be on Thursday, July 21, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. Adjournment There being no further business, Chairman Anderson adjourned the meeting. 4