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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Animal Care Advisory Committee - 05/15/2014 MINUTES OF THE CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI ANIMAL CONTROL ADVISORY MEETING Nueces County Public Health District Conference Room,2626 Holly The Minutes for May 15,2014 Members Present: Dr. Barbara Whitlock, Cheryl Martinez,Harold Bennett, Barbara Beynon,Janet Strawn Members Absent: Megan Winn,Laina Schonefeld City Staff: Heather Hedrick,Joseph Brice,Danni Alcantara,Edward Cruz,Dr. Melissa Draper, Kellie Duncan,Barbara Sandoval Guests: Megan Tisdale, Stephanie Orona,Laura Anderson,Angela Powell,Laitlin Dixon, Veronica Lankford,Mischelle Bourgeois, Christina Davis, S. Pituch,J. Campbell, Kayla Lannin,Jarvis Amaya, Sandra Heatherley&Karen Cowan. 1. Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Cheryl Martinez at 12:36pm. 2. Discussion and Possible Approval of Minutes from March 20,2014 Janet Shrawn made a motion to approve minutes for March 2014,Harold Bennett seconds, all approve,none oppose and none abstain. 3. Discussion and Approval of Minutes from April 17,2014 Janet Strawn made a motion to approve the amendment for item 6,9`i'line,the following statement"Cheryl Martinez noted 4 head for lab"that an s be added to the end of head. Harold seconds, all prove,none oppose, Cheryl Martinez abstains. Cheryl Martinez discussed the minutes regarding making sure they only include the key points and states that's what we have the recording for. 4. Discussion and Approval of Absences from April 17,2014 No absences were noted. 5. Discussion of Current Texas Department of State Health Services Region 11 Zoonosis Report No report available. Edward Cruz reported 1 bat,no exposure. 6. Discussion of Texas Parks and Wildlife report Janet Strawn reads from the report 101 possums but questions—page 2,it reads 102. Danni Alcantara verified actually there were 102,but one was dying during intake;two other possums were euthanized and one rabbit also reported. 7. Discussion of the Current Shelter Report Danni Alcantara reported the number of intake of animals is up from previous month. The number of adopted were 98 dogs and 29 cats. Danni Alcantara also reported the returns to owners' have increased,that Animal Care Service is utilizing the scanners. Danni Alcantara also reports euthanized numbers are lower than previous year. Barbara Whitlock questioned if the officers are using the scanners in the field and if so are those animals brought to the facility. Danni Alcantara states officers are using their laptops and if they scan and locate an owner,we return to owner. The report reflects those numbers as well. Cheryl Martinez inquired if the front staff if scanning animals for microchips even if we are a full capacity; she stated there was an instance that this did not occur. Danni Alcantara responded she unaware of that particular incident,but that she knows of cases where the animals were scanned at the front and the owner information was given to the reporting party to contact the owner. Dr. Barbara Whitlock inquired if the Rachel Ray adoption event was June through August of 2013 and Danni Alcantara confirms that is correct. Cheryl Martinez addresses the numbers of citations are down from the previous year. Edward Cruz responds due to shortage of staffing of officers, and reports two officers were recently hired. Edward Cruz reports that the current staff is flooded with priority cases,bite cases,injured animals and severe cruelty cases.No questions or comments. 8. Discussion of the Current and Previous Clinic Report Dr. Melissa Draper reported 130 surgeries. Danni Alcantara reported that we had gone out to Kaplan College and block walked the area. Danni Alcantara states we were gathering information as to when to schedule surgeries in those areas for the homeless and the residents, so we can look into coordinating a mobile clinic. 9. Discussion of the Status of Rachael Ray Grant Funds Danni Alcantara noted that money has been spent for cat housing:waiting for the order to come. Dr Melissa Draper stated that she is working on target areas. 10. Discussion,review and possible recommendation for a billboard concerning animal cruelty Cheryl Martinez stated that a junior billboard cost$425.00 dollars and that a larger billboard would cost 600.00 per month. Cheryl Martinez noted that a 501 (0)non-profit has to do this in order to do this pricing. Christina Davis asked if any other organization can join, and if Animal Control would be willing to put a phone number on the board,then she also said she would be willing to donate to PAAC or any other organization that posts the billboard. Linda Smith asked if two or three more billboards can be funded monthly by a refinery in order to gain more visibility. Cheryl Martinez stated they can discuss this after the meeting. Heather Hedrick noted the call center number can be placed on the billboard for reporting incidents of cruelty and neglect. Karen Cowan asked if there be can be a direct number for reporting animal cruelty. Heather Hedrick stated that it is not in our position and that those call are handled through the call center. Cheryl Martinez noted that this item will be placed back on the agenda in June. 11. Discussion,review and possible approval of By-laws Cheryl Martinez requested that the name, division,chapter 6,purpose of the committee, specific task of the committee,then members, officers, ethics,then meetings be placed in that particular order. Cheryl Martinez stated she would rewrite the recommended by-laws and have it distributed the following meeting. Dr. Whitlock inquired who the advisory committee recommends to. Buck Brice stated the by-laws could be revised to clarify this by adding another section. Cheryl Martinez asks for a motion to table,Barbara Beynon motions,Harold Bennett seconds, all approve. 12. Discussion and possible recommendation for tethering ordinance Cheryl Martinez stated that animals cannot be tied up for longer than 3 hours and that it was a state standard. Edward Cruz inquired if the trolley system will be an exception. Buck Brice noted our current City Ordinance has several tethering laws in ordinance: 6-151. Heather Hedrick stated the public needs to express this because they're the ones that enforce this. Edward Cruz had a concern with owners that temporarily stake their animals and how difficult it would be to enforce. Danni Alcantara noted that the majority of citizens do not have fences;if tethering is done away with,there will be an increase in strays. Dr. Melissa Draper noted the tethering a dog 24/7 would be constraining. Dr. Barbara Whitlock noted that there's a study noting that chained dogs are more likely to bite. Veronica Lankford inquired if citations were issued for tethering and if there's a follow up procedure. Edward Cruz stated violators are cited under code 6-151;it's mostly education. Kayla Lana states she notices dogs chained 24/7;in the law it states that in heat advisories,they should not be out more than 3 hours;inquired if volunteers are needed to educate and enforce the law. Christina Davis asked if the public is educated that animals need to be off the chain between l OPM and 6AM. Edward Cruz stated unless they are on a trolley system,they are not allowed to be tethered 24 hours a day. Mischelle Bourgeois inquired if this law is supposed to be enforced from IOPM to 6AM,what the public is supposed to do to report this if a dog is straining itself. Heather Hedrick noted they need to call 9-1-1 if the animal is being strangling to death. Edward Cruz said on-call for staff is from midnight to 6AM. Edward Cruz noted that anyone can come in and sign an affidavit to file a report,but the person that signed the affidavit would be the one appearing in court. Angela Powell said that although an animal may be tethered correctly,but the weight of the chain can weigh more than the dog. Cheryl Martinez stated she will e-mail Buck Bryce a revised tethering ordinance draft to review. 13. Public Comments Jody Campbell asked if a volunteer task force can be created. Heather Hedrick noted that Animal Care Services was very short staffed. Dr. Barbara Whitlock noted that this could be added to the next agenda. Mischelle Bourgeois stated that if$500 fines are issued owners may love their animals;identified as a part of Rescue361. Veronica Lankford stated a man brought in a puppy and he was going to put it back out on the street;it was an injured animal.Veronica Lankford also noted that the she asked the front desk staff to check for a microchip. Sandra Heatherly asked is a cost analysis was being done to pick up a possum. Heather Hedrick stated this was already addressed to the City Council. Laura Anderson asked if the amount of reports or calls coming in reflects how many Control Officers are hired. Heather Hedrick states that allocation is based on funding. 14. Identify items to be placed on next agenda Zoonosis Report,Texas Parks&Wildlife Report,April and May clinic number, status of Rachel Ray funds, discussion and possible for recommendation of a billboard,the bylaws,tethering, and a volunteer program to document violations of city ordinances. 15. Adjournment Cheryl Martinez motions to adjourn at 1:47. Harold Bennett seconds, all approve,none oppose.