By Josh Bergeron

josh.bergeron@salisburypost.com

The Rowan County Animal Shelter Task Force on Thursday wrapped up its final meeting with a firestorm of criticism about policies and practices at the Julian Road facility.

The third of three meetings was intended to include final revisions to suggested changes at the animal shelter. Policy changes recommended by the task force include a volunteer program; new software program for intake of animals; $10 increase in adoption fees to pay for vaccinations and microchips; allowing the trap, neuter and release of feral cats; extending hours of the animal shelter; and creating a key-card system to only permit volunteer access to certain areas. The changes will be recommended to commissioners for final approval.

As the meeting drew to a close, however, Task Force Member Tracy Waugh dished out sharp criticism of Animal Shelter Director Clai Martin and his staff for failing to change a photo-taking rule.

Currently, nonprofit groups that take pictures of animals to post on social media are allowed to remove eight dogs from cages in an hour. After reaching the limit, no more dogs can be removed from cages. As one of the policy changes, Waugh suggested nonprofit groups be able to remove additional animals if the allotted hour hasn’t expired.

Her suggestion was met with opposition from Commissioner Craig Pierce and Martin. Pierce said the shelter’s proposed new software program would allow for pictures to be distributed much more quickly, eliminating the need for nonprofit groups to remove additional animals.

“It’s not that we don’t want to do these things, but you have to draw the line somewhere and say, ‘this is as far as we can go,'” Pierce said. “I’ll yield to Clai (Martin) to decide what is acceptable and what is not.”

Martin said he’d have to hire an additional staff member if the eight-dog photo limit was increased. Allowing additional photos would consume an excessive amount of the shelter staff’s time, he said.

Waugh countered by citing the reach of social media. She said photographing additional dogs outside of cages would improve the rates at which dogs are adopted.

“My only question is if between the time that we are already given we can get more dogs out,” Waugh said. “If we can help that animal to get adopted and safe from being put to death, why in the world would you not want volunteers who are given an hour every week not to do that?”

She proposed adding more photo opportunities for nonprofit groups as an interim measure until the county implements a new software program.

One of the nearly two dozen attendees not on the task force asked County Manager Aaron Church about the implementation of the software program. When Church didn’t respond immediately, the attendee prompted Church with the question a second time. Pierce asked why the audience member was talking. Conversation in the small meeting room quickly became heated between the audience member and Pierce.

“If you have that question, feel free to email it to Aaron (Church), because he can’t answer you today anyway,” Pierce said. “We don’t know. And it’s not been approved, so it’s a question that has no merit at this time.”

Pierce asked the task force members to vote on allowing additional photos for nonprofit groups. Waugh was the only member of the eight-person task force who audibly voted in favor of the idea. Task force member Barbara Hart abstained from voting. No other member audibly cast a vote when prompted by Pierce.

Pierce ended the meeting with a lengthy statement to all task force members that county commissioners were working as hard as possible to improve conditions at the animal shelter. He cited the fact that the shelter is projected to top $1 million for its annual budget in the 2016 fiscal year. The animal shelter is also projected to see the largest increase in funding of any county department from the current fiscal year to fiscal year 2016.

“You will see a reward long term that makes it better for everybody in this county as well as the animals,” Pierce said about the proposed changes.

Other items discussed Thursday included:

• A backlog of public information requests submitted to the Rowan County Animal Shelter for information about animals.

Church said one Rowan County resident has submitted more than 100 of the total 400 pending public information requests.

The task force agreed that submitting too many public information requests would take up too much time for county staff. One recommendation was to counsel the unnamed individual who has submitted more than 100 public information requests about the effect on the county.

Church said county officials may be able to talk with citizens who submit public information requests about the effect, but couldn’t prohibit citizens from submitting the requests.

• Raising the adoption fee from $70 to $80.

The increase would apply to both cats and dogs. It would pay for a number of vaccinations, spay and neuter procedures and micro-chips in animals.

It didn’t receive any significant opposition from any task force member. Some questioned, though, whether $80 for both animals would be the best pricing method. Some suggested a lower adoption fee for cats.

• Increasing the amount of time that the shelter is open on Saturdays to allow more people to adopt animals.

Pierce said county commissioners would have to look at the effect increasing hours would  have on the shelter’s budget.

Contact reporter Josh Bergeron at 704-797-4246.