Should City Hall get out of the business of dealing with the city’s animals?
That’s what City Councilman Steven Fulop will propose at this Wednesday’s City Council meeting, saying it would save money in the city’s $507 million budget.
The city’s animal control division currently provides a variety of services to the community: picking up stray or abandoned animals, issuing dog licenses, responding to animal nuisance/cruelty complaints, and picking up and disposing of dead animals. Seven employees work in the division, and they work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
“The city’s Animal Control has done a horrible job in the past few years.” – Steven Fulop
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Last year, two employees of the division were suspended without pay for a brief time after officials determined they dumped a woman’s cat in a park instead of bringing it to the shelter when it was found by a neighbor. Some believe there could have been other instances of cat dumping, although they could not prove it.
In addition, animal advocate and attorney Diana Jeffrey recently filed a lawsuit against the city’s animal control officer, Joe Frank, claiming he incorrectly seized a woman’s pit bull dog back in 2005.
‘Horrible job’
Fulop plans to introduce legislation for the animal control outsourcing at the next city council meeting this coming Wednesday, Feb. 10.
“We are in a budget crisis, and the city’s Animal Control has done a horrible job in the past few years,” Fulop said in an interview last week.
Fulop estimates there would be a savings of $800,000, money he believes would be better spent to cover much of Liberty Humane’s $1 million budget to run the shelter.
Liberty Humane’s executive director Joanna Hopkinson said last week the city allotted $283,000 to cover their expenses during their 2009-2010 operating year, which runs from Nov. 1 to Oct. 31, rather than the $515,000 that the shelter had originally hoped to receive from the city. The shelter is currently $250,000 in debt.
Leaner, more efficient
Hopkinson said she would welcome the opportunity for the Liberty Humane Society to be granted the contract to do animal control for the city. She said Fulop had initially approached her and her colleagues at the shelter in November about them taking over animal control. Hopkinson said that after the city cut their funding, that’s when Liberty Humane became a little more receptive to the idea.
“So we thought, if we could take over animal control, not only could we save the city a lot of money, but it could help us survive,” Hopkinson said.
She added, “The animals that are picked up by animal control are brought here already, so it would be just more efficient for Liberty Humane to do the job.”
Hopkinson said if Liberty Humane got the contract, they would be prepared to take on the responsibility, because they are already doing animal control services for the city when Animal Control Division employees are on furlough days, instituted by City Hall to save money.
She pointed out that one of the shelter employees has certification from the state to be an animal control officer, and two other employees are in the process of obtaining the certification.
Also, the shelter will have a veterinarian working at the shelter by June 1, because the shelter plans to offer spay and neutering services.
Hopkinson said that in conversations with Harry Melendez, the executive director of the city’s Department of Health and Human Services, he seemed open to the idea.
However, she realizes that the city would need time to fully consider Fulop’s proposal since closing a city division is a lengthy process.
But Hopkinson said she mentioned to city officials that if Liberty Humane got the contract, they would be willing to hire the city employees.
Not everyone agrees
Joe Frank is the city’s animal control officer with the most seniority, at least 32 years on the job. He lived up to his last name when asked last week about Fulop’s proposal.
“I have been not approached by Fulop; he knows where to find me,” Frank said. “I have 32 years of experience. It would be nice thing to go to the expert in the field instead of listening to outside groups.”
The “outside groups” Frank refers to are the animal advocates in the city who he says have criticized him and his division over the years.
Frank also said it would cost the city more money to contract animal services out to the Liberty Humane Society than to keep them in-house. Frank also had his own cost-saving suggestion for the city.
“I have told city officials for years we could save money if our animal shelter should be run like an animal pound,” Frank said. “That means the animals we pick up would be brought to the pound, kept and cared for seven days, then adopted out, while those not adoptable will have to be destroyed.”
Liberty Humane keeps animals seven days and then makes a determination about their adoptability as well. However, Frank said that they also do too much beyond their basic responsibilities.
Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com.