Unofficial Minutes GWINNETT COUNTY ANIMAL ADVISORY COUNCIL July 23, 2018 GWINNETT JUSTICE AND ADMINISTRATION CENTER CONFERENCE ROOM B, 7:00PM I. Introduction, Welcome to Guests and Meeting Called to Order: Meeting was called to order at 7:00pm. Members Present: James Poe, Brittany Carter, Curtis Northrup, Carla Brown, Marcia Bumbalough Members Absent: Gail LaBerge Staff Present: Blake Hawkins, Tina Fleming, Chandler Giddes, Tuwanda Williams, Vernon Sawyer, Alan Davis II. Council Member Comments: Council members had no additional comments. III. Approval of Agenda: Motion to accept Agenda by Marcia Bumbalough, second by Brittany Carter. Motion passed unanimously. IV. Approval of minutes from April 16, 2018: Motion to approve by Marcia Bumbalough, second by James Poe. Motion passed unanimously. V. Shelter Report by Staff: See Attachment 1 below for additional details. Blake Hawkins introduced Chandler Giddes and welcomed Vernon Sawyer and Alan Davis to the shelter management team. Blake informed the council he has submitted the 2019 budget, requesting 6 new staff positions. Blake also mentioned some employees are approaching retirement, so opportunities for promotion will become available. Chandler Giddes featured numerous upcoming events as well as a presentation with the Gwinnett Youth Council including a mock adoption counseling scenario that was also shared with staff. Chandler shared the success of their partnership with UGA s College of Veterinary Medicine. Alan Davis reviewed the numbers from the shelter report and mentioned a recent 2-day training for staff. Alan emphasized that they are always looking for new training opportunities. Marcia Bumbalough asked where the events are being promoted and Chandler Giddes stated that was a topic that came up during a hot wash recently. Chandler said they are currently using road signs and Facebook blasts but will be adding flyers at One Stop Shops, Senior Centers, Schools, Libraries, etc. James Poe asked about what constitutes a dog park and the process for establishing a dog park, including where a potential park may be located. Blake stated there are sixteen dog parks in Gwinnett County, and there is a standard format for a dog park that includes both large and small dog areas, water faucets, and apparatus for play. Tina Fleming cited the McDaniel Farm Park dog park as an example of a community that came together, requested a dog park, and had one installed. Blake confirmed that dog parks are part of the Parks and Recreation budget. Brittany Carter asked about low-cost neuter/spay options for residents. Chandler Giddes and Blake Hawkins referred her to CatSnip which sets up on Wednesdays once a month.
GAAC Meeting Page Two July 23, 2018 VI. Old Business: None VII. New Business: a. 2018 Ordinance Review At the request of the council, Blake Hawkins reviewed all comments submitted by staff, council members, and the board of health to the Gwinnett County Animal Ordinance. Tuwanda Williams addressed comments throughout, noting disagreements. Tuwanda Williams agreed for the need to clarify the use of the word days with the word business or some similar language in the ordinance. Curtis Northrup asked why ferrets was not added to section 10-45(b) concerning animal rabies. Brittany Carter stated she would review the Georgia Rabies Manual and provide a response at a later date. Marcia Bumbalough asked about the difference between impoundment and quarantine and a discussion among council and staff members occurred. The consensus was that these terms should be better defined in the ordinance. A discussion was had regarding the ways the shelter can recover costs for animal impoundments in relation to dangerous and vicious dogs. Tuwanda Williams recommended not putting language about penalties for such owners in the ordinance and stated that no such penalties were spelled out in the state law. Blake Hawkins defined the use of the word division in the ordinance as being Gwinnett Animal Welfare and Enforcement and that this word was used consistently throughout the ordinance. Regarding section 10-141 concerning identification tags, for TNR and barn cat programs, Curtis Northrup asked if special exceptions should be made for these cats. Carla Brown also commented that this ordinance should not exclude veterinarians from other states and that in some states, owners can administer their own rabies vaccines without having identification tags. Chandler Giddes pointed out that animals from out of state can still obtain identification tags from a veterinarian in Georgia when they arrive. Tuwanda Williams commented that historically, the board of health has served as the review board for dangerous and vicious dog hearings. With the proposed changes to the ordinance, the review board will be able to appoint a representative with each Commissioner getting one appointment. The appointee will hear the case and make a recommendation to the review board member who will in turn make the final recommendation to the courts. Blake Hawkins commented that the ordinance language should be changed to allow good Samaritans who are attempting to bring an animal into the shelter to feed and water an animal without being considered the owner. Carla Brown suggested changing language sworn statement to notarized statement and Tuwanda Williams agreed. For section 10-172, Tuwanda and Carla also discussed removing the words on the owner s property and there was some consensus but it was determined that staff should discuss this in greater detail at a later date. Finally, Carla Brown stated that the language order by process server should be updated throughout the document.
GAAC Meeting Page Three July 23, 2018 Tuwanda Williams concluded that the final changes should be approved at the fourth quarter AAC meeting so there is time to present the ordinance to the Commissioners before the end of the year. VIII. Citizen Comments: Veronica Vasilik: First time attendee had no comments. Elizabeth Burgner: Stated she had 4 questions: 1) Are there any spay/neuter exceptions for special circumstances? This question appeared to be regarding ordinance language requiring identification tags. Elizabeth was concerned about barn cats injuring themselves wearing collars. 2) Is there a TNR ordinance change coming? 3) Will it include an abandonment clause? 4) She heard about an encounter with a raccoon that was ill with no human exposures, and she was curious why Gwinnett County Animal Welfare did not test it for rabies. Curtis Northrup, Brittany Carter, Carla Brown, and Chandler Giddes responded to these comments. Jean Wamper: She wanted to know if a dangerous dog designation also included aggression against other animals. Staff answered her question. Nahum Nicholas: She had 3 questions: 1) Did the 2019 budget include money for additional cat bonding rooms? 2) Is their money to create separate food and bedding areas for cats? 3) She feels the adoption language (particularly for cats being euthanized soon) is not as strong or as urgent as the dog language. Staff responded to these comments. John Coady: He commented on the current vet clinics being used by the shelter, the current rescue staff member, and his concerns about customer service in the shelter. He felt the free adoptions should be stopped due to adopters not being prepared to care for an animal. Curtis Northrup addressed his comments. IX: Council Comments: Carla Brown would like to announce her resignation from the council. She acknowledged her many years of service, and lauded Blake Hawkins and his staff on the work they have done so far to turn the department around. She is seeing positive changes and is looking forward to continued improvements. X: Next GAAC Meeting: October 22, 2018. XI. Adjournment: Motion to adjourn by Marcia Bumbalough, second by Carla Brown. Motion passed unanimously. Adjourned at 8:46 PM. Respectfully Submitted by, Brittany Carter Board of Health Appointee GAAC Secretary
Attachment 1