081519
Randolph County
Office of the County Manager
725 McDowell Road
Asheboro, North Carolina 27205
www.randolphcountync.gov
Animal Services Advisory Board Minutes
August 15, 2019
The Randolph County Animal Services Advisory Board met in regular session at 6:00 p.m. in the
Randolph County Office Building Meeting Room A, 725 McDowell Road, Asheboro, NC. Commissioner
Darrell Frye, Commissioner David Allen, J.R. Beard, Lisa Sparks, Cynthia Grantham, April Wilburn, Sgt.
Lawrence Albright, Misty Hinshaw, Jason Balder, and Lou Wilson were in attendance. Also present were
Ex Officio member County Manager Hal Johnson and Clerk to the Board Sarah Pack. The Veterinarian
seat is vacant at this time.
Call to Order and Opening Comments
Commissioner Darrell Frye called the meeting to order and welcomed all those in attendance. He
expressed the importance of the Board to the County and said that three Animal Services Director
interviews had been scheduled.
and commitment. He noted that two Board seats are dedicated for the Board of County Commissioners
Chairman and Vice-Chairman, which showed the significance of this Animal Services Board. He
introduced himself and thanked the Board members.
Introduction of Board Members
J.R. Beard introduced himself as a retired Fire Chief from Liberty. He is an animal lover and hopes to
bring an open mind to the Board.
Lisa Sparks works with Happy Hills Animal Foundation and is from Staley. She has worked in animal
rescue for about 40 years and hopes to keep moving the County forward into the future.
Cynthia Grantham is a nurse and is retired from the Communicable Diseases division of Public Health.
April Wilburn works as a clinical nurse at Public Health. She works with the Animal Shelter and
the investigative side to the Board. His career has included work as a Park Ranger for the North Carolina
Zoo, Animal Control Officer, Magistrate, Jail, Patrol, and Investigations.
for rescues, fostering, and her career as a dog groomer.
Jason Balder works as a professional animal trainer and zoo keeper at the North Carolina Zoo,
working mainly with giraffes at the present time. He has also worked with primates and large cats,
Telephone: 336-318-6300
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including time as a stuntman working with large cats, and as a dolphin and sea lion trainer in the United
States Navy.
Mr. Frye asked if Mr. Balder took dogs to schools. Mr. Balder replied that, yes, he and his wife take
exotic and domestic animals to schools, birthday parties, and similar events. He said they are licensed
by the USDA and Wildlife Resource Commission. Some of his collection of nearly thirty animals includes
a skunk, snakes, and birds.
Lou Wilson is working to lobby for assisted living in Raleigh. She has worked as a director and brings
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to try and improve.
County Manager Hal Johnson said he is often kidded by Commissioner Allen that he has worked for
almost four years in the Army during the Vietnam War era. After completion of military service, he was
offered a job with Randolph County Government. He said that during his many years with Randolph
County, he has had the opportunity to work with and see the evolution and growth of many County
length of service has given him a unique perspective as County Manager on issues impacting
departmental growth and development.
Mr. Johnson sa
explained the importance of having two County Commissioners serve on the Board and said that with
cribed the Board
acting in advisory capacity to the Board of County Commissioners. This Board will be able to converse
with its Commissioner members before making advisory suggestions to the Board of County
Commissioners. He is proud of the agencies and employees in the County and noted that the Board will
experience who is knowledgeable in animal services. He noted that the Director, once hired, will report
directly to the County Manager which allows for better management of the department as a whole. He
said that in the future, when people look back on the history of Randolph County, August 2019 will be
significant for Animal Services. He said the first goal is hiring an experienced director.
Swearing in of Board Members
All Board members and Ex Officio member Hal Johnson assembled in front of the American Flag and
were sworn in by Clerk to the Board Sarah Pack, Notary Public.
Update on Bylaws
Mr. Johnson gave a brief explanation of the Animal Services Advisory Board Bylaws. He explained
that the five Commissioner District appointees will initially serve a one year term. The other seats will
serve a two year term so that term expirations will be staggered. All successive terms will be for two
years. He pointed out that the Bylaws describe how meetings are run, explain the public aspect of the
meetings, and define a quorum.
He said as time goes on, the role of the Board will expand. He thanked Public Health for the
opportunity for a phased approach to creating an independent department. He reiterated the
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importance of having an advisory board for the Department of Animal Services and said that the focus of
the Board is to provide for animal welfare and safety and to make recommendations to the Board of
County Commissioners regarding animal services in Randolph County. He said that the Bylaws, while
already having been adopted by the Board of County Commissioners, are subject to change by the
County Commissioners if additions or clarifications are necessary. He said that expansion and/or
clarification may be needed in the future.
Mr. Johnson opened the floor to Board discussion on the future direction, issues, and goals of Animal
Services in Randolph County.
Board Discussion: The Future of Animal Services
Mr. Beard said he had visited the animal shelter and found the employees to be pleasant and helpful.
He noticed the amount of animals currently housed at the shelter and suggested expansion in the
future. He stressed the importance of openness to the public; he referenced a recent case that caught
said sometimes the public needs openness to realize the true story and prevent bad publicity. If
mistakes are made, they need to be corrected. He also noted the importance of having enough staff.
e of the shelter.
Ms. Sparks agreed that openness was paramount. She suggested considering a person or position
-k
percent. She said that strays need to be made visible to the public. She sympathized for the hard and
emotional jobs at the animal shelter. She suggested that pictures of strays be posted online with the
intake date, available date, and potential euthanasia date. She advocated for increased community
education about spay and neuter and said that increased education would decrease intake numbers.
Ms. Grantham agreed that a public relations position that can speak to the media and the public on
behalf of animal services is important. She stressed that accountability is also extremely important. She
said policies and procedures need to be in writing. Although employees, volunteers, and Board
members all have individual opinions, there are laws to consider. She noted that collaboration with
Public Health is needed during the phased approach to creating the new department. A smooth
transition will involve everyone working together.
Ms. Wilburn commented on collaboration saying Public Health is still involved and the transition is
expected to be smooth. She said that having a qualified director and getting the right person into that
position is important. She said that while nob
Animal Services team. She agree that having a public relations person who can highlight the good that
Animal Services does would be beneficial. She explained the purpose of repurposing an old ambulance
for use by Animal Services: it has been completely redesigned on the exterior and now acts not only as
an advertisement for the shelter, but it also provides a nice place for animals to be housed during
disaster or emergency situations.
Sgt. Albright said progression has been made with shelter operations and transparency. In looking at
operations, the shelter needs to be accessible beyond traditional work hours. There needs to be a
transparent director who is blunt with the public. He suggests that the public relations aspect come
from the Director. He said that animal services is not just an animal housing facility. He said that public
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health and safety is number one, but animal welfare is also very important. He suggested utilizing
internet tools like different social media platforms. He said the shelter should strive to become a self-
sustaining building. He understands the struggle to provide food for animals and told of his familiarity
with approaching retailers to ask for animal food in damaged packaging. He reiterated that Animal
Services is so much more than an animal housing facility. He suggested volunteer services but said there
needs to be a checks and balances system. He also stressed the importance of training and educating
the public. Randolph County has a large and diverse population including a growing Hispanic
population, meaning multiple languages are commonly heard in the County. He said because of this,
translating resources, including training and education materials, is important.
Ms. Hinshaw agreed that weekend hours are needed and said that this should be accounted for in the
budget even if something else must be sacrificed. She said that the shelter should be a resource for lost
and found pets. Social media is a big tool that can be used to reach people in the community. She
touched on the importance of transparency as well. She explained the importance of a trap, neuter,
release program (TNR) for stray and feral cats and said that this should be a County funded program.
She said that any animal coming into the shelter that is made available to the public or volunteers for
interaction must be immediately evaluated and vaccinated on intake. She described the lack of
available fosters in Randolph County. Of the 18 foster homes she works with that currently house dogs
and cats, only two are in Randolph County. She said that this is not a shelter problem; it is a people
problem. She said that the people must change, step up, and stop complaining.
Commissioner Frye agreed that people changing is key. Ms. Hinshaw suggested fundraising for a TNR
program.
Mr. Balder agreed that transparency is necessary and social media is a great resource. He said that
with transparency, citizens will trust Animal Services more.
Commissioner Frye said that he had spoken with Pat Simmons at the North Carolina Zoo with the goal
of building a better relationship between the County and the Zoo.
Mr. Balder said that many Zoo staff have a passion for fostering and finding homes for animals. He
said the Zoo is proactive in finding homes for strays that end up on Zoo grounds. He said not only is it
important to find homes for strays, but placing strays in homes also keeps the Zoo collection safe.
Ms. Wilson agreed that openness is important so the public can see the issues at the shelter. She
noted that not all dogs are shown to the public. She said staff should be trained. She advocated for the
Director position to have spokesperson duties as part of the job description. She said that bringing in
volunteers will allow community members to see behind the scenes. She said it is important to
understand that not everything is going to change on day one. She suggested that once a director is
hired, a subcommittee should be created that includes the Director.
Commissioner Frye said that there were some great ideas presented. He said that this is a clean start
to provide a purpose and focus for Animal Services. He said that budgets can be changed and agreed
that spay and neuter and a good adoption program are a must. He said that we can work to build a
good volunteer base.
Mr. Beard asked if statistics could be provided on prior activity to use as a metric when evaluating
improvement. He suggested intake and euthanasia statistics and said that most people like numbers.
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Ms. Wilson agreed that data is needed in order to show improvement.
Commissioner Allen said that we will need to prioritize. He listed some potential items including
adoption spaces with more public access at the shelter, education, generational problems, code
enforcement, the Public Health side that includes rabies, and the Public Safety side that includes vicious
animals. He said generational problems play into the overpopulation and spay/neuter educational side
because older generations may view those issues differently. He said the goal is to protect people and
animals. He stated that while funds are not unlimited, the Animal Services budget is larger than in the
past. He asked how the funds are being used.
Commissioner Frye said that during the next regular meeting, a budget overview could be included
that details how money is allocated. He said the budget could be subject to change. He said we hope to
have hired a director by the next meeting.
Mr. Johnson said that the comments provided have been very informative and will be helpful to the
new Director.
Public Comment Period
Pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 153A-52.1, Mr. Johnson opened the floor for public comment and closed it
after everyone wishing to speak had done so. He read aloud the Public Comment Rules of Procedure.
Georgene Saddlemire, Asheboro, said she was glad this was happening because sometimes the
rtant and getting
volunteers is difficult.
Renee Bryant, Randleman, said she was happy and grateful at the progress being made. She
described a personal event that inspired her to act as a public information officer in the animal rescue
community. She said she was appreciative of animal services staff members. She said she knows of
volunteers willing to help, and the County is taking a step forward.
Pamela Vuncannon, Asheboro, thanked the Board and said these issues are economic, social, and
humanitarian issues. She said it is important to educate the community and be transparent. She said
that she is the administrator for two social media groups that have a total of around 14,000 members.
She said there has been a lack of enforcement and education; the public has been part of the problem.
She said enforcement is key and working with volunteer groups in the community offers free labor. She
appreciates what the Board is doing.
Teena Byrd She said the County should pursue
national level grants and targeted TNR. She said social media can be time intensive. She suggested
finding retired teachers to visit schools with dogs. She also suggested reaching out to the Hispanic
community and bridging the generational gap to increase community involvement.
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Adjournment
Mr. Johnson confirmed that the third Thursday of every month would work for the Board members to
hold regular meetings that will begin at 6:00pm.
Having no further business, Commissioner Frye closed the meeting.
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