Resident urges city to address animal shelter intake and housing options
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Summary
A Clinton resident told the council that the local animal shelter currently lacks on-site holding cages and urged the city to resolve where stray animals can be housed to avoid burdening neighboring jurisdictions.
During the Oct. 7 public-comment period, resident Travis Winter raised concerns that the city's animal shelter has no outside cages and a posted notice that animals cannot be taken there from the city, creating uncertainty about where stray animals should be housed.
"Over the weekend, I had a dog that showed up at my house and didn't wanna leave... I posted it on Facebook and no response, so I decided to take it up to the main society to find out that there's no outside cages and a big note on the door that says you can no longer take animals up there from the city," Winter said. He said he ultimately reunited the dog with its owner, but he warned that without local capacity, neighboring cities, the county and organizations that have contracts with the animal society will absorb Clinton's animals.
"As a city, we need to figure it out. We need to figure it out fairly quick," Winter said.
The mayor and council acknowledged the comment; no formal staff report or action appeared on the agenda in the meeting record. The remarks were recorded in the meeting's audience comment period and the council did not take immediate action on the item during the session.
Ending: The comment raises a capacity and service-delivery question for city staff; no further action was recorded at the Oct. 7 meeting.