Residents urge Aberdeen council to retain animal control and parking enforcement positions amid budget review

Elaine Wardmeier addressed the council in public comment and urged elected officials to retain animal control and parking enforcement positions threatened in a citywide budget review.

Wardmeier said the city has benefited from “over 60 years of combined public service” from staff in animal control and parking enforcement and named Chris Seidore, Ken Steed and George Welch as long-serving employees. She said the positions perform core safety tasks such as quarantining dangerous animals, returning lost pets, educating the public on animal laws, and clearing abandoned vehicles and dilapidated recreational vehicles from roadways.

Wardmeier told the council she learned the police department had recommended eliminating the animal control and parking enforcement title as part of identifying cost savings for the department. She asked the council to consider “the real impact this decision would have” on safety, order and quality of life and to keep the positions in place.

The comment period does not reflect a council decision. No formal council action on the proposed elimination was recorded during the meeting; the police department’s budget recommendation was described in the public comment as the source of the proposed cut.