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County proposes standalone Department of Animal Services with new hires, positions transferred from police
Summary
County leaders presented a proposal to create a separate Department of Animal Services, moving animal control staff out of the Police Department, adding management and animal‑care positions and funding a director and support staff to run shelter operations and field services.
County officials told the council and public on May 13 that Anne Arundel will form a standalone Department of Animal Services, shifting dozens of positions out of the police department and adding new staff to expand shelter capacity and customer service.
Claudia Rolle, who led the briefing as current administrator of animal care and control, described the reorganization as a formal separation that places leadership — a new departmental director and a deputy director — under a standalone agency. The FY‑26 proposal also includes a management assistant to cover IT and personnel functions that police previously provided, several animal care technicians and a dedicated adoption manager to reduce returns and improve adoption counseling.
Rolle said the changes are intended to professionalize shelter operations and reduce workload on uniformed officers. She described day‑to‑day needs that drove the staffing request: more surgical (spay/neuter) capacity to avoid backlogs, an extra animal care attendant to ensure weekend coverage and volunteer engagement, and an office support specialist to handle a high volume of animal‑bite reports and victim notifications so officers can remain on patrol.
Budget staff explained the change in headcount: 34 positions would transfer from the police department and one position from inspections and permits, while six new positions are requested for the new department; the net growth to the county payroll is six positions. The council’s budget office said the police department’s personnel lines will be reduced to reflect the transfer and the new department’s operating budget is detailed in the FY‑26 proposal.
Why this matters: The reorganization reallocates responsibility for animal care from a public‑safety division to a civil services department focused on shelter management and public service. Officials said the change should improve service continuity, allow IT and administrative tasks to sit inside the new department and free police officers for patrol and law enforcement duties.
Boardroom questions focused on the detail and transition costs. The county budget office agreed to provide business‑unit‑level detail showing which police bureau line items will be zeroed out, and the new department said transition items such as vehicle and uniform rebranding will be modest and addressed through an existing process.
No formal vote on the reorganization was taken during the budget presentation; the transfer was presented as a budgetary reorganization in the FY‑26 request.
