Salina officials hear animal shelter capacity, disease and staffing challenges; no decision on pit‑bull ban

Salina officials received a detailed update Feb. 24 on the city's animal shelter operations, including capacity limits, disease outbreaks among cats and staffing and volunteer needs. Staff presented data showing the shelter currently had more dogs than available single‑dog kennel spaces, a feline live outcome rate well below the 90% no‑kill threshold, and active plans to expand volunteer and foster capacity.

The briefing, delivered by Jeff Hammond, Salina Parks and Recreation director, and animal services staff, outlined why the shelter has been frequently full and what staff say is needed to raise live outcomes. Hammond said the shelter was operating above its designed capacity, noting it had 58 dog kennels but 68 dogs in house at the time of the report and ‘‘we've often had to prevent timely surrenders and strays because we just didn't have the kennel space for them.'’

Hammond told the commission that the combined live outcome rate for dogs and cats in 2024 was about 87%, and that cat outcomes were worse than dogs: staff calculated a 95% live outcome for dogs and 74% for cats. He said the lower feline rate was driven largely by panleukopenia cases in the community and that the city therefore does not currently meet the 90% threshold most animal welfare groups use to describe a "no‑kill" status.

The presentation described daily shelter practices (intake vaccination, cleaning, exercise logs), recent staffing additions (full‑time receptionist, kennel technicians and temporary dog walkers) and state inspections. Hammond said the shelter had one unsatisfactory inspection in 2023 but had passed subsequent inspections, and that staff have worked to document policies and daily care. He said meeting higher sanitation standards would require additional staff: "That would require additional staffing, to meet that standard,'" Hammond said.

Monique Hawley, animal services manager, described the shelter's foster program and restrictions. "We have 3 fosters right now that we have, available to us, and they're basically cat fosters," she said, explaining that state rules require foster homes to meet the same standards as the shelter and that the shelter supplies food, medications and veterinary costs for fostered animals. Hawley and Hammond emphasized foster expansion as a priority for improving cat outcomes.

Operations manager Andrew Aborn (identified during the meeting) said the shelter's contracted veterinarian had shared research about intake stress and medication that can reduce infection risk. "There is research now that shows a specific medication that we can give at intake to help lower that stress that will then help prevent that and that's something I've actually been working on this last week and we're going to be putting into effect here in the next week or two to hopefully lower that risk of kennel cough and everything else coming in,'" Aborn said.

Staff told the commission the shelter has limited quarantine/isolation capacity for dogs but somewhat better separated space for cats, and that a lack of isolation space makes disease control more difficult. Hammond said a Shelter Planners of America study previously recommended more isolation capacity for dogs and noted a possible off‑site kennel property the city could renovate to add roughly 30 slots, but that would cost "a couple hundred thousand dollars" to prepare.

Donation funds and operating budget: Hammond said the shelter's donation fund (restricted city donations intended for shelter operations) would show roughly $630,000 after the Parker Park dog‑park project is completed. Staff said several routine animal care costs have been paid from donation funds in recent years (spay/neuter clinics, some veterinary and cleaning contracts), and commissioners asked whether regular operating items should instead be covered by the city operating budget. Finance staff previously told the commission that, if these are recurring costs, they should be identified in annual budgets.

Microchips and reunite station pilot: staff described a "Reunite" microchip scanning station pilot (presentation video shown) and noted the city has been offering free microchips at intake to improve return‑to‑owner rates. Hammond and Hawley said the shelter pays about $8 per microchip and will sometimes provide free microchipping to frequent intake owners to reduce future stray volumes.

Volunteer program and next steps: staff outlined a draft volunteer program, background checks and training, and said Andrea Borne (operation/volunteer lead) would manage the program when water‑park season concludes. The shelter also plans to expand foster recruitment, pursue reconfiguration of a fence to add exercise space once the Parker Park dog park opens and research transfer opportunities for pit‑type dogs.

Discussion on breed‑specific ordinance: commissioners spent substantial time discussing the city's ban on ownership of pit‑bull‑type dogs (breed‑specific legislation, or BSL). Staff said the ordinance limits adoption options for those animals and hampers placement and transfer efforts; they also briefed the commission on alternatives used by other cities (dangerous‑dog rules, stricter registration, spay/neuter and microchip requirements).

Commissioners expressed differing views and no clear majority agreed to repeal the BSL during the meeting. Some commissioners said constituents opposed repeal and that public safety concerns weigh heavily in their views. Others suggested replacing the ban with a better‑enforced dangerous‑dog ordinance or stricter registration requirements. Hammond urged focusing first on capacity and operational improvements rather than immediate structural changes: "Let's try and fine tune what's going on now before we look at restructuring,'" he said.

Public comment and advisory board request: members of the public and local animal welfare groups spoke during the City Commission portion of the meeting and during the earlier Animal Control Advisory Board discussion. The advisory board requested staff prepare a letter describing the board's loss of Friends‑of‑the‑Shelter support, the impact of that loss and how the public can help; staff said a draft had been prepared and would be shared.

Why it matters: commissioners must weigh operational realities — kennel space, disease control and long‑term costs — against public safety and constituent views about breed‑specific restrictions. Staff asked for direction on budget adjustments, isolation capacity, foster and volunteer expansion and whether commissioners want staff to research ordinance alternatives.

Next steps: staff recommended follow‑up work: (1) a review of the shelter operating budget and whether recurring expenses now paid from donations should be budgeted; (2) a plan for additional isolation/holding capacity or off‑site kennels; (3) development and launch of the volunteer/foster expansion plan; (4) greater outreach to veterinarians and community partners about spay/neuter and TNR (trap/neuter/release) programs; and (5) commission direction on whether to pursue ordinance changes for BSL or a strengthened dangerous‑dog code.

Ending: Commissioners indicated interest in further research on budget, isolation capacity and veterinary community input; they did not direct staff to change the BSL at this meeting. Staff said they would return with more detailed cost and feasibility information as requested.