County shelter reports June intake, pursues lease and county-code updates

County shelter staff reported in the committee meeting that the shelter took in 26 cats and 13 dogs in June and outlined several administrative actions, including pursuing a new lease for consolidated office and adoption space and updating county code language to align with state statutes.

Shelter staff said the June intake included 12 county stray cats and eight county stray dogs, with seven cats transferred to other shelters, five adopted, three on hold (pregnant or neonates) and six in foster homes; dogs included 13 adoptable animals plus animals held for court cases. "So in June, we took, 26 cats in and 13 dogs," said Chris, shelter staff member, during the department report.

The update matters because intake, foster and adoption numbers affect shelter capacity, public-animal health considerations and budget needs. Staff flagged several court-involved animals and said they will seek code changes so county language references the Illinois Animal Control Act and other relevant state laws rather than a dog-only county code.

Shelter statistics and operations: Chris reported that a number of animals from recent months remained in the shelter or foster care; in the Department of Agriculture report for the June-to-June period staff reported a cumulative intake figure for cats of 281 (carried in part from 2024) with one cat euthanized and 13 cats that died in care, and 186 dog intakes with 21 euthanasias attributed to aggression or safety concerns. "We did euthanize 21 dogs. Most of those…were all due to aggression," Chris said. Staff noted three dogs were found dead on arrival after being struck by vehicles.

Court dockets and enforcement: Chris said a case involving a person identified in the meeting as Jessica Jones had a pretrial date set for July 17; the jury trial date was listed for July 22, time not specified in the transcript. Staff said they will revise how they cite offenses after learning that tickets were issued under county code (which covers dogs) instead of state livestock code in a recent livestock-related enforcement action. "Beth Henning and I are gonna work on that next week," Chris said.

Lease, facilities and fundraising: Shelter staff presented a lease draft received late in the afternoon from an individual identified as Anthony and asked the committee to review it before the county’s liability review. Staff said moving the shelter office to the proposed building would place staff closer to animals for improved oversight and easier public access. Chris said utility costs — specifically telephone and internet — were minor items; staff proposed handling internet directly to avoid extra charge. Committee members were asked to review the draft and provide approval to forward it to county liability review.

Donations and partner programs: Staff said a downtown business, Farm FS (a local tire shop), planned a donation drive July 21–25 and would feature shelter animals on its website. Staff also said they applied to Purina and PetFinder for donated food and supplies and expected a decision within 48 hours; the application requires a minimum annual adoption threshold that the shelter expects to meet.

Claims and expenditures: The meeting recorded motion approvals for routine items, including minutes and claims. The shelter presenter listed several claims-related needs in the month — microchips, a shelter program box, fuel, replacement tires and rear brakes — and said that some surgical and dental costs were charged to the spay-and-neuter fund. Staff noted one older dog (about 14 years) required a mandatory procedure for prostate cancer and that staff judged the surgery to improve quality of life.

Next steps: The committee will review the lease draft before referring it to county liability staff; shelter staff will work with Beth Henning on county-code language aligning local rules with the Illinois Animal Control Act, the Illinois Welfare Act and the Humane Care Act. Claims and routine approvals from the meeting were recorded as approved by motion.