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Residents and veterinary experts urge funding, spay-neuter programs and ordinance changes while supporting donation/fee-waiver bills
Summary
Public commenters at the June 26 Committee of the Whole meeting supported bills to increase the shelter’s ability to accept donations and use fee-waived adoptions, urged more funding and recommended spay/neuter mandates and other county-level changes.
Several community members and a shelter-medicine expert addressed the County Committee of the Whole after Dr. Douglas Pernicoff’s testimony, urging swift changes in shelter funding, operations and legal authority.
Shannon Blatzky, who identified herself as holding a master’s degree in shelter medicine from the University of Florida, told the committee she supported Bill 116 to give the shelter greater flexibility to accept grants, gifts and donations and Bill 41 to allow the shelter discretion to offer reduced- or fee-waived adoptions. "I fully support the passage of Bill 116 so the shelter is empowered to take advantage of the generosity of organizations, advocates, and donors to improve the welfare of the animals in its care," she said. Blatzky, who said Dr. Cunningham arranged a walk-through of the shelter for her, also cautioned that funds will be needed to retrofit space and hire staff; she argued that ACOs should not be doing the day-to-day animal-care tasks.
Cynthia Anderson, a county resident and advocate, urged the county to fund spay-and-neuter programs and to consider raising household pet limits to match neighboring jurisdictions. "It is much cheaper and more ethical to spay and neuter your way out of the problem than to continually house the overwhelming amount of unwanted animals that end up in our shelter every year," she said, and she recommended partnerships with existing mobile clinics and nonprofits.
Dr. Carl Schenker, who said he serves on the St. Louis County Health Department advisory board, asked the council to clarify why the county took over shelter operations from the prior contractor and urged the council to seek expert evaluation rather than only relying on cross-examinations in committee hearings.
Ed Goldsboro briefly urged attention to underserved South County residents and opposed use of local "Rams money" for shelter purposes without greater clarity on allocations.
Speakers asked the council for a clear accounting of any requested funds, a breakdown of proposed uses and faster mechanisms for accepting outside assistance. The committee signaled interest in clarifying the county’s ability to accept donated equipment or services and in fast-tracking measures (including Bill 116) that would reduce barriers to in-kind support.
No formal votes on the bills were recorded at the June 26 session; council members said they plan further review and may schedule votes on ordinance changes and budget requests after committee staff reviews subpoenaed documents and consults with shelter leadership.
