Coffee County animal control officers told the Health, Welfare & Recreation Committee on June 26 that intakes are increasing, the county shelter is over capacity and construction of a new facility is under way.

The report, delivered by Craig, animal control officer, said: "We hit 821 last year, and we're well on our way to do more than that this year." He told the committee the shelter had 59 dogs on site and 49 in foster homes at the time of the meeting and that 99 animals had been adopted locally so far this year.

Why it matters: committee members said the shelter’s rising intake and limited space strain staff and resources and drive a need for more permanent facilities and community support.

Committee context and key numbers came first. Craig described trends the shelter is seeing — more animals arriving in worse condition and more litters from single households — and explained the shelter’s adoption and foster process. "By state law, we're required everything to leave the shelter has gotta be spayed and neutered," Craig said, explaining why many foster placements are recorded as "foster to adopt" until surgeries are completed.

Craig provided a short financial snapshot and fundraising context: he reported the shelter had brought in $17,003.39 since Jan. 1, which he said included roughly $6,000 in donations. He described growing sponsorship cooperation with local businesses that sometimes pay adoption fees for individual animals.

Staffing, fleet and operations: Craig said staff are experiencing burnout as call volumes rise, and that response times can be a day or two behind. He said the department has requested a replacement truck; the main vehicle, purchased by the county in 2018, has about 198,000 miles. He also said there is a backup vehicle from emergency management and an older county vehicle that department leaders were recommending be declared surplus if a replacement is obtained.

Programs and pilot ideas: Craig said the department is discussing installing off-site microchip-scanning stations in public locations using hardened scanners chained inside an old newspaper box or similar stand to help reunite found animals with owners. "...they put it back inside," he said of the pilot setup he described, and cited a recent case in which a scanned animal was returned to its home within 30 minutes.

New shelter construction: capital outlay and construction updates were discussed later in the meeting. A committee member who serves on Capital Outlay said work is progressing: drains are being installed and the site is being prepared for concrete and framing. Craig said the contractor posts photos to a project app and that he would provide a more complete Capital Outlay update next month. Committee members encouraged posting construction photos publicly to drive donations and community support.

How the committee handled it: the report was received; there were no formal motions, votes or policy changes tied to the presentation. Committee members asked clarifying questions and requested a fuller update at the July meeting.

Ending: Craig and the Capital Outlay member said they will return next month with a fuller construction update and more specifics on operations, fundraising and any requests for county action.