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Stephenson County animal control reports spike in cat intakes, staffing and shelter updates
Summary
At the June 12 Public Works Committee meeting, Stephenson County animal control reported increased cat intakes, ongoing transfers and adoptions, staffing recruitment challenges, vehicle maintenance, and that microchip and other payments are now up to date.
At its June 12 meeting, the Stephenson County Public Works Committee heard an animal control update reporting a recent increase in cat intakes and several operational notes about staffing, shelter inventory and finances.
Kirsten (Animal Control officer, Stephenson County) told the committee the department took in 45 cats in the reporting period and has been assisting a Freeport resident who had an estimated 38 cats; “So far, we've taken 22 of them in,” she said. She added three of the animals are young and that the shelter is working to have them spayed or neutered before they reach breeding age.
The department reported transfers and outcomes: 17 cats were transferred to other rescues and one cat was adopted during the reporting period. For dogs, the department took in 21 animals — 12 were county strays and nine were city strays; three dogs were identified as adoptable, 16 were reclaimed and two were sent to rescue organizations. The shelter’s inventory at the time of the report included 12 adoptable cats, 17 cats on hold, 11 adoptable dogs and seven dogs involved in court cases.
Kirsten said microchip payments and related entries had been caught up after a billing discrepancy with the sheltertrack vendor; “We're all caught up,” she said. She also reported routine vehicle maintenance (oil change, brake work covered under warranty) and said tires and other items would be completed next month.
On staffing, Kirsten said the department is reviewing resumes and identified one promising candidate with experience at a local grooming/daycare business; she also noted a candidate who is a full-time 9-1-1 dispatcher could not be hired because that would create an overtime conflict with the county’s payroll rules. Committee members asked for a follow-up on what the budget impact would have been if the assistant position had been filled; Kirsten said she would research and report back.
Kirsten also reported that two buyers of a county building have an attorney, Anthony Kuhn, who is preparing a draft contract and that the county may consult its liability insurer or counsel before finalizing terms.
The report closed with the animal control officer saying the department is making steady progress on intakes and operations and will continue to update the committee at future meetings.
