Animal Welfare Council urges creation of stand-alone Animal Services department, requests $4.96 million in FY26

Tanya Kites, vice chair of the Anne Arundel County Animal Welfare Council and president of Show Your Soft Side, testified on May 14 in support of creating a stand-alone Animal Services department and requested that the County Council fund $4,958,500 in the FY26 proposal to support the restructuring and needed positions.

Kites said the current structure — animal care and control within the police department — limits specialization, transparency and operational focus. The Welfare Council recommended specific positions the council should fund to operate independently and to address operational needs: an animal services director and management assistant for leadership; an animal care technician to support nearly 1,500 in-house spay/neuter surgeries and to relaunch no-cost services for low-income pet owners; a management aid to improve adoption rates; an animal care attendant to provide seven-day care; and an office support specialist to assist with more than 1,300 annual bite reports.

Why it matters: proponents said the changes would improve shelter outcomes, advance adoption rates, support public health reporting and make the department more transparent and responsive. Kites told the council the requested restructuring "can be done responsibly and affordably" and urged support for the full funding figure she cited.

Next steps: the council will consider the department reorganization and the requested funding as part of the FY26 budget deliberations. No formal action occurred that night.

Ending: The council recorded the request for consideration in upcoming budget votes and committee reviews.