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Council moves Department of Animal Services forward; technical amendment on —animal at large— adopted
Summary
Council considered the administration's bill to create a separate Department of Animal Services (moving animal care out of the Police Department). The council adopted a technical amendment clarifying the definition of an animal —at large— and scheduled the finalized ordinance for further action on May 19.
The council took up bill 25-25, which would establish Animal Services as a stand-alone county department separate from the Police Department. Administration representatives described the change as an organizational restructuring that would create a director position and a management assistant post to manage personnel and IT functions previously housed in police administration; other operational staffing proposals are being pursued through the FY26 budget process and are not contingent on the reorganization.
Linda Mazer, chair of the Animal Welfare Council, testified in support and asked that an unrelated amendment (amendment 4) be deferred and addressed in a later code update; the sponsor disagreed and moved the technical change. Amendment 4 clarifies that an animal "at large" means the animal is off the property of its owner and is not restrained by a leash or under the control of a responsible person. The council adopted amendment 4 (vote: six ayes, one nay) and scheduled the bill as amended for continued consideration on May 19.
Budget and staffing: County staff said the director position is included in the fiscal materials; additional proposed positions appear in the budget but are not dependent on the department change. Administration and the sponsor said they reached mutual agreement on the amended language.
Why it matters: Establishing a separate department changes chain-of-command and budget accounting for animal services, and may affect program priorities, staffing and how the county responds to animal-related calls and shelters.
Next steps: The council will take final action on the amended bill on May 19; administration and the Animal Welfare Council asked that remaining code updates be considered with a later comprehensive update to the county code.
