County administration proposes stand‑alone Animal Care and Control department; bill would shift staff and change cat licensing

County administration presented Bill 2,525 on April 15, proposing to elevate Animal Care and Control from a unit within the Police Department to a stand‑alone department and to simplify some licensing rules.

Ethan Hunt, speaking for the administration, said the measure “merely makes this a stand alone department” and does not change existing dangerous‑animal policies. He said the staff complement would move intact: “Currently [Animal Care and Control] has 34 merit positions…all of those positions…will be transferred out of the police department and into the new department.” The bill would leave merit status classifications, bargaining units and county employment status unchanged and would create an exempt director post similar to other county departments.

Why it matters: the reorganization is administrative in scope but could affect how animal welfare, shelter and enforcement services are managed, how licensing and inspections are handled, and how the department partners with animal welfare organizations.

The bill includes streamlined licensing changes. Claudia Rolle, Animal Care and Control administrator, explained the administration’s proposal to stop requiring a county license for cats. Rolle said the county will continue to require rabies vaccination for dogs, cats and ferrets under current code and that ownership can be established by veterinary records such as a rabies certificate. She said microchips and collars remain better tools than license tags to reunite lost cats with owners: “The cats that are licensed in the county…are really not walking around their house with a collar and their license tag.”

Council members asked about implementation details. In response to a question from Councilmember Fiedler about template use in grant agreements (asked in the earlier audit presentation), auditors had said most tested departments used the template; that exchange carried over into the session for clarifying county processes. Councilmember Pickert asked about the original scope of the grants audit and whether this reorganization adds staff; Hunt said the bill does not add staff and that any staffing changes beyond the transfer will appear in the fiscal 2026 budget presented May 1.

The administration said the new department will absorb certain administrative functions currently handled by the Police Department and that officials are evaluating how those functions will be funded and staffed in the FY‑26 budget. Hunt and Claudia Rolle said animal control officers will still work closely with police for dangerous‑animal responses and search warrants, and the county is drafting a memorandum of understanding to clarify the overlap: “There will still be a very open line between us.”

Council members raised operational questions during the presentation: shelter capacity varies seasonally (staff reported roughly eight open dog kennels the day of the session and larger spikes in cat intake in spring and summer), the county uses foster placements and rescue transfers when capacity is tight, and the administration said it is conducting or planning facility feasibility work to address longstanding facility concerns. Rolle said the shelter does not euthanize for space and that the county offers low‑cost microchip clinics.

The administration and council agreed to continue technical work on the draft ordinance. Hunt said additional policy changes (for example, to dangerous‑animal rules or licensing details beyond cats) are expected to be handled in subsequent bills after the new department is established.