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Auburn hears animal-control update; staff to propose 2025 municipal amendments
Summary
City staff reviewed Auburn's animal-control duties and municipal ordinance chapter 4 (section 4-9) and said proposed amendments will be drafted for council review, including clearer tethering guidance and enforcement tools; staff and partner agencies described shelter, trapping and after-hours response procedures.
At its Feb. 4 meeting, the Auburn City Council received a presentation from Katrina Cook, the city’s environmental services director, on the scope of the city’s animal-control program and city ordinance language governing animal care.
Cook told the council that Auburn enforces municipal and state laws through the animal-control division and relies on a mix of in‑house staff and partners to respond to complaints, investigate cruelty and provide veterinary care. “The owner of an animal shall provide it with humane shelter from heat, cold, and wind, and shall give it food and water adequate to keep the animal in good health and comfort,” Cook said while summarizing the city’s chapter 4, section 4-9 language on animal care.
The presentation explained the division’s core duties — issuing warnings and citations; capturing loose, stray and aggressive animals; transporting injured animals for veterinary care; and conducting cruelty, dangerous-dog and bite investigations. Cook listed regular partners the division works with in these efforts, saying the department “acts as a conduit” to organizations that provide services such as temporary pet food, outdoor kennels, spay/neuter assistance and behavior training. The presentation named “Care Humane Society” and local veterinarians as recurring partners, and also noted contact with the Alabama Department of Public Health and Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Good Sam program.
Councilman Griswold opened the item by asking for an update because of recent extreme cold weather and constituent complaints about animals exposed to harsh conditions. Cook said the ordinance’s dog‑house requirement and the city’s use of a standard scale for welfare assessments help officers determine when an animal is not being fed or sheltered adequately; she described officers’ holistic approach: “We look at the environment. We look at the breed. We look at the size of the animal. We look at, the food that it's eating. Is it cared for?”
Council and staff discussed tethering rules and a recent notice from state legislators about possible tethering legislation. Cook said Auburn added tethering standards in 2013 and that the city’s tethering provisions (section 4-17) require a swivel on lines and minimum tether length so animals can access food and water and avoid tangling. Cook said the city’s municipal tethering language currently aligns closely with measures under consideration at the Alabama Legislature.
On stray and feral cats, Cook said traps are available but that cats are difficult to catch unless confined, and she encouraged residents to call animal control rather than handle animals on their own. A resident speaker raised concerns about financial responsibility after trapping feral cats; Cook replied that a trapped cat becomes the possessor’s responsibility but noted some organized caretakers in town participate in spay/neuter/return programs and mark cats by ear-clipping to show they have been sterilized and returned.
Council members asked about after-hours responses; Cook said the city maintains an on-call animal-control officer each week and that after-hours emergency calls should go through the non-emergency dispatch number so police can coordinate with animal control when necessary. She said the department conducts wellness checks in extreme weather and emphasized that officers give owners opportunities to correct problems before seizing animals when appropriate.
Cook said staff have been meeting internally for roughly two and a half months and will bring proposed ordinance changes to the city attorney, the public‑services director and Megan Crouch before presenting formal amendments to council; she said staff expect to provide more information “around May or so.”
Council members and staff said guides and presentation materials will be posted on the city website; Cook noted that some internal guidance charts are used primarily for staff evaluation and may not be posted verbatim but the presentation PDF will be available online.
Ending: The council did not take formal legislative action on the item at this meeting; staff were directed to draft proposed ordinance amendments and return with recommended language and supporting materials for future council consideration.
