Trumbull County commissioners move to form advisory committee for new dog pound, urge quick funding plan

Trumbull County commissioners held an informational meeting about a proposed new county dog pound and agreed to form an advisory committee to shepherd funding, planning and public outreach for the project.

The meeting focused on a donated site adjacent to the Animal Welfare League (AWL), previously studied architecture and cost estimates, and how the county should structure fundraising and oversight for what presenters said is likely a multi-million-dollar capital project. Commissioner Danny Malloy and other commissioners asked staff to return at next Tuesday’s workshop with a draft resolution, membership plan and clearer budget figures so the panel and fundraising effort can begin.

The discussion matters because county staff, volunteers and rescuers told the commissioners the current Trumbull County shelter is undersized and in disrepair, and that a modern facility would increase adoptions, volunteer capacity and the county’s ability to meet statutory duties for stray and dangerous animals. Speakers said AWL offered property for the build, donors and a bequest previously set aside toward the project, and architect renderings already exist.

Jason Cook, a volunteer and local rescue operator, told the commissioners the county faces a “major crisis with dogs in Trumbull County” and described broad community support for a new,…