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Residents and animal-services board press commissioners to retain director, fund isolation building and staffing
Summary
Multiple speakers during public comment urged the board to retain Animal Services Director Elaine Smith and to fund an isolation building, additional enforcement staff, pay adjustments, and customer-service positions to address an 800-call backlog and long-term staffing shortfalls.
Speakers at the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners public comment period on June 16 pressed the board to act on urgent animal-services problems, including a director’s resignation, a backlog of service calls, and an unfunded isolation building.
Lee Ward, a member of the Animal Services advisory board, said Animal Services Director Elaine Smith had submitted her resignation and warned that losing her leadership would cripple the department. Ward told commissioners the department was managing a backlog of “over 800 unresolved calls” and listed four recommendations Smith had made: begin construction of the isolation building approved in the FY2025 budget, increase enforcement manpower including a joint task force with law enforcement, address a reported pay disparity between animal services officers and code enforcement officers, and hire full-time customer service staff.
Sandy Reeves, also a member of the animal services advisory board, said the department has been understaffed for seven years and cited national data indicating high stress and suicide risk among animal-welfare workers. Reeves described the officers’ work as physically dangerous and emotionally demanding and repeated calls for an isolation facility, more staff, better compensation, public education on responsible pet ownership, and retention of Director Smith.
Charlotte Davis, chairperson of the animal services board, cited Cumberland County Code, chapter 3, article 1, section 3-4, and said the board had been informed of Smith’s resignation and had received answers to questions. Davis urged commissioners to visit the shelter and to do ride-alongs with officers to see working conditions firsthand, and she reiterated the request that the board retain Elaine Smith.
Why it matters: speakers said the absence of an isolation building and understaffing are causing unnecessary disease spread and animal deaths, impairing enforcement, and creating public-safety risks. Commissioners did not take formal action on these public comments during the meeting; speakers said formal, written requests and additional correspondence have been sent to the board.
Details and requests: residents requested immediate steps on four items repeatedly emphasized in the comments — start construction of the isolation facility approved in the budget, create increased enforcement capacity, correct the pay disparity (ASOs reported about $4,200 less per year than code enforcement officers), and hire customer service staff to reduce response backlogs.
Public comment also included appeals for broader public education to reduce preventable animal-shelter needs and preserve department morale; speakers asked the board to retain Elaine Smith and to move the approved isolation building into construction without further delay.
