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Residents and volunteers urge council to move Animal Care & Control out of CMPD and fund a new shelter
Summary
Multiple speakers at Charlotte’s public forum urged the City Council to increase funding for Animal Care & Control (ACC), create a new state‑of‑the‑art shelter and move ACC out from under the Charlotte‑Mecklenburg Police Department to improve staffing, volunteer processing and animal welfare outcomes.
Several volunteers, foster parents and nonprofit leaders urged Charlotte’s City Council during the public forum on April 28 to increase funding for Animal Care & Control (ACC), relocate the unit out from under CMPD oversight and build a modern shelter with more kennel capacity.
Why it matters: Speakers described increasing intake numbers, limited kennel capacity and rising euthanasia rates tied to lack of space and staff burnout. Several asked the city to boost ACC budgets and to reorganize the shelter outside the police department to simplify volunteer onboarding and increase operational flexibility.
What speakers said - Katie Ferioli, a volunteer and foster with ACC who lives in District 6, told council that animal intakes rose from an average of 17 dogs per week in 2024 to 27 per week in 2025 and appealed for higher salaries and better staffing so the shelter can function reliably. "Staff and volunteers work tirelessly ... but the incoming tide of animals is too high," she said. - Kristen Lasprilla and Jason Swierczynski, volunteers and foster parents, gave examples of intake surges (43 dogs surrendered on multiple days in March) and said the shelter has been under an "emergency space shortage" multiple times in 2025. - Speakers asked the council to consider transferring ACC out of the police bureau to provide a direct reporting line to the city manager and to allow salary and position changes that better reflect shelter responsibilities.
City response and next steps Council did not take a vote on these public requests during the meeting. City staff previously signaled broader review of ACC operations and said they would continue to work with council on shelter capacity, staffing and a potential standalone organizational model. Several council members acknowledged the urgency and asked staff for updates on staffing and facility plans in upcoming budget discussions.
Background context Speakers and city staff said the last permanent kennel additions to ACC were decades ago while Charlotte’s population has more than doubled. Volunteers emphasized the city’s heavy reliance on foster homes and outside donations to house animals the shelter cannot accommodate.
What advocates want Advocates asked for (1) a dedicated funding plan for a new, modern shelter built to best practices in animal welfare; (2) higher, market‑competitive salaries and updated job classifications so ACC can recruit and retain staff; and (3) an organizational change to remove ACC from CMPD so shelter leaders can implement operational improvements and streamline volunteer onboarding.
