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Clermont County shelter reports surge in intakes; county plans volunteer orientations and website fixes
Summary
County staff reported an abnormal surge of stray intakes, a current in-shelter population of 47, a temporary adoption fee reduction for March, a hired kennel supervisor, planned volunteer training in April and work to fix data transfers to PetFinder.
County staff told the Clermont County Board of Commissioners on March 10 that the animal shelter has experienced an unusual surge of strays and is taking steps to manage population and improve public outreach.
“Our current population as of this morning was 47 in house,” Angie Libesay, deputy assistant county administrator, said. Libesay said the shelter took in 37 strays over a two-week period and that the county is working with partner rescues; four dogs were sent to the League for Animal Welfare on a recent Friday and two more left for other rescues the same morning.
Libesay said the board previously approved a temporary adoption-rate decrease for March to help move animals to homes, and that the county has hired a kennel supervisor who will oversee volunteer orientation. “So the orientations will start in April,” Libesay said; staff plan both Saturday and weekday sessions and will limit registration to about 10 people per training group.
Web content manager Ursula told the board the shelter’s updated web page is live and includes clickable links to PetFinder and Facebook, a photo gallery described as a “virtual tour,” and a Constant Contact form to register volunteer interest. Ursula said the county is producing a branded flyer with a QR code to direct people to the volunteer-registration form. “We’ve launched it and it’s live,” she said of the web page.
Staff also reported a technical issue moving data from the shelter’s software, ShelterLove, to PetFinder. Libesay said the county is investigating the data-transfer glitch and that fixing it is a top priority. She said staff have reduced the number of backend user accounts and are professionalizing access so the public-facing information will be more reliable.
During public comment, resident Julie Tolliver of Batavia Township urged more regular public communication about county plans, including animal shelter plans, and asked the board to hold town halls to explain changes. Tolliver requested “a series of regular town hall presentations where you can communicate our revised plans, field questions and inputs from constituents,” and suggested holding those sessions “maybe twice a month, one in morning and one evening.”
Libesay said the county is also interviewing candidates for a kennel administrator and has promising applicants. She asked the public for patience while staff addresses intake levels, updates online information and restarts volunteer training.
The shelter update was presented after the board returned from an executive session; staff said no decisions were made during the executive session. Commissioners asked clarifying questions about data accuracy and staffing; staff committed to continuing website fixes, volunteer orientation scheduling and coordination with rescue partners.
