Committee hears widespread concerns over interim director and recent policy changes at Indianapolis animal shelter

The Indianapolis Community Affairs Committee on Thursday heard more than three hours of oral testimony, questions and public comment on Proposal 5, the nomination of interim director Kelly Diamond to lead Indianapolis Animal Care Services. The committee did not take a vote; the nomination is scheduled for the full City-County Council on March 3.

The hearing centered on a set of operational changes instituted since the current leadership team took over in February 2024 — most prominently a shift to a managed‑intake policy, reduced volunteer hours, and the shelter’s decision to stop using the MyCase criminal‑records service as part of adoption vetting. Staff and volunteers testified that those changes have increased animals’ time in kennels, reduced rescue and intake capacity, and undermined morale.

Interim director Kelly Diamond told the committee she and her leadership team inherited a “sinking ship” and said some critical changes were made for safety and liability reasons. “Unfortunately, there's a lot of misinformation out there, not necessarily on purpose,” Diamond said, and described adjustments to public and volunteer hours as intended to improve staff oversight and safety. Diamond said volunteers’ on‑site hours were revised to 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and that the shelter plans to revisit hours once a volunteer coordinator is hired. She also said the shelter remains without a veterinarian and that adding basic positions and competitive pay is a priority.

But shelter staff on the…