Shelbyville city leaders and animal-control staff discussed enforcement of the city's rooster ban and broader shelter capacity and vaccination practices at a special-call workshop on Monday, Oct. 20.

The meeting opened with resident Ron Parsons urging the council to act on persistent roosters near his home. "I'm just looking for help," Parsons said, describing two years of ongoing noise and disturbance.

The city's animal-control supervisor, Mariah Teal, told the council the division is stretched thin and described the department's current caseload and resources. Teal said the department's records show 95 fowl-related calls since Jan. 1, including 44 calls listed as prohibited roosters, 39 calls for chickens at large and 16 mixed reports. The department issued 24 citations for roosters; Teal said all but one cited owner complied, and three owners were repeat offenders. "We are landlocked sharing public works property meaning there is no room for any more housing," Teal said when describing kennel capacity.

Teal also detailed shelter capacity and outcomes. She said the shelter has two buildings: one with 11 cat kennels and six dog kennels and a second building with 26 dog kennels. As of a recent count she cited, the facility held 23 cats and 22 dogs and was operating at roughly 105% capacity overall. Teal said year-to-date euthanasia was 9.85% of animals in care, and provided a breakdown: one cat euthanized for behavior, nine cats euthanized for sickness or injury, eight dogs euthanized for behavior, four dogs euthanized for sickness or injury, and several euthanasias for space in September.

On vaccination practice, Teal said the department can administer some vaccines in-house but cannot give rabies shots because "Tennessee law dictates" rabies vaccinations must be given under veterinary supervision. She described the department's voucher program to help owners obtain rabies shots from local veterinarians and noted some local clinics offer limited discounts; rescue partners and volunteers also assist with pulls to reduce shelter load.

Representatives from rescues and neighbors urged the city to vaccinate on intake and expand hours and outreach to increase adoptions. Donna Armstrong of New Destiny dog rescue said county animal control vaccinates on intake and that rescues often rely on such routine vaccinations. Several council members and staff discussed possible next steps, including creating a policy or ad hoc committee to review the animal-control ordinance and operational practices.

Council members and staff discussed enforcement options for repeat rooster cases. Council and staff said the city enacted a rooster ban in December 2023 but said enforcement can be difficult when owners refuse contact or there is no clear address to serve. Deputy Chief Pat Mathis and other staff described the limits on entering private property and noted that escalating enforcement (for example, impoundment before court) could be costly and require additional legal steps. One enforcement action the council requested was for the city attorney to review a specific Greenwood Avenue case where staff said the owner has refused to answer the door; the mayor asked the city attorney to consult and report back on enforcement possibilities.

Council members discussed other enforcement tools used elsewhere, such as referring unpaid municipal fines to a collections agency and seeking civil remedies, but several members also cautioned that more aggressive enforcement would require additional resources (staff, housing and equipment). Some council members supported pursuing stronger enforcement in the single persistent Greenwood case while deferring broader ordinance rewrites until staff and legal review return recommendations.

No formal vote or ordinance change took place at the workshop. City Manager Collins and City Attorney Ginger (first-name references used in the meeting) were asked to follow up with staff and the municipal court clerk on available enforcement steps and to report back to council. Council members also asked staff to explore policy adjustments that could reduce shelter euthanasia and increase adoptions, including vaccination policy, hours of operation and potential veterinary oversight.

The meeting closed with the mayor instructing staff to prioritize the Greenwood case review and to return with options for the council to consider.