Resident criticizes Daviess County animal-welfare contract with It Takes a Village Rescue; sheriff declines public response

During the public‑comments portion of the Daviess County Fiscal Court meeting, resident Beverly Johnson criticized the county’s decision to contract with It Takes a Village Rescue of Evansville, Indiana, which began providing animal-care services for the county on April 1, 2025.

Johnson told the court she and others believe the change has worsened shelter operations, saying the shelter is “overcrowded,” adoptions have declined and staff are “stacked three deep in the halls of the shelter.” She told the court a county animal-control officer resigned because he did not want to participate in what she described as “mass euthanize” operations. Johnson said the county takes in “over 3,000 animals a year” and accused the contracted provider of being unable to manage the intake volume.

Johnson said the shift to It Takes a Village Rescue “has undone a decade of progress in animal welfare,” called for the court to “fix it” and described the situation as a matter of “integrity, transparency and compassion.”

Sheriff (unnamed) responded that he would address Johnson privately because much of her account was, in his view, “really inaccurate” and because he could not discuss personnel matters publicly. The judge gave the sheriff the option to speak publicly but the sheriff declined, citing personnel confidentiality.

The court record does not contain an on-the-record response from county administration or the contracted provider to the allegations Johnson raised. The transcript shows the court had previously voted earlier in the year to contract with It Takes a Village Rescue; no county official provided detailed operational confirmation or denial of Johnson’s specific claims during the meeting.