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Public pressure on Clermont County animal shelter prompts management RFP and kennel expansion plans
Summary
Public commenters criticized kennel staff conduct; commissioners authorized advertising for a kennel expansion and proposals to manage the kennel and tabled a volunteer-policy approval for further revision.
Public concern over staff conduct at the Clermont County Animal Shelter surfaced during public participation Dec. 11, prompting commissioners to outline steps to revise operations while approving capital and procurement items for the facility.
Resident Deanna Smith told the board she had seen social-media videos and described multiple incidents involving kennel staff member Alex Price, saying his actions had “wasted county resources” and urging retraining and stronger leadership. Smith said volunteers were upset and asked the board to redirect and educate staff rather than treat complaints as “gotcha” moments. "He needs to be reined in," Smith said during public comment.
The board responded that, under the Ohio Revised Code, the Board of County Commissioners remains ultimately responsible for shelter operations and that personnel complaints are handled through the county’s human-resources process. The county indicated public-record requests are available for documentation and that volunteers do not perform supervisory roles.
Separately, commissioners authorized advertising for bids on an outdoor kennel extension (estimated roughly 61 new outdoor kennels) and set a pre-bid meeting and Jan. 9, 2025 bid opening. The board said roughly $60,000 is a rough order of magnitude for the project and noted a $20,000 Nestlé Purina donation will be held for a dedicated outdoor-play-area purpose within the expansion budget.
The board also authorized a request for proposals for kennel management, due Jan. 9, 2025, and emphasized that even with a contractor the commissioners retain statutory responsibility for shelter operations. Finally, the proposed volunteer policy was discussed; a commissioner requested added witness-signature fields on acknowledgment forms, and the board voted to table the volunteer-policy item to allow edits and review next week.
Commissioners said they would continue to work with kennel leadership and staff to address volunteer concerns and operational improvements; personnel actions, if any, were described as HR processes not conducted in open session.
