Animal control approves status‑quo budget, sends vehicle request to county and moves $3,000 into overtime

The Wilson County animal control oversight group approved its status‑quo budget, authorized a vehicle replacement request to be forwarded to the county budget office and approved a $3,000 budget transfer to cover overtime, the group said at a short meeting.

The action came after staff described the department's fiscal position and a small number of non‑recurring needs. The director said the only planned change to the status‑quo budget was to move funds into overtime. Board members voted to approve the status‑quo budget and to forward a vehicle replacement request to the county budget office for consideration.

In discussion, the director said staff want to prioritize employee compensation and insurance if overall funding is tight. The director described two older fleet vehicles — a 2012 F‑250 and a 2014 F‑150 — and proposed replacing the 2012 F‑250 with a three‑quarter‑ton single‑cab truck and transferring the existing truck box and adding security locks. The director stated the total project cost for that replacement, including the truck and transfer work, as $50,500.

Separately, the board approved a budget amendment to shift $3,000 from a part‑time personnel line to the overtime line to reflect recent increased overtime hours. The form for the amendment initially included an incorrect explanation (referencing transport equipment); members agreed to strike that language and record the change as "increased overtime hours." The moderator called for the motion, it was seconded and approved on a voice vote.

Next steps: the vehicle request will be routed to the county budget office for review, and the amended budget will be reflected in the department's status‑quo budget records. No formal roll‑call vote totals were recorded in the meeting transcript.