Adams County board enacts ordinance to designate humane officers after debate over certification and town opt-outs

The Adams County Board of Supervisors on Feb. 18 enacted Ordinance 1-20-26, amending chapter 145 of the Adams County Code to allow the county board to appoint one or more humane officers by resolution. The measure passed on a recorded vote of 16 in favor and 3 opposed.

The board amended the ordinance on the floor to replace the term “county” with “county board” where appropriate before taking the final vote. Corporation counsel said the ordinance intentionally leaves names and the number of humane officers to a later resolution because the statute requires naming each humane officer. "The statute requires that we name each humane officer," counsel said, explaining why the ordinance delegates individual appointments to a resolution.

Director Grant told supervisors he plans "to have 2 of his staff undergo the certification," describing the change as certification of existing planning and zoning employees rather than hiring new full‑time officers. Grant said the training is a week-long class in Madison, costs $575 per person, and will be covered from the planning and zoning budget. He said current operations rely on staff vehicles and kennels to contain dogs until the contracted transporter, Whistling Winds, picks them up.

Some supervisors urged greater caution on appointing uncertified personnel. "I think if this is gonna move forward, the certification has to be in place before anybody's appointed," Supervisor Goffman said, citing safety concerns for staff and the public. Corporation counsel responded that state law permits up to a year for an appointed humane officer to obtain certification; the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection offers the training about once per year.

Sheriff's office officials said criminal neglect or dangerous-animal cases will continue to be handled by the sheriff's department. The board and director noted that moving routine animal-at-large responses to planning and zoning is intended to free deputies for more urgent calls; Director Grant said the county has already handled 42 calls so far this year under the new process.

The board debated and rejected a separate amendment that would have explicitly allowed towns to opt out of county enforcement by resolution (recorded vote: 8 yes, 11 no). Corporation counsel said under statute cities and villages may opt out by resolution; the statute is less explicit about towns, though staff said they had discussed arrangements with the Town of Rome and the City of Adams and would respect town preferences where practical.

A resolution naming specific humane officers and their certifications is expected to come before the board in a future meeting. The ordinance as passed provides the county board the authority to appoint certified humane officers by resolution and directs implementation details to staff and the forthcoming resolution.