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Residents press council on animal shelter changes and safety on Ray Boulevard
Summary
During final public comment residents urged the council for action on persistent neighborhood safety issues on Ray Boulevard and criticized recent changes at the animal shelter, citing declines in in‑person access, shifting budgets and delays in response. City staff agreed to meet with concerned residents and to follow up at a future agenda item.
Henderson — Multiple residents used the final public comment period to urge the council to address neighborhood safety problems and to press for transparency around animal protection services.
Heidi Dietrich described recurring nuisance and safety incidents near Ray Boulevard and surrounding neighborhoods, citing numbers she said police provided: about 30 fireworks calls (many unresolved), roughly 40 reports of gunfire with a high percentage where subjects were gone on police arrival, about 70 juvenile disturbance calls, and about 120 suspicious activity calls. Dietrich told the council deputy and the chief had been referred to her HOA and said promised follow‑up had not occurred; city staff agreed to connect her HOA with the deputy chief and an assistant city manager to pursue fencing and enforcement options. Dietrich offered an estimate from a fencing contractor of roughly $21,031 to close off access to Ray Boulevard; city staff arranged an immediate follow‑up meeting.
Melissa Tresati sharply criticized city leadership and recent changes to animal protection services after the unit moved out from under the police department. Tresati accused the city of ‘‘deceitful wordplay’’ in public statements about the shelter and questioned reported statistics and funding allocations. She said the live‑release rate cited by the city includes animals pulled by rescue organizations and is not equivalent to public adoptions, and accused city leadership of reducing in‑person access by closing the equivalent of 37 business days per year. Tresati referenced prior city statements that $4.5 million had been allocated for an animal shelter upgrade and said two weeks earlier the city stated $3.5 million remained; she characterized staffing and access delays as evidence the transition harmed services. No substantive administrative rebuttal to those assertions appears in the transcript; the council asked that an item addressing animal protection services be placed on the May 19 agenda.
Union and worker concerns also surfaced in public comment: Andrew Austin of the Culinary Union said documents submitted to council allege a July 2020 ‘‘mud list’’ was used to discriminate against Henderson workers during hiring at that time. Matthew Lopez, a Green Valley Ranch employee, called for better wages for long‑term workers.
What happens next: Council directed staff to place an item on the May 19 agenda to address animal protection services and to involve the chief and relevant staff; staff also agreed to meet with Dietrich and HOA representatives about neighborhood safety and fencing options.
