Animal-control staff seeks expanded public hours and appointment-based Saturdays

Chilton County animal-control staff asked the county commission on March 30 to expand public access hours to Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with Saturdays handled by appointment only, citing increased staffing levels that make the schedule feasible.

The request came from Christina, who told the commission the shelter "has pretty much doubled the staff" since earlier staffing decisions and would keep staff on site seven days a week even if public access on Saturdays were appointment-based. Under the proposal, Saturdays would remain available for medical appointments and pre-scheduled surrenders; walk-in drop-offs would no longer be allowed without prior notice.

Commissioners pressed for operational clarity and public communication. One commissioner said the public must be clearly told how Saturdays will work so social media posts do not mistakenly report the shelter is closed; Christina said the phone number and website appointment system will remain the public contact points. Commissioners also discussed aligning county hours with municipal animal-control offices to make pick-ups and officer coordination easier.

The commission noted the change would increase public-facing hours by roughly 19 hours per week compared with the prior schedule (from 16 to about 35 weekly public hours) without immediately adding new positions by redistributing staff shifts. Commissioners asked staff to post clear signage and online notices about the appointment-based Saturday practice to prevent confusion.

No formal vote was recorded during the meeting; staff will return with any necessary procedural items or a consent-item request to implement the schedule change.