Cherokee Village council approves part-time animal-control hire after volunteers describe shelter strain

Cherokee Village — The city council on June 26 approved an increase to animal-control line items to fund a part-time worker, after volunteers and staff described fluctuating animal intake, intensive care needs and community adoption efforts.

The vote followed a presentation by the animal-control lead, Miss Megan, who asked the council to raise the salary and payroll-tax lines to cover roughly 50–60 hours per biweekly pay period at $11.50 per hour. Council members agreed to increase the salary and payroll-tax lines to cover through the end of the year; the roll-call vote in favor recorded Thompson, Low, Ishmael, Roland and Harrison as yes.

Volunteer Julie Milligan addressed the council during public comment and provided detailed operational context. Milligan said intake numbers vary widely day to day, urged caution interpreting single-line totals, and described protocols that separate puppies until they receive vaccinations — a practice volunteers credit with preventing parvovirus deaths in recent litters. She cited kennel-size comparisons with Jonesboro Humane Society and a staffing guideline from a UC Santa Barbara paper (about 15 minutes per dog minimum), and said volunteers frequently supplement staff efforts at adoption events and routine care.

Milligan also described community partnerships and donations — including assistance from Best Friends and Tractor Supply — and said the shelter has maintained a no-kill definition (90% of animals entering alive leave alive) for three years while retaining a formal euthanasia-assessment protocol that includes behavioral, medical and community-member review.

Council members asked about hiring timelines (Miss Megan said she hopes to have someone in place by August, covering August through year end) and outreach for applications (newspaper notice and social-media postings). The motion to increase the line items was made and seconded during the meeting and carried on a roll call vote.

The council did not specify the exact total cost net of expected tradeoffs or donations at the time of the vote; the animal-control lead estimated it would require roughly $8,600 to cover August–December wages and related taxes. The council asked staff to publish details about the job posting and follow standard advertising rules for municipal hiring.

Council next steps: staff will post the position publicly, process applications and report back on hiring and any necessary budget amendments.