Health administrator asks board to consider county-run animal control and licensing

Elizabeth Townsend, introduced as representing the county health administration, told supervisors that the county receives animal bite reports and currently handles quarantines largely via at-home orders and occasional contracts with humane societies.

"We would need at least 1 or 2 employees to cover this," Townsend said, describing the staffing and kennel or contracted facility components the county would need to operate a quarantine program. She said municipalities including Bellevue, Preston and Maquoketa had indicated interest in participating and that a survey to quantify bites and municipal demand would be a sensible next step.

Townsend noted a prior program she worked on in another county had produced revenue — including licensing and quarantine fees — and said she had contacted vendors (e.g., pet-data systems) that can help with registration and cost recovery. Supervisors emphasized they would need more information about costs, ordinance authority, and whether upfront funding would be required before endorsing a program.

Board members asked staff to gather additional data from municipalities, review relevant state public-health obligations for bite reporting and quarantine, and return with a clearer budget and implementation plan before any formal county program or ordinance changes.