Health director asks board to study county animal-control program after municipal interest

Elizabeth Townsend, the county's health administrator, told the Jackson County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 5 that recurring animal-bite reports and limits on what public health can do under state rules have prompted municipalities to ask whether the county could provide an animal-control/quarantine program.

Townsend said current practice uses in-home quarantines and that some municipalities have contracts with humane societies for kenneling in the past. She described a model she had used in another county—charging quarantine fees and licensing to generate revenue—and said the county would need staff, at least one contracted facility, and clear municipal commitments to make the program viable. "I think at a minimum, you know, put something in place where we can at least deal with the dogs that are an issue frequently," Townsend said.

She asked the board for permission to survey municipalities to gauge interest and expected costs; the board agreed that additional information was needed before any budget request or program commitment.