A new citizens panel would look for ways to improve the care of animals in Gwinnett County without spending more money under a proposal to be considered Tuesday by the Board of Commissioners. Here’s what you need to know:
The issue: Gwinnett County operates a 33,000-square-foot animal shelter in Lawrenceville. The county employs 31 people to respond to animal complaints and run the shelter, and it will spend about $2.3 million this year for animal control operations.
Last year Gwinnett responded to more than 25,000 animal complaints -- for problems that included dead animals on the road and animal bites -- and issued more than 1,200 citations. Nearly 1,600 animals were adopted from the shelter in 2010. An additional 5,882 animals were euthanized, down from 7,850 in 2009.
County Commissioner Mike Beaudreau said Gwinnett wants to reduce the number of animals killed and improve animal care without spending more money. “This is not about increasing costs,” Beaudreau said. “We can’t afford to do that.”
The task force: On Tuesday the Board of Commissioners will consider creating a 14-member task force to study animal control issues. It would include representatives of several animal rescue groups, a veterinarian and 10 other county residents.
The panel would review Gwinnett’s animal services, compare them with those of other local agencies and develop a list of best practices. It would look for efficiencies and explore partnerships with private organizations. And it would recommend policies to lower euthanasia rates and promote humane treatment of animals.
Randy DeCarlo, a longtime critic of Gwinnett’s animal control policies, has called for the county to stop killing healthy, adoptable dogs and cats. He called the proposed task force a “home run.”
“I think it’s a really great step in the right direction,” DeCarlo said.
What's next: If commissioners approve the idea, the task force would spend four months studying animal control. It would survey the public and hold public meetings to gather feedback. The panel would submit its recommendations in December.
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