After three months of work, a citizen task force is drafting a report on how Gwinnett County can increase animal adoptions, decrease euthanasia rates and improve service at its animal shelter.
Among other things, the Gwinnett County Animal Task Force may suggest the county rely more on volunteers, partner with animal rescue groups and increase marketing of adoptable animals via social media and television.
But the task force probably won’t make a firm recommendation on a key concern of animal lovers: whether Gwinnett’s animal control and shelter services should remain under police department jurisdiction.
Chairman Joel Taylor said the task force hasn’t had the time or resources to delve deeply into issues like where animal control fits into the county’s organizational structure. But he hopes its report is the beginning of a transformation of animal services, not the end.
“Change evolves,” Taylor said at the task force’s meeting Tuesday night.
The Gwinnett Board of Commissioners created the animal task force last year to study ways to improve the treatment of animals without spending more money. Gwinnett will spend nearly $2.3 million on animal control operations this year.
A chief goal of the task force: to reduce the number of animals the county kills each year and increase adoptions. Gwinnett has made some progress. The number of animals euthanized fell from 7,850 in 2009 to 4,128 in 2011. But the number of animals adopted fell from 2,093 to 1,856 during that same time.
Some animal lovers say Gwinnett can do a better job.
“They’re good at issuing citations, but when it comes to the shelter, they’re not marketing [animals] enough to get them out,” said Susan Ruelle of Bethlehem, who has volunteered at the shelter.
Some residents want to see animal services moved from the police department. They say officers don’t have the expertise to run a successful adoption program.
The police department recently reassigned the supervisor who oversaw the animal shelter and is investigating unspecified concerns involving her employment.
“It’s not a police job,” said Carla Brown, a State Court judge and co-founder of Canine Pet Rescue. “Wherever [employees] come from, they’ve got to want to do the job.”
Though it probably won’t make a specific recommendation, Taylor said the task force might recommend the county consider moving animal control to another department. In its limited research time, he said the group has been more focused on animal control procedures and other initiatives to improve service.
“I think we have a good operation,” Taylor said. “We’re just trying to make it better.”
Among other things, the task force has discussed using social media and the county’s cable television channel to market animals for adoption, relying more on volunteers at the shelter and improving educational efforts by partnering with nonprofit groups and county schools.
The task force will present its final recommendations April 24. The Gwinnett Board of Commissioners will have the final approval on any changes.
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