SCCA Submits Proposal To The County
By David Howell
Editor
COFFEEVILLE – Volunteers with the Second Chance Animal Alliance (SCAA) proposed contracting with the county for a $2,500 monthly fee to handle animal problems in the county that will include responding to reports of negligence or stray dogs as well as answering calls about vicious dogs in accordance with the county’s vicious dog ordinance.
The proposal came during Monday’s recessed meeting at the Coffeeville courthouse after the group reached out to supervisors on March 5 for financial support.
SCAA representative Mandy Beard provided statistics in Monday’s showing that the organization has picked up 300 dogs since they started in November, 2014. Since the organization’s inception, the primary goal has been to address dog problems in the City of Water Valley and make improvements in the city pound, but the group has routinely provided assistance in the county.
Board Attorney John Crow noted that enforcement for the county’s vicious dog ordinance is needed in the county. He recommended that the assistance from SCAA include responding with a deputy to determine if the dog is vicious and to ensure it has been vaccinated. Crow also said SCAA would log the vicious dogs in a register for monitoring purposes.
“Registration is very serious, we better get a hold of that,” Crow also advised.
The county’s vicious dog ordinance was adopted in 2012 and is not breed specific. Instead the ordinance regulates dogs deemed dangerous or potentially dangerous on a case-by-case basis in unincorporated areas of the county. According to the ordinance, the sheriff’s department is charged with making an initial assessment to determine if a dog is vicious following a complaint. If the dog meets specific criteria, the owner is required to pay a $50 registration fee and properly restrain the animal.
The ordinance does not address dogs running at-large, or impose a leash law.
Feedback from Supervisors
The SCAA proposal was tabled until the “first Monday” meeting scheduled April 2, but supervisors indicated the fee was higher than anticipated.
“I just didn’t envision it being that high,” Board President Cayce Washing-ton told Beard and Brittany Scero.
“I know it seems like a staggering number, but you have to think that the county is way bigger than the city limits, and there is a whole lot more out there,” Beard countered, adding the figure was loosely based on a comparison of what the City of Water Valley provides.
Beard also explained that the contract would include response for animal problems at all times.
“We won’t keep putting y’all off, we do appreciate what y’all do. We just have to find a balance between how much we can afford to pay and what makes it worth your while. And we will do that,” Washington said.
SCAA is also in the process of renegotiating a contract with the City of Water Valley for services inside the city limits. The city has provided financial support since 2015 including a $30 payment for each dog picked up in the city (not to exceed 100 per year), plus payment for utilities for the SCAA-owned shelter on Hwy. 315 and the smaller city-owned shelter also utilized by the organization. The city has also provided a part-time city employee to assist at the shelters.
