Anyone know who the chosen contractor is and what the design is so that the county all ready knows they need 3.2 million? That spay neuter clinic, any business plan on it? Will it be staffed by the shelter staff & volunteers or have a second manager and new staff? Is it expected to pay for itself or is the county subsidizing it? If we subsidize it how much has to be budgeted each year for that?
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Anderson's Animals
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JaneDoe, the answer to all your questions is: who knows?
The King of the County, Joey Ray Preston, does not release such trivial information to his subjects. He still believes he is qualified to make every decision as to how our money is spent and we should never question his decisions.
That's Anderson County under the dictator form of self-rule.
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Anyone wade through Gracie's Animal Ordinance. It's a fun read if you like twists and turns, deception and legal trickery. At the end it leave the reader with a sense of total confusion. The authors, Bowam, Dood and Wallace are to be applauded for creative writing and a great mystery novel. In the end, you want to know who the contractor is and what the plan is for the new building. I guess that will be chapter two, after the bid process of course. ha hah hah
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It has been said that the firm that drew up the ordinance was paid nearly $100,000.00 for the work. Can anyone verify this? It all should be paid by Gracie 'Funny' Floyd and not one cent charged to taxpayers. This is an outrage that Council should investigate. Can any council member choose any law firm they want for any legal work they need without Council approval?
Is there any reason why a volunteer committee made up of animal control people, animal rescue folks, Humane Society, animal shelter staff, and law enforcement agencies couldn't have gotten together, used the state regs plus what the county already had, and developed a readable,logical, usable animal control ordinance for the County at practically no cost?
There's are several very good reason it wasn't done that way, Kilkenny.
It would have made sense, it would have taken some control away from JP and County Council, and it would have given some of that control to people who actually know what they're doing. PLUS, how can you expect a hard-working attorney to pick up a hundred grand in mad money if you're doing things in-house? 
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Remember too that Gracie 'Funny' Floyd faces an election in just over three months and she is doing everything that JRP tells her to do to gain votes. Have you noticed how many 'awards' she has handed out the past few weeks?
Actually the initial ordinance was the compliation of several organizations and a couple of Clemson professors who researched ordinances in other areas. It did not pass because Larry Greer, Bob Waldrep, and Cindy Wilson were opposed and Ron Wilson abstained. I remember Ms. Wilson specifically objecting to the part about dogs and cats needing to be restrained because she said that barn cats had to run loose to do their jobs. If it truly cost 100k to write then I agree that's highway robbery, but our laws need to be updated so that Animal Control can do their jobs and the initial community effort was thwarted. I can attest that it was community as I had a bit of input myself. Of course I said that the ordinance should cost a lot, take guns, and hate Jesus. That was for you Chuck. ;)
How the real issue of animal ordinances SHOULD have been tackled was:
1) Identify which specific problems are prevalent in Anderson Co. ( Rabies vaccination,licensing woes, breeder mills, Jockey Lot and selling of sick animals, limits on amt. of animals each person/home can own, ETC.)
2) Determine the best solution to each SPECIFIC issue.
3) Attach a cost/benefit to each solution.
4) put to open discussion and public debate/review.
5) enact individual and specific rules/laws for EACH individual topic, not this broad-spectrum that was presented to public & council.
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IBVirginia - you are partially correct. The ordinance that MCW, Bob, Larry Greer were opposed to is exactly the same one they presented this last time. You should go back and read the old forums, maybe someone will post a link. However that committee was disbanded by Gracie after those that wanted more than a cat & dog ordinance protested in the meeting. There was also a license fee requirement that taken out before it was first sent to be voted on. The shelter and animal control people saw that as a revenue making fee for their department. That is to be introduced as an addendum after they get this one passed.
Wyatt1sc has the right idea and that's how this started but then logic was thrown out and this funny,useless ordinance came out that failed to address the identified issues. When Gracie said the Jockey Lot was now going to self regulate these rules was too funny as they never have before and continue not to to date, knowing they made a deal. The same man from GA has been going there for years selling parvo puppies and he's let back in every time despite the management has been told he's selling sick puppies with no vaccinations. One small change they should have added to the age a puppies can be sold is required they had the first series of vaccines with the certificates from a vet. How simple was that? At "puppy row", they should have an inspector sit there and insure no ear or tail docking is going on (and it does) and all animals are healthy and have proof of rabies and other shots.
As for the cost, who will ever know until the books are open? I would say the value is Jr. Partner at least.
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prevail - I liked the one for the electric bill boards that the recipient then thanked the county council for having NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. She was made a fool of and as usual, her comment initiated that happening.
Dang it! I've been enjoying just lurking here lately, and now someone has to go and push one of my hot buttons!
For those that have joined recently, here's the original thread about the first proposed ordinance:
http://www.thecocklebur.net/2007/03/12/animal-ordinance/
Then it erupted again briefly here:
http://www.thecocklebur.net/2008/01/02/animal-ordinances/
It's a lot of reading, so to summarize:
October, 2006 - Dr. Tomas Gimenez, professor of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at Clemson, and Sgt. Mary Wilson, head of Anderson County Animal Control at the time, gave a presentation to County Council describing the wide variety of animals living in the county and the problems that the Animal Control department had in using the current county ordinance to address animal abuse. The biggest problem was, and still is, that county animal control officers cannot enforce state animal cruelty laws, and the county ordinance really only applies to cats, dogs, and "pets". In the presentation they suggested that the ordinance be amended to redefine animal as "all living vertebrate creatures except homo sapiens" and enumerate the minimum standards of care expected of all animal owners. This was not breaking new legal ground, as these very things were already in state law.
Ms. Floyd took it upon herself to form an "advisory committee" to craft a new ordinance, and invited people from the large and small animal communities to participate.
March, 2007 - Ms. Floyd introduced the new ordinance. There was great wailing, gnashing of teeth, and rending of clothing from the flea market animal sellers because the new ordinance banned the sale of animals at flea markets. During the public comments time at the second reading numerous animal sellers stood up and said something like "I know there are unscrupulous people selling sick animals out there, but I don't do that, so you shouldn't pass this ordinance and put me out of business". Not a one of them said that they actually did anything about the bad dealers they knew about, like calling animal control.
As a result of this uproar, Ms. Floyd tabled her ordinance.
As a side note, the identified problem that started this process was not addressed; in fact, language defining "agricultural animal" was added and then this category of animals was excluded from coverage by the ordinance.
April-July, 2007 - Animal Control, under new management, stopped taking large animal calls, telling the caller to call the Sheriff. No one told the Sheriff's Department, so calls just bounced back and forth between the departments. Finally someone from one of the local horse rescues found out about it and called a contact in the Sheriff's Department to let them know it was their day in the barrel.
The Sheriff's Department, with the help of local rescues, stepped in and is doing an admirable job of investigating and prosecuting animal abuse cases that are reported to them, the most visible one of which was the seizure of 11 horses from a resident of Townville in August, 2007.
July, 2007-July, 2008 - Apparently Ms. Floyd's advisory committee had continued to meet and work on the ordinance, although I don't recall any notice of these meetings.
July 15, 2008 - Ms. Floyd introduces a modified ordinance which still did not address the enforcement problem. It failed first reading by 3-3-1. Ms. Floyd stated that "it will be back".
The show started with a powerpoint presentation of a song called "forever home" or something like that with a stream of photographs of puppies, kittens, and abused dogs and cats....not a single cow, horse, goat, or pig. Although I had already read the new ordinance and knew it still did not address large animals, this presentation sure rubbed salt in the wound.
Following this Michelle Dodd, head of the Animal Shelter, gave a short talk and pleaded with the council to pass the ordinance.
Then Mr. Adam Artigliere of McNair Law Firm gave a brief talk about the changes since the last ordinance. He opened his talk with the statement that "He had just written what he had been told to write." I find this disclaimer extraordinary.
He went on to attempt to justify all the different ways animals are classified in the county ordinance by stating that there are 7 different definitions of "animal" in state law. Yes, there are multiple definitions of animal in state law, but in Title 47 Chapter 1 (Cruelty to Animals) there is only one: "Animal" or "animals" shall be held to include all living vertebrate creatures except homo sapiens.
Why is it so hard for a county to address this problem? I don't know. In Greenville County, they simply took the language from state law and made it a county ordinance, with appropriate county-level penalties. Aiken County didn't even do that; they just referenced the appropriate sections of state law. In both counties animal control can investigate and prosecute all animal cruelty.
I have given up hope that this problem can be addressed within the county, and am looking to the State Legislature to modify the wording of state law to address the problem. There was already an attempt to do this in 2007 by H.3327, but it got stuck in committee.
For those that have joined recently, here's the original thread about the first proposed ordinance:
http://www.thecocklebur.net/2007/03/12/animal-ordinance/
Then it erupted again briefly here:
http://www.thecocklebur.net/2008/01/02/animal-ordinances/
It's a lot of reading, so to summarize:
October, 2006 - Dr. Tomas Gimenez, professor of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at Clemson, and Sgt. Mary Wilson, head of Anderson County Animal Control at the time, gave a presentation to County Council describing the wide variety of animals living in the county and the problems that the Animal Control department had in using the current county ordinance to address animal abuse. The biggest problem was, and still is, that county animal control officers cannot enforce state animal cruelty laws, and the county ordinance really only applies to cats, dogs, and "pets". In the presentation they suggested that the ordinance be amended to redefine animal as "all living vertebrate creatures except homo sapiens" and enumerate the minimum standards of care expected of all animal owners. This was not breaking new legal ground, as these very things were already in state law.
Ms. Floyd took it upon herself to form an "advisory committee" to craft a new ordinance, and invited people from the large and small animal communities to participate.
March, 2007 - Ms. Floyd introduced the new ordinance. There was great wailing, gnashing of teeth, and rending of clothing from the flea market animal sellers because the new ordinance banned the sale of animals at flea markets. During the public comments time at the second reading numerous animal sellers stood up and said something like "I know there are unscrupulous people selling sick animals out there, but I don't do that, so you shouldn't pass this ordinance and put me out of business". Not a one of them said that they actually did anything about the bad dealers they knew about, like calling animal control.
As a result of this uproar, Ms. Floyd tabled her ordinance.
As a side note, the identified problem that started this process was not addressed; in fact, language defining "agricultural animal" was added and then this category of animals was excluded from coverage by the ordinance.
April-July, 2007 - Animal Control, under new management, stopped taking large animal calls, telling the caller to call the Sheriff. No one told the Sheriff's Department, so calls just bounced back and forth between the departments. Finally someone from one of the local horse rescues found out about it and called a contact in the Sheriff's Department to let them know it was their day in the barrel.
The Sheriff's Department, with the help of local rescues, stepped in and is doing an admirable job of investigating and prosecuting animal abuse cases that are reported to them, the most visible one of which was the seizure of 11 horses from a resident of Townville in August, 2007.
July, 2007-July, 2008 - Apparently Ms. Floyd's advisory committee had continued to meet and work on the ordinance, although I don't recall any notice of these meetings.
July 15, 2008 - Ms. Floyd introduces a modified ordinance which still did not address the enforcement problem. It failed first reading by 3-3-1. Ms. Floyd stated that "it will be back".
The show started with a powerpoint presentation of a song called "forever home" or something like that with a stream of photographs of puppies, kittens, and abused dogs and cats....not a single cow, horse, goat, or pig. Although I had already read the new ordinance and knew it still did not address large animals, this presentation sure rubbed salt in the wound.
Following this Michelle Dodd, head of the Animal Shelter, gave a short talk and pleaded with the council to pass the ordinance.
Then Mr. Adam Artigliere of McNair Law Firm gave a brief talk about the changes since the last ordinance. He opened his talk with the statement that "He had just written what he had been told to write." I find this disclaimer extraordinary.
He went on to attempt to justify all the different ways animals are classified in the county ordinance by stating that there are 7 different definitions of "animal" in state law. Yes, there are multiple definitions of animal in state law, but in Title 47 Chapter 1 (Cruelty to Animals) there is only one: "Animal" or "animals" shall be held to include all living vertebrate creatures except homo sapiens.
Why is it so hard for a county to address this problem? I don't know. In Greenville County, they simply took the language from state law and made it a county ordinance, with appropriate county-level penalties. Aiken County didn't even do that; they just referenced the appropriate sections of state law. In both counties animal control can investigate and prosecute all animal cruelty.
I have given up hope that this problem can be addressed within the county, and am looking to the State Legislature to modify the wording of state law to address the problem. There was already an attempt to do this in 2007 by H.3327, but it got stuck in committee.
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An unprofessional and nauseatingly sappy presentation. It belonged at the end of a fund raiser dinner for the Humane Society not as a presentation justifying a 3.2 million dollar cat & dog shelter with a "low cost spay neuter clinic". One hopes that the people who are finally subsidizing Ms. Wallece's (AHS)three year quest for that clinic (the taxpayers) have taken the time to at least see it will pay for itself but as there is no available business plan and no available financial projections how would you know? What vet are they hiring to do all this, Mac Burris can't do it all day every day? Is Angela Wallace the new manager in this taxpayer subsidized realization of her dream? It isn't that the county doesn't need one, it just smacks of the standard way we do business in Anderson, you kiss my butt and we'll talk, make me look good and we'll do it.
Sounds like you have a personal issue with A. Wallace. We need a low cost spay neuter clinic, and we certainly aren't the first community that did.
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Oh, the Animal shelter..... For a min I thought we were talking about the inhabitants of Spencer St. and Fall St.
i live smack dab in the middle of the city, and i am having a problem with raccoons. i just had a police officer come to my house to ask me what the problem was. i told her that she really did'nt need to come over, that my husband just wanted to know if he could discharge a pellet gun in the city. not only am i not allowed to do that, i'm also not allowed transport a wild animal... which means i can trap it myself( it's private property according to animal control...my problem), but then i have to kill it. can't keep wild animals as pets...also a no-no. the cop just told me to poison it, really not an option for me, i just can't.it's a mama and two babies. i really don't know what to do. i would prefer to just pop them in the azz with a pink plastic pellet, but the thought of my mug shot popping up on the smoking gun kinda makes me a little wary.
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When it comes to things like that, I find it better to ask forgiveness than permission sometimes. :)
A few weeks ago there was a dingo in my back year in the city. Seriously, I am not joking.
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xenacat, the city is also part of the county. Call the county dog pound on 28-ByPass and see if you can trap and bring the critters down there for adoptions or whatever they want to do with them. I've heard that a good mixture of possum stew and coon stew with all the right seasonings is out of this world.
virginia, maybe it was a gray fox. i saw one still twitching on the side of civic center blvd. saturday. believe you are right on the forgiveness issue.
They actually managed to trap it and it was an "American Dingo" otherwise known as a "Carolina Wild Dog." It was the craziest thing ever!
