HomeMy Public PortalAbout2019-06-18 minutes
Minutes
Shelter Advisory Committee Meeting
Tuesday, June 18, 2019, 12:30pm
Members Present
Dr. Melissa Boldan, Vice-Chair
Dr. Greg Boyer, Chair
Dr. Jim Crago, Committee Member
Lt. Chad Stieferman
Dr. Jessica Thiele
Approval of Minutes
Dr. Boyer moved to approve the minutes from the April 2nd meeting, Dr. Boldan seconded.
Staff Reports
The Heart of Missouri Humane Society is purchasing a bank of portalized stainless steel kennels for the
shelter. The addition will be valuable as cat isolation housing, as well as to provide more flexibility for
humane housing litters of kittens and nursing queens awaiting foster care. The animal shelter held a
kitten shower to promote its foster program, encourage donations for the foster program and as an
educational outreach opportunity for the community. The shelter received lots of donations and several
new foster applications. Dr. Thiele received a grant to attend the Maddie’s ASPCA Cornell Shelter
Medicine Conference in Ithaca, NY. The shelter has recently had credit card machines installed, so
adoptions and redemptions can now be paid with a credit or debit card.
Review of Written Correspondence
None
Old Business
The new DA (dead animal) pickup schedule will go into effect on July 16th. Area clinics will receive a
letter explaining the new process, and any concerns can be passed up the chain of command if needed.
The new schedule of adoption fees will go into effect on July 15, and the fee structure was presented to
the board ($75 for kittens, $50 for cats, $125 for puppies and $100 for dogs; the age cut-off is 5
months). The board wanted to make sure that the fee increase doesn’t exclude reduced adoption rates
and specials with certain animals or when the shelter gets full. Lt. Stieferman said that these reduced
adoption rates can still happen as-needed.
The number of members on the Shelter Advisory Board is still “pending” with the police department.
New Business
There were 29 applications for the Animal Control Manager position. The first round of interviews with
qualified applicants will take place in the next several weeks. A tentative start date for the new hire is
August 1.
The board raised a concern about the lack of clarity on the rabies vouchers that the city sends with
adopted or redeemed animals. The vouchers are used for adopted animals that are too young to be
vaccinated, and with owned animals that are redeemed by their owners, for use at the local vet clinics.
The concern is that the vouchers don’t specify the amount that the voucher will pay, and that some
clients are expecting it to cover the full cost of the vaccine. Vaccine prices at the local clinics increase
yearly, and the voucher may not cover the full cost in some clinics now or at others in the future. This
concern will be taken into consideration when new adoption/redemption forms are ordered.
Some local vet clinics have not yet signed their contracts with the city. Auto-renewal was proposed as a
possible solution, but the board felt that it may not go over well with the local vets.
Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 1:30pm