Do we need Animal Control or Human Control
While running for the honor to represent District 3 of Colfax County for the position of County Commissioner I asked everyone I could, “What are the major issues in the County”. Besides economic development issues like Workforce Housing, at the top of the list were Public Safety, Fire Safety, Roads, Solid Waste and Animal Control. As your County Commissioner I will be addressing each of these issues in the coming months here in the Commissioner’s Corner. I would like to thank Chris Schell and the staff at the Blinking Light for giving me this opportunity to address my constituents. Let’s get things done!
A long-standing issue is the need for animal control here in Colfax County. When I say animal control, I am referencing domesticated animals that are not being controlled by their owner or a domesticated animal that currently has no known owner. Basically, pets on the loose. I am not referring to the occasional bear, bobcat, mountain lion, coyote or raccoon that comes to visit us.
Currently, only the City of Raton has both the staff and facilities designed to respond to animal control issues here in Colfax County. It is my understanding that Springer once provided animal control services but currently do not. Angel Fire has a Community Service Officer that responds to calls concerning animal control, but the Village does not have facilities in place to detain animals. Otherwise, if there is a response it will be from your local police or the Sheriff’s office. The actions our police officers can take is limited and sometimes undesirable.
Most municipalities have Animal Control ordinances but that is not true for the County. The County Manager, Mary Lou Kern, is in the process of developing an ordinance for Colfax County but it literally takes months for any ordinance to work its way through the system. So, now is the perfect time to discuss the structure of such an ordinance and the level of service that the County should provide.
It is my belief as an elected official and a public servant that the public must be involved in the development of all regulations purposed by any government. Consequently, I would like to ask you for your opinion on how Animal Control should be regulated here in Colfax County. Before you respond there are a few issues to consider. Let us go over a few of them. Keep in mind this is not an exhaustive list and you may have thoughts that are not discussed in this article. Please feel free to express all issues and concerns at www.bretwier.com/blog/ under the post named Animal Control or email me at bwier@co.colfax.nm.us.
With an accounting background and having been the former Finance Director for the Village of Angel Fire my thoughts naturally go to the budget. Manager Kern has estimated that for the County to develop an Animal Control service the cost would be an initial $250,000 to $300,000 in capital outlay and an annual operating budget of approximately $250,000 for a No-Kill facility and $150,000 for a Kill facility. These costs include the generous offer from Mayor Boe Lopez of Springer to allow the County to use one of the Town’s buildings as an Animal Control Facility. With the tight budget the County currently has, this money is going to be a challenge to come up with.
Another budget related question is what revenue sources will be available to help fund the service. What should the fees be to support the service (i.e., pet registration and detainment fees)? Are the municipalities that do not have animal control services willing to join with the County to help fund these services? If so, how should the cost be allocated to municipalities? What support can the County obtain from nonprofit organizations to defray cost? These are questions that are yet to be answered and your input will be key to those responses.
One major question that the budget brings up is should we maintain a Kill or No-Kill facility. This is a sensitive issue for many. As shown above the downside to a No-Kill facility is cost and perhaps facility limitations. The downside to a Kill facility beyond the obvious is the regulations and liability related to putting down an animal. This is a significant issue that deserves much consideration and debate.
Another issue is the service model that will be deployed. Although the County is committed to maintaining a facility, the model is important when considering enforcement. Without the building being offered by Mayor Lopez the initial capital outlay cost would be significantly higher. That said, with a centralized operation being housed in Springer there is concern about the response times for the distant areas of Colfax County. There is also the question of municipal boundaries. If each government agency has different rules, and registries it would be extremely hard for a centralized Animal Control Officer to properly enforce ordinances across jurisdictions. There is also the question if the rules for Animal Control should be the same for say French Tract as they are for Angel Fire or Springer. Municipalities may want you to keep your pets on a leash while they are in public but how does that work for the barn cats at a working farm or ranch? There are many challenges that need to be worked out for a centralized approach.
With a distributed model each government agency would be required to manage animals within their jurisdiction and deliver the animal to the County facility. The distributed model also has the challenge of boundaries. For example, a call is made by a citizen of a municipality but the animal crosses over a boundary into the County before it is detained. Which agency is responsible for that animal? The distributed model also results in a net increase is the total cost of Animal Control in Colfax County as each community would need to bear the cost of enforcement and delivery to the facility. Again, there are some challenges that need to be considered in a distributed model.
There are other issues that must be addressed before we as a community can move forward with a resolution to Animal Control. Just a few to consider are pet licensing requirements, pet containment rules, proof of vaccinations, potential chipping requirements and spay and neutering policies. There are templates that can be used but the needs and desires of each community may be different for each of these issues. All aspects must be considered and resolved before an effective system can be implemented. Your input is not only desired, but it is required. Please go to www.bretwier.com/blog/ under the Animal Control post or email bwier@co.colfax.nm.us and provide your thoughts, ideas and concerns on Animal Control in Colfax County. Every idea is important!