Animal control officer position to remain unfilled
By Bethany Nolan
331-4373 | bnolan@heraldt.com
5/18/2009

To save money, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office has elected not to fill one of its vacant animal control officer positions, and will instead shift some of that responsibility to its deputies.

Chief deputy Mike Pershing alerted the Monroe County Council to the change earlier this week, saying the department believes it can “make do” with a single animal control officer for now in an effort to help the county’s beleaguered bottom line.

The county is facing a $2 million budget shortfall for the year. However, council members have said they anticipate dipping into the county’s $7.5
million “savings account” to balance this year’s budget and moving ahead into the 2010 budget process.

Pershing explained the department isn’t eliminating the animal control position, but rather is holding it vacant for now.
The county’s lone animal control officer will work a 40-hour week, but will be off weekends, he said. When she’s not on duty, departmental shift
commanders will handle requests for service including considering whether the animal control officer should be called out or if the issue can wait until she’s on duty, he said. Deputies already handle some animal calls on their own, he said.

Pershing estimated the department could save as much as $50,000 this year by not filling the post, including the $27,000 annual salary, fuel and other supplies. The job has been open since early March, he said.

“We really appreciate you holding off on filling that position,” council member Geoff McKim told Pershing earlier this week.
City of Bloomington animal shelter director Laurie Ringquist said Thursday about 50 percent of all animals that come into the shelter come from the unincorporated areas of the county, figures she said include animals from Ellettsville.

In 2007, 2,418 animals were brought to the shelter from the county, she said. Of those, 541 were picked up by the county’s animal control officers, 819 were brought in by citizens and 1,058 were given up by their owners.

Ringquist said she’s concerned the lessened coverage could affect what she referred to as Monroe County’s good ordinance and animal control
efforts, saying of the county’s solitary animal control officer: “She’s awesome but she’s not superwoman.”

She continued, “My concern is if the position is not filled and calls are not responded to, the quality of service provided and effect on animal welfare will be negative ... I certainly understand budget constraints, but you’ve got to balance that with the needs of community and the needs of animals.”

But Pershing countered, saying the department isn’t cutting services. Rather, he said, “We’re redirecting our vision and how we provide services.”
In addition, he said the sheriff’s office has reserved the right to ask that the position be filled if it appears adequate services aren’t being provided.
“My concern is if the position is not filled and calls are not responded to, the quality of service provided and effect on animal welfare will be negative ... I certainly understand budget con-straints, but you’ve got to balance that with the needs of community and the needs of animals.”
Laurie Ringquist, director of the Bloomington animal shelter.