Madison County commissioners agreed Monday to conduct an audit of the Madison Oglethorpe Animal Shelter. And the board heard from Danny Andrews, who said the shelter board has ignored offers of help in recent months.
“This is something that’s in their contract that hasn’t been done,” said Commissioner Mike Youngblood, who called for the audit.
Youngblood called Andrews of Colbert Animal Rescue to the podium Monday. Board members recently asked Andrews to work as a liaison between the animal control department and the animal shelter.
Andrews said the shelter board has not gotten back to the BOC on determining how much it would cost to house animals picked up by the animal control service at the shelter.
“You all know the troubles they’re having over there,” said Andrews. “They need this, that and the other. But the general public should know that there has been response on the few things that you guys in the work session asked them to do.”
No shelter board members were on hand Monday. And the animal shelter issue was not on Monday night’s agenda.
Andrews, whose wife, Gloria, handles euthanizations for the animal control department, said the shelter board has received numerous offers for free assistance, but that the board has not responded.
“Extending our hands seems to be met with a lot of resistance,” said Andrews. “It’s just very disappointing and very disheartening. We all know the troubles they’re going through.”
Denise Allen, whose has been on the shelter board since it began about 10 years ago, said Tuesday that the shelter board wants to work with the county commissioners to establish a collaborative service between the shelter and animal control. Allen said the shelter board is very agreeable to such an arrangement. She noted that no timetable was established on getting information to the board at that recent meeting and that the board is now working to hire a new shelter director. Allen said the shelter will be able to provide the BOC with information after a director is hired, adding that a director’s input is needed on such matters.
“As soon as a director is hired we will make that a priority to get that to the county commissioners,” said Allen. “We appreciate the county commissioners’ patience.”
Allen said the shelter board has received 12 applications for the director’s position. She said the board plans to conduct a few more interviews and hopes to name a director within the next couple of weeks.
“We have several good possibilities,” she said.
