White County Commission rejected a funding request to establish a new animal shelter manager position during its Monday meeting.
White County Executive Kyle Goff said the proposal sought to separate the daily operational duties of the animal shelter from the responsibilities of the animal control director.
“The funds are there in the cumulative enough to hire a full-time director position,” Goff said. “And so this would be separating the roles of animal control and animal shelter daily operation, essentially.”
Goff said the requested $29,943 would have covered the remaining costs for the current fiscal year to hire a full-time director for the facility. Commissioner Derek Hutchings said he requested the funding be pulled from a larger resolution to be voted on separately because the new position would impact the county’s maintenance of effort.
Hutchings said he had concerns about creating a recurring expense for a new employee.
“I don’t feel like we should vote on all of those together,” Hutchings said. “I would make a motion to separate section one from the other five and vote on it separately since it affects maintenance of effort.”
Goff said the animal shelter does not actually have a maintenance of effort test. Goff said the current staff includes Animal Control Director Mike Sparks and two full-time employees.
“Director would be the title.” Goff said. “I think manager and director, I think, would be equivalent there.”
The commission voted 13-1 against the funding, with Commissioner Eric Hildon casting the lone vote in favor of the position. Following the vote, several residents addressed the board regarding the shelter, with some alleging that volunteers had been dismissed for raising concerns about facility conditions while others defended the cleanliness of the site.
In other business, the board approved a memorandum of understanding for the White County Sheriff’s Department to use the former Central View School as a training facility.