Animal shelter board approves TNR coordinator position
LAS CRUCES - Board members of the Animal Services Center of the Mesilla Valley have approved the addition of a coordinator role for the city’s trap-neuter-return program for unowned community cats.
During a July 28 meeting, the board voted unanimously to approve seven new full-time positions at the shelter, one of which is the TNR Coordinator.
Shelter director Clint Thacker said the main job of the coordinator will be community outreach, event planning, education and interfacing with city and Doña Ana County animal control.
"I think education is going to be at the forefront," Thacker said about the coordinator role. "Because if word doesn't get out and educate those that either one — love feral cats — or two — don't like feral cats — or I should say community cats, then the program's just wavering. That's kind of where we're at now. Cats are coming in and cats are going out, but there's nothing in the process to educate, and that's the main concern."
Assistant City Manager Eric Enriquez expected someone could be hired in about two to three months. The estimated salary was between $50,000 and $55,000, but ASCMV staff were unsure exactly what the coordinator would make. In total, all seven new positions will cost about $350,000 including benefits, staff estimated.
Thacker said the job description will be sent to the city human resources department in the next few weeks, which will need to approve the job before it's posted.
Delays in the budget process for the ASCMV led the board to reject the request for new positions in April and roll over the previous fiscal year’s budget instead of adopting the proposed one.
The TNR program, enacted by Las Cruces city ordinance last August, has faced a rocky rollout. The city has missed key deadlines and where responsibilities lie between the city's animal control unit, a stakeholder committee and the shelter in carrying out the program has seemed to be a frequent question.
Thacker said the board approval of the new positions Thursday wouldn’t include the approval of any new funding. He said the ASCMV will be able to use unspent personnel funding for the first six months with a plan for return to the board after an evaluation of how much funding will be needed to sustain the positions.
The job will still need to be approved via a budget adjustment by the Las Cruces City Council at a future meeting. Enriquez said the program and coordinator's job would be guided by a "handbook" of policies, duties and practices that incorporate a "lot of hours and effort" by the city's TNR subcommittee. Some of those subcommittee members have previously criticized the city for seemingly disregarding their expertise and proposals for TNR implementation.
Enriquez said the handbook would be ready in the next month.
Michael McDevitt is a city and county government reporter for the Sun-News. He can be reached at 575-202-3205, mmcdevitt@lcsun-news.com or @MikeMcDTweets on Twitter.
Others are reading:
Blind drunk: New Mexicans drinking themselves to death at extraordinary rate
Las Cruces school briefly goes into lockdown after parent spots man with knife
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Animal shelter board approves TNR coordinator position
