Madison County addresses rumors of animal shelter's closure amid staff resignations

MARSHALL - There has been rampant speculation among Madison County residents about the future state of the county's animal services shelter, with some residents contending that staff members had walked off the job, leaving the shelter's existence in limbo.

County Manager Rod Honeycutt addressed the rumors and told The News-Record the animal services shelter, which is located at 389 Long Branch Road in Marshall, would not close down, adding that the county is proposing a budget increase to the shelter.

Honeycutt also admitted there would be some turnover, as longtime Director Angela Davis stepped down May 26.

Davis announced her resignation in a Facebook post May 24, in which she also said she "wanted to give an update to dispel rumors going around regarding the shelter closing."

"The shelter is not closing," Davis said. "Current long-term staff did submit their resignations and at that time, the shelter was full so we immediately got to work trying to find placement for the dozens of animals in our care. We did this so that if there was not a staff in place upon our exit, there would not be animals left behind.

"The response from our rescue partners was immediate and we can not thank them enough for their support. We refused to leave animals behind, as that wouldn't be fair to the animals or our animal loving community, and we haven't stayed as long as we have by not caring about both. No one was going to be abandoned on our watch."

Davis told The News-Record that she and two other employees — one who had worked at the shelter for 12 years and the other for two years — had resigned from their positions.

Davis served as director since 2016 and began working for the shelter in 2008.

In the post, Davis thanked the community for its "unwavering support" to the shelter in her 15 years with the county animal services department.

"I will always be thankful for the relationships and friendships that have been built through this shelter," Davis said. "The progress that we have made during my tenure would not have been possible without the support of our community, our many rescue partners, and most of all, a staff that has been dedicated to bettering the lives of the animals in Madison County. I hope that you will continue to support new staff as they take on the great, challenging and sometimes heartbreaking work that we do every day. Be patient, be kind and be part of the solution."

Davis will assist the new director in the transition. Honeycutt said the county wishes to keep the identity of the new director anonymous until a formal announcement is made in the near future.

"I want the transition to be as smooth as possible for the new staff," Davis said.

According to Davis, a part-time employee has agreed to continue to work, and the county also hired an additional part-time kennel associate.

Chronic understaffing

According to Davis, the animal services shelter had experienced "chronic understaffing" since 2020.

Davis said she announced her resignation May 10, and the shelter began diverting intakes at that time, though the shelter has accepted emergency and stray animal intakes throughout that time frame.

According to Davis, the shelter will continue to divert intakes to allow new staff to have a smoother transition process, as well as for maintenance to the building.

"We have continued to divert intakes because the shelter kennel walls will be getting stripped and resurfaced starting June 5, and animals can't be in here during that process due to the impact on their respiratory systems," Davis said. "It also wouldn't be fair to new staff to put them into a full shelter and leave them to try to find placement for a shelter full of animals in a week. We appreciate your patience as these much-needed repairs are necessary to keep a sanitary, compliant and well-functioning shelter."

Davis said the shelter first diverted intakes in spring 2020 amid understaffing concerns.

"We did divert non-emergencies at the start of COVID because we weren't sure how much space we needed for people who became hospitalized with COVID and we would need to house their animals," she said. "The appointment-only format started at the beginning of COVID for the safety of staff and has continued due to lack of staff. We were able to make sure that someone would be here to help our residents without overwhelming our limited staff."

The intakes aren't diverted to another facility, according to Davis. Instead, the shelter asks residents to hold on to their animals a little longer until space becomes available, and to advertise them on its rehoming page, as well as to check with area rescue groups, and to "basically take responsibility in finding their animal a new home."

"The shelter is in place for bite quarantines, aggressive animals, endangered strays and neglect/cruelty cases," she said. "It was never meant to be an easy dumping ground for people who allow their pets to have unwanted litters or no longer want to follow through with a commitment they made to that animal when they acquired it."

According to Davis, per the shelter's license, the maximum number of dogs allowed is 40, and the maximum number of cats allowed is 60.

"At those numbers it would be several litters of puppies and kittens housed together," she said.

Davis said the shelter currently has 18 dog kennels and 30 cat cages total, and many of the kennels house more than one dog or cat at a time.

County's response

The county manager said the county aims to remedy the animal services' understaffing through a proposed budget increase and by expanding the department personnel's qualifications.

"The FY 2024 budget exceeds the FY 2023 budget by 7 or 8%," Honeycutt said. "We have for the first time in shelter history a veterinary assistant. We have expanded the hours to be open on Saturdays for walk-ins, and open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for schedule."

According to a public records request of the 2022-23 amended budget, the county's animal services department expenses totaled more than $403,000.

Honeycutt said on June 1, the county will roll out an online scheduling system for the shelter.

"We have transferred our most technical, qualified animal control employee back to animal shelter because we had one depart," Honeycutt said. "But there's no degrading in our services. We will announce a new interim manager that will start on May 26, and we are exploring options to partner with nonprofits.

"It's actually a very good time for animal services in the county. We're actually expanding operations — the opposite of what everybody's talking about."

The Madison County Board of Commissioners will meet May 31 at 5 p.m. at the Marshall Library to hold a budget planning work session.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Madison County addresses rumors of the animal shelter's closure