“Caring for our animals:” County Council Town Hall to examine County’s animal shelter system

King County’s animal shelter system needs major reforms, according to an expert consultant and a citizens’ advisory committee. The King County Council will hold a special Town Hall Meeting on Monday, April 14 to get public feedback on proposals for reshaping how the county cares for animals.

The Town Hall will be held at the Highline Performing Arts Center at 401 South 152nd Street in Burien. The public is invited to meet face-to-face with King County Councilmembers at an informal reception starting at 6:00 p.m. The Town Hall will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Prior to the Town Hall, King County Animal Care and Control and the Seattle Humane Society will host a pet adoption fair outside the Arts Center beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Only certified service animals will be allowed inside the facility.

“We will ask the people of King County to help us create a solution that ensures the safety and well-being of vulnerable shelter animals,” said Councilmember Dow Constantine, chair of the Council’s Committee of the Whole and host of the Town Hall. “We have an absolute obligation to provide these creatures with humane care, medical treatment, food and shelter, and a chance to find a loving home. Nothing less is acceptable.”

“Over the last two years, the Council has set guidelines for the County to achieve in terms of the humane care and treatment of animals. We are now at a crossroads,” said Council Chair Julia Patterson. “We have heard from our consultant and from our citizens’ panel, but it is vital that we hear from the public before we make any final decision on the future of the shelters.”

The public and Councilmembers will receive a briefing on the recent findings about our shelter system, including the major reform proposals that Council is considering. A panel discussion will focus on building a model system. The panel will include:

• Jim Dugan, director of the Dugan Foundation
• Pat Geffe, a volunteer pet “foster parent”
• Brenda Barnette of the Seattle Humane Society

At the end of the program, the Council will take open public testimony on any issue.

Town Hall Meetings are part of Councilmembers’ initiative to “get out of the courthouse” and into the communities they serve. This is the second Town Hall of 2008. More than 300 people met in Kent last month at the Council Town Hall on the proposed Equity and Justice Initiative.

Each Town Hall is a special meeting of the Council’s Committee of the Whole, the only standing committee on which all nine members serve. It considers legislation and policy issues of interest to the entire Council.