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The Board discussed the practice of giving seniors discounted fees for adoption and <br />an exemption from licensing fees if their pets are sterilized. This practice was never officially <br />authorized. We will bring it before the Board once we reach agreement about the fees. We <br />discussed the pros and cons of defining the age of "senior" as anywhere from 60 - 65 years <br />and passed a motion to keep the "age of senior" as 65 years. One member opposed the motion. <br />It was mentioned that sometimes benefactors will sponsor the cost of adoption for an individual <br />who can't afford to adopt. <br /> <br />New Business <br />1. Legislative Component of Strategic Plan for Managing Pet Overpopulation <br /> We spoke of how to stay on the time table set out in the strategic plan. The complete <br />plan is posted on the website. We overshot our goal of 500 spay/neuter surgeries in 2011 and <br />we have already had more than 600 sterilization surgeries performed in 2012. The placement <br />partner agreement has been accepted and we will be transferring some adoptable animals to <br />animal rescues. 2012 has been identified as the year to work on legislation. <br /> <br />Legislative Areas: <br /> Impounded animals - We spoke about the idea or requiring an animal to be <br />sterilized after the 2nd or 3rd time that it's impounded. We need to do research about <br />the options and preview/review the research with the Board before going live with <br />public hearings. <br /> Feral Cats - This is a complicated issue in regard to rabies laws; how would you <br />ensure that feral cats are having their renewal shots? Are feral cats governed by the <br />same rules/laws and regulations as other animals re: kennel requirements? We need <br />to have the Board work on one of these research options with the goal to have the <br />legislation in place and adopted by a specific time. <br /> We need to establish a subcommittee to research these legislative issues - 2013 <br />is designated in the work plan as the year to work on the issue of feral cats. Trap and <br />release programs are presently in place for feral cats. If the County were to jump in <br />they might require licensing of feral cats. We need to review the issue of partner ing <br />with feral cat organizations. <br /> The issue of feral cats was put at the end of the Five Year Plan because it is <br />most complicated. We have been going slowly and building good will along the way. <br />There is a lot of published material already available that we will review. Judy Miller <br />asked to have access to the research on feral cats. Bob Marotto mentioned that there <br />had been an invitation to the folks in the community working with feral cats but the <br />collaboration hasn’t yet occurred. <br />Donna Bravo moved to create a subcommittee to review the owner requirements for reclaiming <br />an impounded animal. The motion to create this subcommittee passed. Lynn White, Kris <br />Bergstrand and Aviva Scully joined the committee. <br />1. Animal Identification - Jess Allison <br /> Jess Allison spoke about the data from other shelters available online. With the <br />economic downturn Orange County Animal Services has made microchipping optional. <br />It has been a significant revenue resource for the Shelter. We brought up the idea of <br />offering microchip surgery to the public for a fee. Jess compiled data on how Orange <br />County Animal Shelter compares with other shelters in regard to pricing and services <br />for adoption. We are in the top range in adoption fees and will be even higher if we <br />add in the cost of microchips. <br /> Margaret has donated collars with temporary ID tags for cats. The Shelter gives <br />rabies tags to adopted animals, however, some of the animals are too young to get