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<br /> <br />Brief Statement of Board/Commission’s Assigned Charge and Responsibilities. <br /> <br />The ASAB serves as a sounding board for policy issues raised by residents <br />or identified by the BOCC. Residents are referred to the ASAB as a critical <br />step in any consideration of stakeholder concerns, before bringing an item <br />to the Board of County Commissioners. <br /> <br />Integral to this general responsibility is a concern with ensuring that the <br />practices and outcomes of Orange County Animal Services meet or exceed <br />prevailing professional standards. A good illustration is the ASAB’s <br />support for the county’s Community Spay and Neuter Program and its <br />effort to manage free roaming cats in more proactive and humane ways. <br />The board has also supported Animal Services in exploring how to serve <br />underserved parts of our county. <br /> <br />Also integral to this responsibility is receiving feedback from the board <br />members who serve on the Animal Services Hearing Panel Pool. This is <br />one basis for the ASAB to working with staff to maintain a list of challenges <br />and problems that may be addressed through the amendment of the <br />Unified Animal Ordinance. <br /> <br />Finally, the ASAB is concerned with the human aspects of animal issues as <br />well as animal welfare. Fundamental to this concern is the relation of <br />animals to public health and safety. Indeed, one board member is the <br />veterinarian for Orange County Health Board. <br /> <br />What are your Board/Commission’s most important accomplishments? <br /> <br />The ASAB continued to work with staff and stakeholders managing pet <br />overpopulation in Orange County. Free-roaming cats have been of great <br />significance to recent efforts in this area, and among other things, the <br />ASAB and staff together have sought to establish strong working relations <br />with community partners Including the Agricultural Preservation Board. <br /> <br />Central to this effort has been the creation of a “working barn cat” <br />program. Within the last year more than 150 working barn cats have been <br />sterilized, vaccinated, microchipped and vaccinated through this program. <br />This innovative and important program has received very positive coverage <br />in the media including a feature article in the Herald Sun and News and <br />Observer (see Attachment A). <br /> <br />Also, the board worked closely with Animal Services staff and one of the <br />county’s staff attorneys to develop some needed amendments for the <br />Unified Animal Ordinance. These were developed on the basis of the <br />county’s experience with the Unified Animal Ordinance since its adoption <br />early in 2016. The BOCC adopted these amendments in November of 2018.