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2 <br /> 1 ensuring that the practices and outcomes of Orange County Animal Services meet or exceed <br /> 2 prevailing professional standards. <br /> 3 <br /> 4 Commissioner Dorosin arrived at 7.1Op.m. <br /> 5 <br /> 6 Maureane Hoffman reviewed some of the ASAB's accomplishments in 2018: <br /> 7 <br /> 8 The ASAB continued to work with staff and stakeholders managing pet overpopulation in <br /> 9 Orange County. Free-roaming cats have been of great significance to recent efforts in <br /> 10 this area, and among other things, the ASAB and staff together have sought to establish <br /> 11 strong working relations with community partners Including the Agricultural Preservation <br /> 12 Board. <br /> 13 Central to this effort has been the creation of a "working barn cat" program. Within the <br /> 14 last year more than 150 working barn cats have been sterilized, vaccinated, <br /> 15 microchipped and vaccinated through this program. This innovative and important <br /> 16 program has received very positive coverage in the media including a feature article in <br /> 17 the Herald Sun and News and Observer. <br /> 18 Also, the board worked closely with Animal Services staff and one of the County's staff <br /> 19 attorneys to develop some needed amendments for the Unified Animal Ordinance. <br /> 20 These were developed on the basis of the County's experience with the Unified Animal <br /> 21 Ordinance since its adoption early in 2016. The BOCC adopted these amendments in <br /> 22 November of 2018. <br /> 23 In a related vein, the ASAB has collaborated with staff to develop several <br /> 24 recommendations for the County's legislative agenda. As can be seen from Attachment <br /> 25 B, these include a number of recommended changes to the State's dangerous dog law. <br /> 26 Specifically, they would allow for the review of potentially dangerous dog declarations; <br /> 27 for dogs declared potentially dangerous to interact with a certified trainer in a secure <br /> 28 area without being muzzled; and for there to be an evaluation of dogs seized in dog <br /> 29 fighting cases in order to make a final determination as to whether they are dangerous. <br /> 30 One deliverable was that staff developed a more satisfactory procedural approach to <br /> 31 animals suffering from neglect that are surrendered to Animal Services. Another was a <br /> 32 coordinated effort between Animal Services and the County's Homelessness <br /> 33 Coordinator to identify community resources that can be tapped to help care for pets <br /> 34 belonging to the homeless as they undergo different transitions. <br /> 35 <br /> 36 Maureane Hoffman reviewed some of the on-going concerns for the ASAB going into <br /> 37 2019: <br /> 38 <br /> 39 Managing Pet Overpopulation: The board will continue to work with staff to <br /> 40 implement a plan for managing free roaming cats. In particular, the board will work with <br /> 41 staff to coordinate with the Agricultural Preservation Board and other entities to advance <br /> 42 the "working farm cat" program. The board will also continue to work with staff to develop <br /> 43 and sustain community partnerships and resources for addressing the challenges <br /> 44 presented by free roaming cats. <br /> 45 Easement Area Dog Walking Trails: The ASAB is continuing to support staff in ensuring <br /> 46 that dog walking trails are recreated in the area of the new OWASA and Duke Energy <br /> 47 easements. The board also plans to continue to support Animal Services working with <br /> 48 other County staff to ensure that the entrance and presentation of the Animal Services <br /> 49 Center is not compromised by these easements. Doing so is critical to the intent of <br />