Agenda 05-13-25; 7 - Animal Services Advisory Board – Appointments Discussion

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22 Orange County and North Carolina ordinances. Finally, a task force was created to determine if Youth Delegates would be a beneficial addition to the Advisory Board.This task force will present its report to the ASAB for discussion and vote early in 2025. Brief Statement of Board/Commission's Assigned Charge and Responsibilities. The ASAB is a sounding board for policy issues raised by residents or identified by the BOCC.These residents are referred to the ASAB through multiple communication strategies as the critical first step in any consideration of stakeholder concerns, before proposing an item to the BOCC. (For example in 2024, a resident communicated her concern about a dog attack by speaking at two of our meetings as an agenda item and during the three-minute open forum.) Also integral to this responsibility is receiving feedback from the board members who serve on the Animal Services Hearing Panel Pool.The hearing panel is responsible for overseeing citizen interactions with OCAS in declaring a pet dog as dangerous in response to aggressive behavior, or other appeal processes such as denial of a kennel permit or chronic public nuisance. Finally,the ASAB is concerned with the human side of animal welfare issues.A fundamental value for the ASAB is the concept of One Health,the relationship of animals to public health, safety,the environment, and community welfare. One ASAB member must also serve as veterinarian for the Orange County Board of Health, spanning a critical bridge between human and animal health challenges in an area marked by enhanced concerns of zoonotic diseases. What are your Board/Commission's most important accomplishments? Throughout the year, the Animal Services Advisory Board collaborated with the Animal Services Director to provide feedback on the state of the Advisory Board.This effort aimed to ensure the board's activities aligned with organizational goals while addressing the evolving needs of the community. A key initiative was enhancing the consistency and fairness of dangerous dog appeal hearings.The ASAB developed a standardized document and script to guide hearing panels, ensuring clear processes and uniformity across all proceedings. The ASAB played a vital role in addressing a significant public health and safety issue by supporting the closure of the Buckhorn Flea Market. Known for selling unhealthy animals,the market posed substantial risks to the community.This achievement highlighted the board's commitment to protecting both public health and animal welfare.