The culture of King County’s animal services system is so far beyond repair that the County should get out of that line of business, according to three Metropolitan King County Councilmembers who on Monday announced their support for the idea of partnering with a community agency to provide shelter services.
King County as a local government to the unincorporated areas does not have a statutory requirement to provide animal control or animal sheltering services. The county provides animal services to 34 cities by contract. Renton provides its own animal-control services through the Police Department.
The organizational model backed by council chairman Julia Patterson and vice chairmen Dow Constantine and Reagan Dunn is one of three options presented in the final report of the King County Animal Services Interbranch Work Group released Monday.
“The current model isn’t working, and frankly hasn’t worked for years,” said Patterson, who represents part of Renton on the County Council.
The council’s Committee of the Whole will be briefed Monday morning on the “King County Animal Services Strategic Plan and Operational Master Plan 2009-2011” developed over the past four months by an Interbranch Work Group with representatives from the County Executive, County Council, Public Health, Sheriff and Prosecuting Attorney.
Under the Work Group option backed by Patterson, Constantine and Dunn, the County Council would examine moving King County from a county-based model to a community-based services model for operating animal shelters:
• King County would seek a community partner, under a structure to be determined, who could deliver a model program for the animals within King County.
• King County would retain many of the county’s current responsibilities and seek to divide them among the branches of county government with the appropriate skills and level of authority in those areas:
• For example, the King County Sheriff’s Office could investigate animal cruelty cases and animal attacks.
• Public Health – Seattle & King County could take over inspection and licensing of pet shops and kennels in the unincorporated areas and contract cities, a service it already provides inside the city of Seattle.
