The Hollister City Council has designated two of its members to join two members of the San Benito County Board of Supervisors to help renegotiate the expired contract that governs local animal control policies and procedures.
City Manager Bill Avera told the council on Feb. 21 that the contract expired and a six-month extension tacked on in order to allow enough time for negotiations on the new contract. Councilmen Ray Friend, who is the council’s liaison to the police department — which is responsible for the Animal Control department — and Karson Klauer, will be the city’s representatives on the ad hoc committee.
The city’ Animal Care & Service Bureau, established in 1982, provides animal control services within the city of Hollister and the county of San Benito. According to its website, it is responsible for impounding stray or lost animals, conducting cruelty investigations, rabies control, dog license sales, lost pet reports, 24-hour emergency services, enforcing local and state ordinances, operation of the animal shelter, educational programs, and administering the animal adoption program. The Animal Shelter serves as a safe haven for thousands of domestic animals who are lost, abandoned, neglected or unwanted. The shelter cares for approximately 3,500 animals each year.
Hollister resident Marty Richman said the county’s “grousing” about what it says is the lack of specific information about how Animal Control operates in the county is indicative of the breakdown in relations between the governing boards of the county and city. He said he hoped the negotiations would be an opportunity to not only straighten out the situation with Animal Control, but possibly uncover what the problems are in other issues between the two entities.
“Are people not asking in a clear way what they want?” Richman wondered. “Therefore, they don’t get the answer the expect? That’s not credible because I know how carefully things in animal control are documented. I’m not calling anybody a liar. I just think it’s a matter of a lack of communications. We’re so far apart perhaps the message gets lost in the ether while it’s traveling a block and a half.”
Councilman Ray Friend said when he was attending an Intergovernmental Committee meeting a couple weeks prior, Animal Control had given a one-hour presentation that laid out all the information needed to assess how it conducts business.
“How much more information can those people give them?” he said. “I know the report was made and there was an extreme amount of information, They (the county) do have that information and I don’t understand what they’re saying.”
Mayor Ignacio Velazquez interjected that there has been a breakdown in communication.
“The information has to be spread out not only to the committee members, but the entire Board of Supervisors and the entire city council,” he said. “I was getting information I never knew about how the operation works and I was very impressed about what they’re doing. I think the members from the county that were there were impressed at what was going on. As Ray said, the information is there, we just need to make sure everyone understands it and it’s clear to the public.”
Councilman Roy Sims said he sees the city and county starting to work together in a positive way.
“I think we are coming to the table, we’re discussing the issues that are affecting everybody in the county and city,” he said. “I think that is a good point to start to have some joint-use types of things that are going to diminish the amount of redundant spending, redundant staffs, and get at the heart of what we’re trying to achieve. We’re neighbors. We’re right next door. The culmination has come to a point where we are starting to come to that table and have discussions and figure out what is fair to each side.”
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