Jepsen: Yuba City was unaware of severe problems at animal shelter

July 24, 2011 11:24:00 PM
By Nancy Pasternack/Appeal-Democrat


To read the grand jury report and subsequent response letters from Yuba City, Sutter County and Sheriff Paul Parker, go to suttercourts.com.

Yuba City officials were not aware of the severity of problems at the Sutter County Animal Shelter until results of a grand jury report were released in April, according to City Manager Steve Jepsen.

"Yuba City has had little interaction with the county on operational or facility issues related to Animal Control Services," reads Jepsen's official letter of response to the scathing report.

However, records of correspondence and official minutes from animal shelter-related meetings reflect several detailed exchanges between the two entities dating back to August 2008 about the overcrowded shelter and proposals to build a new one.

Roughly 70 percent of animals brought to the shelter each year come from Yuba City, which contracts with the county for animal control services.

The grand jury report described inhumane and life-threatening conditions at the Second Street shelter as well as a lack of clear policy protocols and oversight.

According to Jepsen's response letter, a 2007 study of the shelter and the possible need for a new shelter had been commissioned by the city — but taken over by the county. The resulting document, he claims, was the first clue that he and other public officials had about the need for a new shelter.

"The operational needs and conditions at the Sutter County Animal Control facility were not specifically known to Yuba City," according to Jepsen's letter. "Even the completed Citygate report did not address the depth of critical needs noted in the Grand Jury Report."

At the county's request, Jepsen and other officials from Yuba City, as well as from Live Oak, took a tour of the shelter in February 2010.

Live Oak, like Yuba City, has a contract with the county for animal control services.

The official minutes of shelter-related meetings involving the three entities during the last two years include detailed discussions about a new shelter plan that ultimately was rejected by the city.

During a July 10, 2009, meeting attended by Mayor John Dukes, as well as an architect certified to design animal shelters in California and representatives from the county and Live Oak, the group discussed the minimum number of days that animals must be held before being euthanized according to law.

Yuba City officials, according to the minutes, took issue with the size of the proposed new shelter they ultimately rejected.

Contact reporter Nancy Pasternack at 749-4781.

http://www.appeal-democrat.com/news/shelter-108635-city-animal.html