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a In the Study Team's opinion, the County of Hawaii may be better served by <br />pursuing other means of field service delivery, including abandoning the current <br />operation and building a new field program from the ground up. It is the <br />recommendation of the Study Team that the County of Hawaii should consider the <br />establishment of an Animal Control enforcement division within the Hawaii County <br />Police Department or the Health Department. Shelter services could continue to be <br />outsourced to a local humane organization. Information regarding the proposed <br />"takeover" of HIHS field operations may be found within Chapter 9, <br />"Community/Interagency Relations" under "Starting an Effective Animal Control <br />Program. " <br />Hawaii Couniv Ordinance Review <br />The Hawaii County Animal Code (HCAC) appears to be poorly organized and lacking in <br />major areas such as definitions of terms and appropriate penalty levels. There are ample <br />examples of attempts at piecemeal corrections that are reflected in the disparity between <br />the penalty for poisoning a dog ($10 — 1980) and allowing a dog to stray more than three <br />times ($500 or 100 hours of community service —1995). Unfortunately these "corrections" <br />seem to have accomplished more, rather than less, confusion. The changes also illustrate <br />that the HCAC has sections that are over twenty years old. Animal care and control best <br />practices have changed dramatically since 1980. <br />❑ A review of current County of Hawaii ordinances indicates a need for improvement. <br />The new Animal Control Advisory Board, the County of Hawaii, HIHS and the <br />community should work together to update its ordinances. <br />,Executive Summary - 7 <br />