HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0091.034 2022-2024 P/GOEAC
CORK.q
From: Sally Stewart
Sent: Sunday, February 05, 2023 9:50 AM
To: Council Testimony
Subject: Communication 91 re Bill 22-Creating an Animal Control & Protection Agency
Dear Esteemed Members of Hawaii County Government,
I am Writing in support of Bill 22 to create an animal control and protection agency on the Island of Hawaii. Since these duties
have shifted to the police,who are already stretched thin dealing with policing needs,the situation for animals in need in
Hawaii has gone from bad to worse. We absolutely need a separate agency to handle the duties of animal control in this
county. Not only are issues of abandoned, lost and feral domestic animals getting more dire,there is little to no accountability
or transparency about how these issues are being handled.
We need to know that our beloved pets who might,through happenstance,get lost will be recovered and every effort made
to reunite them with their families. And that we will have resources available for people to adopt, help care for(ie via low
cost spay/neuter and basic vet services,owner education and training), and that we need to know that we will be kept safe
from dangerous and feral dogs.
While there are numerous dedicated and overburdened private rescue and spay/neuter operations working tirelessly to fill in
the gaps,the taxpayer moneys designated for the operation of animal control need to be put to better use by establishing a
department solely responsible for this purpose.Creation of an agency that has the resources,funding,training, public service
focus and full transparency is desperately needed to manage what is currently an out-of-control situation that's only getting
worse. Please vote in support of Bill 22.
Sincerely,
Sally Stewart
Ocean View
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