During the Winslow City Council meeting last week, Jack Williams, the Winslow Animal Control supervisor, emphasized the persistent challenge due to overcrowding at the facility. He provided an in-depth review of the situation, citing several factors contributing to the issue and the steps being taken to mitigate it.
Williams reported that despite recent upgrades to the facility and efforts to promote adoption, the shelter continues to struggle with a high number of animals, primarily dogs. He highlighted the implementation of new shade structures and automatic water bowls, which have improved the living conditions for the animals. However, these improvements have not sufficiently addressed the overarching problem of limited space. “With overcrowding, we have to keep a lot of them outside, and it is a constant challenge,” Williams explained.
The overcrowding issue has been exacerbated by a low success rate in the shelter’s adoption initiatives. Williams noted that recent free adoption events have not significantly reduced the number of animals housed at the facility. “We’ve had free adoption for the past two months, and we’ve only adopted out four dogs,” he stated, indicating the limited impact of these campaigns.
Furthermore, Williams pointed out that the shelter’s status as a municipal facility complicates their eligibility for certain grants typically available to non-profit organizations, which restricts their ability to expand and enhance the facility adequately. This funding challenge has hindered their capacity to implement more effective solutions to manage the increasing animal population. The council and Williams discussed possibly have a relationship like the library has with the Friends of the Library that could apply for grants that benefit the shelter. This could open another avenue to help mitigate some of the issues the pound is facing.
Williams also expressed concern about the broader regional issue of shelter overcrowding, noting that it is not confined to Winslow but affects surrounding areas as well. This regional challenge impacts the ability of shelters to support each other, as many are operating at or beyond capacity and cannot take in additional animals from neighboring facilities. He mentioned that he has reached out to shelters all over the state and everywhere seems to be at capacity.
The discussion at the city council meeting shed light on the critical issue of animal shelter overcrowding in Winslow, underscoring the need for continued efforts to find sustainable solutions. These include enhancing local adoption campaigns, exploring more effective community engagement strategies, and securing additional funding to expand the facility and its services.
In addition to animal control issues, the meeting featured a report by City Manager David Coolidge on Winslow’s lobbying activities aimed at securing infrastructure funding.
Coolidge detailed the city’s strategic use of lobbyists to influence federal and state resource allocation. “In the calendar year of 2021, a plan was developed to seek funding from federal and state sources for infrastructure, amenities and equipment, utilizing lobbyists to navigate the governmental framework,” Coolidge explained. He highlighted significant successes, such as securing $65.75 million through the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for the Winslow Levy project, a critical initiative for the city. However, not all lobbying efforts were equally successful; Coolidge noted that while the city managed to secure federal earmarks for a $3.3 million water tank, their request for funding new police vehicles was not included in the final federal earmark bill.
These discussions underscore the dual focus of the Winslow City Council on enhancing local services through infrastructure improvements and navigating the complex landscape of government funding to support the city’s growth and community welfare. The meeting illuminated the challenges and successes faced by the city in its continuous efforts to improve municipal services and secure necessary funding for key projects.
In other business, the council:
* Proclaimed May 5-11 as both National Correctional Officers & Employees Week and Municipal Clerks Week.
* Reappointed Dave Hartman and Kim Tsosie to the Historic Preservation Commission.
* Approved a contract with Arizona Recreation Design, Inc. and J.P. & Sons Contracting, Inc. for the purchase of a shade structure for Hayden Walton Park at a cost of $207,906.
* Approved a policy which describes procedures for conducting drug and alcohol testing for the federally regulated transportation industry to align with U.S. Department of Transportation regulations.
* Approved a policy revision that outlines the administrative process to resolve protests made in submissions of bid and proposals to the city.
* Approved adoption of a notice of intent to increase water and wastewater user charges, these changes have not yet been announced.
* Approved a lease between the city and Romo’s Mexican Grill for property located at the Winslow-Lindbergh Airport at a rate of $750 per month.
The next meeting of the Winslow City Council will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 14, in the meeting room located at 523 West Second St.
