It is too early to rule out building new animal shelter in East Manatee | Opinion
Animal welfare is not what it used to be — thankfully — and this fresh thinking provides a transition in local government from catching and killing homeless animals to educating the public and helping citizens to help themselves.
State law requires local governments to handle unwanted animals and enforce vaccinations, but shelters are upping their game. This shift from housing animals packed in cages and viewing them as a public nuisance to designing shelters as friendly and vibrant community centers with a range of pet services results in places with less disease where the community is invited and engaged, instead of dirty places that are hidden from sight.
You can check out these trends first hand by visiting our Animal Services facility -— built as a kill-shelter in the 1960’s — and “Cat Town”, built in 2019. If you’ve been to both, you know what a joy it is to walk into Cat Town — while the other feels like a dark prison. And for the citizens whose main focus is on the money needed to build and operate shelters— this shift in philosophy is a winner all day long. Can you guess why? You got it, more volunteers stepping up to help manage the workload.
The Board of County Commissioners is in the heart of budget season, and there are commissioners who question the need for a planned shelter in East County since Bishop plans to gift the county their brand new state-of-the-art facility. While this is truly amazing and is being provided by the Bishop Estate of long-time animal advocate Mary Parker, it’s important to remember that this gift is largely possible because of the county’s move in 2011 to become a “no-kill” community. Bishop’s model from Day 1 was to care for surrendered animals and find them loving homes without euthanasia. So, when Bishop decided to hand the reins of animal welfare to the county, it was done so with the expectation that we are ready to carry their mission forward. Manatee County has not yet seen the Bishop contract to accept this gift, but I suspect it may have some caveats related to their philosophy.
The new Bishop facility is designed with low-cost spay neuter services at the forefront, and space for family-friendly activities such as dog training classes and children engagement. It is proven that a community approach to animal care results in boosted adoption numbers and fewer surrenders. But, I have to wonder if the Bishop facility alone can serve a community that is growing by 10,000 new residents a year! Oh, and we need to pay attention to where the growth is occurring too. We all know it is not in West Bradenton, but is pushing north and east as fast as the stucco can be slapped on the new houses.
As a planner, my training is to assess what we need today and look ahead 50-years to plan for the future — and then make decisions that serve both over time. The Bishop facility will replace the rat infested, crumbling Palmetto shelter and will be filled with animals the day we accept it. What facilities will we need in our northern and eastern areas in the coming years? I don’t know, but an exercise in strategic planning will bring the answer into focus.
There is a national trend to end shelter killing in the USA by 2025. I’ve heard the statistic that for every 10,000 residents, we will have 250 animals touch our shelters. So I have asked our staff to bring the Board data to support what we need today and in the future based on growth projections. Our tremendous animal services team understands this business model inside and out, and the way I see it, is as a simple mathematical equation of need over time, and a plan to execute it. This is the same way that we plan for utilities, roads, libraries, and schools. And as I said last week, I rely on facts and data, which doesn’t allow me to lean too far one way or another on emotional crutches, but to align our infrastructure needs with the county’s growth projections while listening to the needs of our people, businesses, and organizations.
The Board’s role is to spend taxpayers money with an eye on every penny, to protect and enhance our quality of life. And yes, I deeply care about animals. If we do what we need to do with methodical expertise, we will be prepared to serve the animals and families by properly planning for adequate shelter space.
Misty Servia is a Manatee County Commissioner who represents District 4 and a certified land planner. You can reach her at misty.servia@mymanatee.org