News

Flat Rock moving toward animal control solution

By Bill Moss, Published: July 12, 2012

FLAT ROCK — The Flat Rock Village Council on Thursday authorized Vice Mayor Nick Weedman and a delegation of council members to pursue an agreement for animal coverage in the village.

The council heard about a meeting held last fall involving the towns in the county. The Hendersonville Lightning reported on the meeting in a story in this week's print issue. At the meeting, then-Sheriff Rick Davis told the town managers that towns would need to pay extra for animal control response to nuisance complaints like barking dogs and stray dogs. Davis presented a cost for each town.
The towns said no, but unlike Flat Rock the other municipalities have either a police department or a contracted deputy that responds to animal control complaints and calls for animal control backup if needed. Flat Rock's figure for coverage was $10,725.
"I learned from Sheriff McDonald that those figures were developed by the county auditor and that the current sheriff is aware of the figures," Weedman said. "He has no opinion whether they're valid or invalid but he is aware of them."
The topic also provoked a discussion of how come Flat Rock was not invited to the meeting.
"Nobody from Flat Rock attended because nobody from Flat Rock was invited," Weedman said. "It's the town manager and the county manager that get together frequently and they discuss these matters. Because we've heard figures all the way from $7,000 to $10,000 to $100,000 I contacted all of the municipality managers and the county manager and all of them confirmed there was a meeting."
The sheriff's department gets 7,000 animal control calls a year, most of them barking dogs or strays, which would not constitute an emergency. Since Flat Rock now is aware of the cost projection for animal control coverage, Weedman recommended the village meet with Sheriff McDonald to work out a coverage agreement.
"I found him to be very cooperative, I found him to be more than willing to try to work out something that would provide a higher level of service than what we currently have," he said. "So I think we've made a little bit of progress."

Pat DeLamos, who lives in Kenmure, said the village and the county need to decide what constitutes a nuisance call. "I cannot handle a pit bull," she said. If an elderly Flat Rock resident needs to remove a large dog from the yard, the resident is getting no assistance now from animal control.

Weedman agreed that the village needs to respond. "It's an essential service," he said.

For more on this story return to Hendersonvillelightning.com.