By Linda Dean Cooper
The county commissioners interviewed candidates for newly created Public Information Officer job Tuesday. Commissioner Matt Brooks has advocated for a PIO for over a year and got that $74,000 annual salary and new job description approved as part of the 2023-2024. budget.
Here’s a question you, the taxpayer, should ask. Is the PIO’s $74,000 salaried position more important to the public than a full-time veterinarian? The veterinarian is responsible for the welfare of all the animals at the shelter, spaying and neutering of animals before they can be adopted, and the Trap, Neuter & Replace – TNR program.
Is the $2.5 million 3.2 acre proposed park across the street from the government center more important than a full-time veterinarian? Over $13,600 has been paid to Kimley-Horn for designing the park but the Town of Bronson was never consulted or involved with the proposed park which is within the town limits and subject to their land use rules. The proposed park violates their land use ordinance and is adjacent to the historic Coulter Cemetery. One-half mile south of this proposed park is James H. Cobb 63-acre park with two ball fields, picnic areas, and two pavilions for presentations and concerts.
There has been no public explanation of what is going on at Animal Control. The public only knows through hearsay that the veterinarian suddenly resigned on July 21, 2023. The long-standing, controversial animal control director was transferred to another department, and one of the directors of the landfill was transferred to animal control as a manager, not a director. Why has this never been addressed in any county commission meeting about the department’s future?
There’s hardly a week that goes by that Animal Control isn’t blasting on social media “Come pick up your pet” or “The shelter is full come and adopt an animal.” Commissioners do your job! Advertise the veterinarian position at a salary that will attract at least a recent graduate of the College of Veterinary Medicine and a vet tech. You refuse to open animal control on Saturdays or stagger the hours for the working stiffs that pay you and your employees’ salaries, as well as pay, to operate our government. People should not have to take time off from their jobs because the shelter is open 8-4, M-F. Landfill employees work Saturdays. What makes shelter employees so special that they are exempt from working the same type of hours?
The updating of the 1989 animal control ordinance has been discussed since 2016. Whenever anyone questions you about getting it updated the answer is “We are going to get to it soon” but you never do. Dixie County updated its animal control ordinance in 2016 and Gilchrist in 2017.
Perhaps the Sheriff’s department would have more success with hiring an ag officer if the commissioners did their job and updated Levy’s animal ordinance with some teeth. If the county had a dedicated ag officer the sheriff would not have to pull an officer from their normal patrol or detective duties to investigate hoarding situations and animal cruelty.
Commissioner John Meeks believes state statutes are good enough to manage animal cruelty and most land use issues, but in the same breath, he whines about the state wanting to take away our home rule. Commissioner Meeks, with statements like the state can handle our local governing you are inviting state interference and removal of local home rule. You can’t have it both ways!
Commissioner John Meeks has an opponent, Charlie Kennedy, opposing him in this year’s election for his District Seat 1. Meeks’ signature accomplishment was spearheading the $116 landfill assessment to stop the hemorrhaging of money due to the BoCC’s years of bad landfill management and his tax-and-spend attitude toward running county government. The county is still losing money because outsiders from surrounding counties are taking advantage of the low cost of dumping residential garbage due to the way the assessment was applied and administered. Citizens in municipalities pay mandatory garbage pickup, if you pay a private hauler, you also pay the $116 landfill assessment.
Commissioner Matt Brooks is leaving his commission seat to run for Clerk of Court which is at least a $100,000 increase from his current salary as a commissioner. His opponent is Brian Gore. Brooks was also a commissioner when the $116 assessment was passed for your 2018 tax bill, he voted in favor of it. Is his parting gift a PIO instead of a veterinarian that would benefit everyone every day?
We should vote for public officials based on past actions and voting records, not how nice you think someone is when they are campaigning. Do your homework and vote as if you are hiring for your business or co-worker.
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Posted January 20, 2024
