As Okaloosa County continues to develop its own animal control services, commissioners discussed updating code ordinances.
On September 23, the county’s contract with Panhandle Animal Welfare Services will expire, leaving the county in charge of animal control services for about 70% of the county. Other municipalities are either contracting with PAWS or have their own service. Okaloosa County and the City of Crestview have entered an interlocal agreement to partner on animal services for all of north Okaloosa County.
During a public hearing at Tuesday’s regular meeting, commissioners heard from several people who asked the county to update current animal control ordinances to include TNR (trap, neuter, release).
Organizations such as Save Our Cats and Kittens (SOCKS) and Okaloosa Animal Protection League have been doing TNR in the county for years, mostly under the radar, with grant funding and donations. SOCKS staff and volunteers have been working in targeted neighborhoods to TNR large colonies of cats; one neighborhood had over 80 cats.
Justice Geddings works at SOCKS and also volunteers her time doing TNR. The way she sees it, spaying and neutering is a cost-saving measure.
“If I fix 100 cats and conservatively half of them are female… if each of those females produced one litter of four kittens, that’s 200 kittens prevented from entering our community,” she explained.
And those 200 kittens aren’t just a number, she said.
“Without TNR, those kittens could eventually become the responsibility of animal control, local rescues, a foster, or a taxpayer,” she said. “Once that kitten enters the system, it costs money.”
For the people who care for the cat colonies, it means something to them to know that the cats are being cared for. Valerie Arciaga lives near one of the colonies that volunteers worked. Many of the cats were sick and unhealthy, she said. Nearly 50 cats were fixed in the colony, and several kittens were fostered and adopted out.
“The results (of TNR) were almost immediate,” she said. “The fighting and nighttime howling dramatically decreased; the spraying and territorial behavior decreased. The cats became calmer and healthier and, most importantly, we have seen zero kittens.”
Santa Rosa County has a community cat program offering assistance to residents in managing cat colonies. They even offer free spay and neuter services for up to three cats throughout the year. The next one is tomorrow, Sept. 17. Escambia County adopted a TNR ordinance in 2014, which recognizes community cats and proper management of cat colonies.
Adding language to support TNR in animal control ordinances helps codify protections for cats and caretakers, according to the advocacy group Alley Cat Allies. Yvonne West, a Fort Walton Beach resident who has been doing TNR for 25 years, suggested that Okaloosa’s animal ordinance address the difference between a community cat and a domestic cat.
“And then caretakers are not subject to leash laws and containment laws that community cats are just not subject to,” she said. “The caretakers would have recourse. They wouldn’t be told to stop feeding … they’re not going to stop feeding them, you know that.”
Commissioners seemed to appreciate the comments. Commissioner Sherri Cox said the county “can only stand to benefit” from supporting TNR efforts.
Deputy County Administrator Craig Coffey said there would need to be some “safeguards” when adding TNR to the ordinance, such as jurisdictions where it would be supported. He also noted some concern for large colonies and cats being a nuisance.
Commissioner Trey Goodwin questioned why animal control would bother getting in the way of TNR volunteers.
“If someone wants to go into a neighborhood and trap some feral cats and neuter them and let them go again, why do we care?” he said, which elicited applause. “If someone comes into a neighborhood in my district and says, ‘I'm going to trap 20 cats and fix them so they can’t make babies anymore, I’m not going to keep them, I’m going to put them back … well, they were already there anyway.”
After discussion, commissioners voted unanimously to put a 90-day suspension on issuing any citations regarding TNR as county staff takes a look at the program and adds language to the ordinance. The county would be in support of TNR, but not fund it.
Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel reminded the room that the homestead tax exemption amendment coming up for a vote in November will dictate what services — animal or otherwise — the county can fund. That’s why the county chose the “animal control light” option in June. The county could add more services if Amendment 3 does not pass.
“Our issue is homestead exception,” she said. “We don’t have a money tree out back. You need to understand what I’m saying. We have to get our money from somewhere; if we don’t have that money, that means no new services. Please understand what we’re up against.”
