By VICKI URBANIK

In another shake-up at the Porter County Animal Shelter, the Porter County Commissioners on Wednesday took away practically all of the animal welfare board’s authority and brought the shelter directly under their control.

Both Porter County Commissioner President Robert Harper and North County Commissioner John Evans expressed hope that by making the animal shelter function more like several other county departments under their supervision, conflicts between the animal board and the shelter director will end and stability will be brought to the director’s post.

Prior to Wednesday’s action, the county commissioners had the authority over hiring and firing the shelter director, but all other shelter policies fell to the 15-member animal welfare board.

But under the newly amended ordinance, the animal welfare board will become advisory only, giving input to the director. The director will then report to the commissioners, who will have the ultimate authority over the shelter’s budget, staff, policies and operations.

The action comes in the wake of last week’s resignation of Animal Shelter Director Jennifer Pierce, who was in the position for only about two months. She was appointed following the resignation of the previous director Sandy Ogle, who resigned amidst a horse neglect case that involved a member of the animal welfare board who also resigned.

The commissioners and county attorney Gwenn Rinkenberger indicated that the shelter’s recent problems are the result of having a very large board trying to run the shelter, with board members and staff at times disagreeing with each other and with the commissioners.

Harper said, for example, that he asked the animal shelter to try to come up with ways to reduce the number of euthanizations. “It’s been a dispute for four years,” he said. He noted that the shelter euthanized about 800 cats last year while other shelters have alternative programs that reduce the number of unwanted animals that are destroyed.

Evans said he doesn’t think that anyone now on the animal welfare board has their “heart in the wrong place,” but that problems are bound to occur when a board becomes more executive than advisory and when that board gets too large.

“I think we need to regain control and this is the way to do it,” he said.

Evans called for disbanding the animal welfare board and starting from scratch with a smaller board, ideally at about seven members. He said any current board member would be invited to apply for reappointment. But his suggestion wasn’t acted upon; Harper said he would prefer first to get the shelter back on track in its day-to-day operations and then address whether to change the make-up of the advisory board.

Harper, Evans and South County Commissioner Carole Knoblock all agreed to suspend the normal rules and give the ordinance amendment final approval.

The shelter will now function much like several other county departments that are under the supervision of the county commissioners, such as the highway department, Information Technology Services and the plan commission. The plan commission has its own board, but Rinkenberger noted that that board is largely advisory only.

In other matters Wednesday:

•The commissioners discussed a revised food service contract at the Porter County Jail. Because the jail no longer houses state prisoners, the food contract is being revised with a higher per-meal cost. Sheriff David Lain agreed with Harper that overall, the contract will result in a lower overall expense. Lain said the cost for feeding 500 prisoners totaled $394,000 annually, but now the cost for 350 prisoners will be $326,000.

Lain noted that the jail was built for 453 prisoners, but that it had been at overcapacity, at times hitting 525 inmates. It is currently handling about 375 prisoners.

•The commissioners endorsed an additional appropriation of $60,000 for overtime for the Enhanced 911 department. The overtime expense is being incurred due to the recent decision to eliminate compensatory time.

•The commissioners also endorsed spending $180,000 out of income tax funds to complete a project in which oversized court documents are scanned and stored digitally, replacing the large books. Harper said the County Clerk’s office is quickly running out of storage space for all of its records.

•Harper commended the recent developments at the Memorial Opera House, which has been voted the best performing arts center in Northwest Indiana. “I think he’s done a really good job over there,” he said of Opera House director Brian Schafer. Harper also noted that as part of the Opera House’s upcoming “Annie Get Your Gun,” the County Jail Museum will open a new exhibit featuring Broncho John Sullivan's 1866 stagecoach.

Posted 5/8/2008