Tussle Over Control Of Animal Services

A political dogfight is shaping up over control of the Loudoun County Department of Animal Care and Control.

Two members of the Board of Supervisors say they want the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office to take over the department, but the board's chairman is resisting the push for change.

The dispute has been simmering for months, but it boiled over recently after the board's animal advisory committee recommended that the sheriff's office take charge of the department. The proposal has caused a flurry of tense exchanges between advisory committee members and several supervisors, and last month it prompted board Chairman Scott K. York (I-At Large) to issue Freedom of Information Act requests to supervisors, the advisory committee and Loudoun Sheriff Stephen O. Simpson.

York was in meetings Monday and could not be reached for comment. But his assistant, Keith Nusbaum, said York was still reviewing documents culled from the September FOIA requests, which York filed after learning of meetings between committee members and other officials. Nusbaum said York continues to oppose the transfer of animal-control and shelter operations to the sheriff's office.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it," Nusbaum said.

Supervisor Jim E. Clem (R-Leesburg) disagrees, arguing that the department is poorly managed. But Clem, chairman of the board's public safety committee, removed the transfer proposal from the committee's agenda in June and has yet to propose formal action.

Supervisor Eugene A. Delgaudio (R-Sterling) said Monday he thinks action is imminent and necessary. Delgaudio, who said the department's 30-member staff is ill-prepared and insufficiently trained to cope with growing animal-control needs, said he thinks the sheriff's office should take over county animal-control services and enforcement. But he said he would like to see the shelter privatized and turned into a no-kill facility.

"There are thousands of people who spend their time taking care of animals in this county, so it's not rocket science to figure out that there are people out there who are prepared to give their time freely to take care of the shelter," he said.

Ann Gallus, a member of the animal advisory committee, said she was not convinced. Gallus, who voted against the transfer of the agency to the sheriff's office, said a review of shelter and animal-control operations should be conducted to identify problem areas before any "drastic action" is taken.

"We've got a department that seems to work very well, so we're offering a solution without saying what's the problem with it," she said.

The department responds to thousands of animal-control calls a year in addition to operating the animal shelter. The shelter, which is in Waterford and has 45 dog kennels and housing for as many as 90 cats, has a staff of 20. The agency also has 10 full-time animal wardens.

Last year, the department handled about 4,400 animal-control cases, according to Director Thomas Koenig.

Koenig, who was appointed director last year after Tim Crum resigned as interim director, said he opposes transfer of operations to the sheriff's office. He said law enforcement is only a fraction of the agency's work. Koenig said that while dog-bite cases are up 50 percent in the county, human encounters with wild animals also are increasing as animals are edged out of habitats by development.

"The animal-control function as a function in itself has become much more sophisticated, not just from a law enforcement point of view," Koenig said. "Wildlife is just one issue. The other issue is when you're dealing with infectious diseases for animals, or rabies. When it comes to medical issues like viruses and diseases, our staff is trained in that. The sheriff's deputies are not."

Koenig, however, pointed out that his department works closely with the sheriff's office on animal control and said he hopes to continue working under that arrangement.

Simpson, who took a tour of the shelter with other county officials in August, said he has long advocated taking over animal-control operations.

He said he was not certain whether the animal control department was simply short-staffed or needed better management. But the sheriff's office is often forced to deal with spillover from the department and handles hundred of animal-control calls each year, he said.

Simpson said he was willing to take over the department. "We'll do it, and we'll do a good job of it," he said. "But it's in the board's hands."