EDITORIAL
Almost a decade ago I wrote my first front-page news article for this publication. The headline was “New jail: 30 days ahead of schedule; $300,000 over budget.” Over the years, the facility has been a news gift that simply keeps on giving, as it is a complex and expensive endeavor. Ironically, at the other end of the picking up and housing spectrum, I have also extensively covered multiple issues related to animal control.
From the first headline in 2015 to the one almost a year later when the Fisher County Law Enforcement Center opened in 2016, there were quite a few stories associated with its just $7.5 million construction. Once it opened its doors, it cost the taxpayers millions more, all wrapped up in one catastrophic event after another.
However, the most consistent challenge the facility has faced is the one that continues to plague the facility. In its young, seven-year life, the jail has fallen under the operation of almost as many sheriffs. Now under the administration of its fifth sheriff, the department still can’t keep enough people employed to staff the facility according to state regulations.
No simple solution there. The candidate pool is shallow due to population reduction, and given the economic climate, while the county has more revenue coming in than before, the funding simply isn’t there to compete with wages offered by private companies operating in the region.
As a result, while Fisher County has operated the jail for seven years, it has spent at least two of those years empty due to staffing shortages. The facility is currently depopulated, with Fisher inmates being housed in Scurry County.
Meanwhile, almost as many animal-control-related issues have graced this publication as that of law enforcement. Before he passed away last year, the City of Rotan’s Animal Control Officer John Morgan gave countless reports of a growing stray dog population that was impossible to manage.
Numerous council members have listened over the years, and sometimes — like they are now — talking all around the issue, but no one has ever got down to the brass tacks of how much it would cost the city to operate a functional program.
Interestingly enough, since Sheriff Wade recently suggested the possibility of initiating countywide animal control, city officials have pumped the brakes on those discussions. Rotan City officials will take any opportunity to keep from spending money, which is why there is a substantial bank account and potholes large enough that front-wheel drive might not get you out of.
For the record, it would cost the city somewhere in the neighborhood of $50,00 - $60,000 annually to operate an animal control program. That is with a full-time employee, vehicle, and equipment. I know this because I took the time to ask.
Interactions between citizens and strays have also increased over the years. Morgan warned officials years ago that unchecked stray dogs would eventually start to form packs that could present a danger to the public. There have been dozens of attacks and other situations that have ended in litigation.
Since the dog population seems to be growing much faster than the human population, I wonder if it wouldn’t be better to cross-train jailers as animal control officers and retrofit the jail into one of the most state-of-the-art animal shelters in the state.
Sounds silly at first, but if you think about it, it's all just concrete and cages. Dogs only need to be fed once a day and don’t have to be checked every hour. This would reduce food costs and the strain on staffing.
I’m thinking that with the current jail staff, we can have just about every stray rounded up in a couple of months and then we can just turn the jail into an all-out, animal boutique and boarding facility. I reckon the building is large enough to continue to operate animal control as well, we just have to assure the upscale clientele that we keep the tramps separated from their ladies.
I only half-joke here folks. If the jail can’t keep staffing, then we need to look at how it could effectively be repurposed. I would prefer a dog pound over a $7.5 million echo chamber. Officials should also feel some pressure — whether county, city, or both — to address animal control, and with the program’s annual expense compared to their bottom lines, there is little excuse not to fund the solution.