Tucson Weekly article about changes at Hermitage
The Tucson Weekly published an excellent article in their December 18th issue on the changes that have occurred over the last two years at the Hermitage Cat Shelter. It is available online here.
Misrepresentation and bad animal-control policy from Sharon Bronson
This entry recently appeared on a political attack website paid for by the Bronson for County Supervisor campaign:
Barney [Brenner] recently received the endorsement of the Citizens for a No-Kill Tucson because he said that, he is "willing to commit to increasing funding" [emphasis-added] for animal care.
This is another clear example of Barney telling some audiences that he will cut county spending and telling others like the No-Kill Tucson folks that he will increase it. Which is it Barney?
Wonder what Barney's supporters at Americans for Prosperity think about him wanting to spend more money for animal care after he signed his oath to cut taxes and spending. Sounds like Barney is breaking his promises before he is even elected.
See SayAnythingBarney.com, "Another Example of Barney Saying Anything to get Elected – 'Increasing Funding'", http://www.sayanythingbarney.com/?p=63 (posted October 17, 2008.)
There are several problems with this entry. First, there is no contradiction between a commitment to reducing overall taxes and a commitment to spending, or even increasing spending, on one particular line-item. It is a ridiculous suggestion that Brenner is being dishonest because he understands that certain items need increased funding while other items are being over-funded. Brenner knows that properly allocated funds can result in an overall decrease in expenditures.
Second, Brenner's statement reported on our website was that he was "willing to commit to increased funding for low-cost spay and neuter," not the more general category of "animal care" as stated on the SayAnythingBarney website. This misrepresentation is an especially important one, because increasing funding for low-cost spay and neuter has been proven to reduce taxpayer expenditures for animal care overall. For example, a New Hampshire statewide spay/neuter assistance program was found to reduce animal care costs by $3.23 for every dollar spent, and a countywide program in King's County (Seattle) Washington, was found to reduce animal care costs by $3.40 for every dollar spent.
See Laurie D. Goldstein and Christine O’Keefe, Spay-Neuter Programs: Saving Tax Dollars, http://www.straypetadvocacy.org/PDF/NeedLowCostSterilization.PDF (copyright 2003.)
Barney Brenner recognizes the value of an expenditure which yields a better than 300% return on investment while at the same time dramatically reducing the killing of homeless pets in shelters. This is why we stand by our endorsement of him for Pima County Supervisor from District 3.
CNKT Endorses "NO" on Prop. 105
As a citizens' group aiming to change public democratically through participation in governmental processes, we are opposed to any attempt to take away Arizonans' voting rights. Prop. 105 is a deceptive initiative which directly attacks the rights of actual voters in Arizona by counting the votes of non-voters.
Prop 105 automatically enters a "no" vote on behalf of any registered voter who does not vote on an initiative measure, even if that voter has deliberately chosen not to vote on a measure, moved out of state, or died before the election. By doing this, ballot measures that fall under Prop. 105's scope would require more than a majority of the voters casting ballots. By one estimation, it changes the percentage of actual voters who must vote "yes" for an initiative measure to succeed from 50% to more than 80%. Not a single citizen initiative in the last quarter-century would have passed if that were the case. In effect it makes the citizen initiative process impossible and allows only laws introduced by the state Legislature to be passed with a normal 50% majority. We urge anyone who is concerned about preserving democracy and citizens' ability to influence government in Arizona to vote NO on Prop. 105 in the upcoming election.
There is an excellent FAQ on Prop. 105 here:
CNKT Endorses Brenner for County Supervisor
Republican Barney Brenner is challenging incumbent democrat Sharon Bronson for the District 3 seat (representing Tucson's west side) on the Pima County Board of Supervisors in the November 4 election. Brenner narrowly lost when he ran against Bronson in the 2000 election, and he is running for office again. We feel Brenner will be a stronger ally for shelter animals than Bronson has been.
Bronson has been in office since 1996 and has served as chair twice, but she continues to support the status quo at PACC. She recently joined Supervisors Richard Elias, Ramón Valadez and Ann Day in approving the expenditure of $3 million in bond funding for the inadequate proposed shelter remodeling (only Supervisor Ray Carroll voted no to this misguided use of the money, which unfortunately will not be invested in an entirely new facility). We need better leadership at the county level – elected officials who will stand up for significant policy changes at PACC and for more compassionate use of taxpayer funds.
In response to a recent candidate questionnaire, Brenner says that, if elected, he is willing to commit to: increasing funding for low-cost or free spay/neuter services, demanding the implementation of shelter practices that increase adoptions, supporting an audit of the county's animal control revenues and expenses, improving the protocol for the intake and assessment of cats at PACC, as well as exploring TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) as a humane approach to managing feral cat colonies.
"Both our current County animal shelter and the proposed improvements are inadequate. For the money being spent, the County could have a much better facility," Brenner writes in his response. "If you want to see County funds utilized efficiently toward the construction of a decent animal shelter, my election next month may be your only opportunity."
All five Pima County Supervisors are running for re-election this fall, and since the Board of Supervisors is the entity that ultimately has control over PACC, this could be a very important race for the animals. Richard Elias (Democrat, District 5), Ray Carroll (Republican, District 4), Ramón Valadez (Democrat, District 2), and Ann Day (Republican, District 1) are all running unopposed in the November 4 election in Pima County. District 3 is the only contested race this year. Brenner's campaign website is www.votebrenner.com, and Bronson's campaign website is www.bronson08.com. To find out what district you are in, enter your street address at www.recorder.pima.gov/poll_search.aspx.
October 16th Proclaimed Feral Cat Day in Tucson
Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup issued the following proclamation that October 16th is officially Feral Cat Day in Tucson. The proclamation notes the importance of low-cost spay/neuter, and trap-neuter-return (TNR) in reducing feral cat populations.
Proposed PACC Shelter Renovation Shortchanges Pima County Taxpayers and the Animals
The Pima County Board of Supervisors recently approved a proposal to spend the $3 million dollars in bond funding that voters approved in 2004 for the county-run animal shelter. The proposal is to spend the $3 million on air conditioning and drainage projects in the existing 1968 facility, as well as add 30 new dog kennels.
However, two recent studies commissioned by the county, at a cost of tens of thousands of tax dollars, confirm that the planned improvements do not go far enough and will not achieve the goals set out for the project.
- More than two years ago, an evaluation was conducted by the National Animal Control Association (NACA). The March 2006 NACA report concluded that “Pima County should explore the possibility of constructing a new animal sheltering facility in Tucson within the very near future.”
- A July 2006 Facility Program and Feasibility Study conducted by the Tucson firm The Architecture Company concluded that “a new facility is the superior choice for Pima Animal Care Center” and that “it would be more economical in the long run to build a new shelter on the present property (west of the shelter). Building a new shelter, rather than remodeling the old, would allow the present shelter to remain in operation while the new facility is under construction. This would save significant money and allow adoptions to continue during construction. We estimate that our recommended remodeling will cost almost as much as an entirely new building. The additional approximate one to two million would be a small premium to pay for a new building that will serve the County for the next 40 years.”
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Let your elected county officials know that this proposal does not best serve our community's taxpayers and it does not best serve the animals entrusted to the Pima Animal Care Center. A far better proposal would be to invest the bond funding in an entirely new facility, designed from the ground up to safeguard the health and well-being of the animals and provide a positive, pleasant environment for potential adopters and employees.
Find a list of Pima County elected officials at http://www.nokilltucson.org/PimaBOS.