While the Elizabethton/Carter County Animal Shelter was not on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting of the Carter County Commission, the shelter and it’s operations were a matter of focus following comments made by the public and questions raised by commissioners.
During the public comments portion of Tuesday’s meeting, several members of the audience asked to address the Commission regarding their concerns with animal shelter operations.
Robin McKamey told members of the Commission she had volunteered with the shelter for a number of years until the county put an end to volunteers with the program.
“I am the voice for the animals… the other side of the story you might say,” McKamey told the group. “I believe there has been a picture painted that the situation with the Animal Shelter is all rainbows, and I’m here to give you the real story.”
McKamey said after the shelter’s previous director was fired and Susan Robinson, the administrative assistant to Carter County Mayor Leon Humphrey, was named interim director all of the shelter’s volunteers and foster families were cut from the ranks. Since the hiring of the shelter’s new director Shannon Posada, McKamey said those wishing to volunteer are still being referred to Robinson.
“I basically had to beg to volunteer,” McKamey said, adding some who wish to volunteer never receive a return phone call.
When McKamey received her call from Robinson, she said she was not offered a chance to volunteer with the animals or finding homes for them, but rather a position on a fundraising committee with the shelter.
“The only thing that has been offered to me is the fundraising chair, and Susan would be my liaison, for me to raise $200,000,” McKamey said. “The big picture is, unless I am willing to raise $200,000 there is nothing I can do as a volunteer.”
McKamey also voiced concerns that animals were being adopted out of the shelter without first being spayed or neutered, which she said will create more problems with unwanted animals as well as encourage what she called “backyard breeders.” McKamey said she had a handout to give to Commissioners but Humphrey told her she could not pass the information out to the commissioners. She then said she would stay until after the meeting was over to provide it to those interested and to speak with anyone who had questions. During a later recess in the meeting, several Commissioners received copies of the handout from McKamey.
Joining McKamey in voicing their concerns about shelter operations were Samantha Morgan, Becky Nidiffer, and Brittany Madden, who all stated they had once volunteered at the shelter.
After Morgan spoke regarding her concerns about animals not being spayed or neutered, Carter County Mayor Leon Humphrey addressed the women regarding their comments.
“You’re distributing a lot of inaccurate information,” Humphrey said. “I’m really appalled that this has taken this approach because of a large push today by some to derail what is being done.”
Commissioner Danny Ward tried to speak, saying Humphrey was overstepping his bounds interrupting the public comments, but Humphrey would not recognize Ward to speak.
Following that exchange, Nidiffer and Morgan shared their experiences as volunteers and their concerns with how the shelter is currently being operated.
“There are a lot of things there that are not what they appear to be,” Nidiffer said.
Madden encouraged the commissioners to read the information McKamey wanted to give them.
“It’s not necessarily to bash anybody, but it’s to get the truth out there,” Madden said.
The subject of the Animal Shelter came up once again, this time at the end of the meeting during the Commissioner Comments portion of the agenda.
“One of the worst things we can do as a county government is discourage our citizens from being involved as volunteers,” said Commissioner Al Meehan as he addressed concerns voiced during the public comments portion of the meeting.
Meehan also questioned why shelter operations are continuing to be “filtered through” Robinson and Humphrey.
“I don’t understand why if we are paying a director, why not let her direct instead of filtering everything through the Mayor’s office,” Meehan stated, adding he felt the director should be allowed to do her job.
“There are three directors, Mr. Meehan and Commission, for your information,” Humphrey responded. “Ms. Robinson is listed as co-director, and so is the Mayor.”
Humphrey explained there was a lot of work to be done at the shelter and both he and Robinson are overseeing portions of the overall shelter operations. Posada, he said, oversees the daily operations while Robinson oversees volunteers as well as policy and procedures. Humphrey said he is overseeing work on the expansion.
“We will phase her into having an expanded role,” Humphrey said of Posada. “We don’t want to overwhelm her or she won’t stay.”
At this point in the meeting, Commissioner Buford Peters stood, stating that Humphrey was advocating from the chair, which is not allowed by the Commission’s rules and procedures. Peters then called for Humphrey to either step down as chair and turn the meeting over to Vice-Chairman Ray Lyons or to cease advocating on the matter. Humphrey called for Lyons to come forward and take and preside over the meeting while the animal shelter was under discussion.
Commissioner Willie Campbell questioned Humphrey and Posada regarding the claims made by members of the public that animals were being adopted out without being spayed or neutered. Humphrey said animals were being spayed or neutered as per a contract.
Campbell also asked about signs posted at the shelter saying animals were not being accepted.
Humphrey confirmed there have been times recently when the shelter has had to stop accepting animals being brought in.
“We had no more room at the in folks,” Humphrey said. “The University of Tennessee was very clear, when we reach capacity we can take no more animals.”
However, Humphrey said, recent adoption events have dramatically decreased the shelter’s population and animals can once again be accepted now that they are operating below capacity. Posada told the Commission as of Tuesday the shelter had 14 dogs and 23 cats.
Campbell then asked what the women who spoke were referring to when they said things were not as they appeared at the shelter.
“First of all, these ladies don’t know, these ladies don’t have the information we have,” Humphrey said.
Humphrey then asked Lyons if he could read something to the Commission and Lyons said he could. Humphrey then took out his cell phone and told the Commissioners he was reading from a social media post that went out Tuesday. The posting read by Humphrey made a plea for citizens to attend the Commission meeting to speak out for the animals and the shelter and against Humphrey and Robinson’s operation of the shelter.
“It’s signed Stacey. S-T-A-C-E-Y. I suspect that’s Stacey Heiden,” Humphrey said.
Heiden previously served as director of the Animal Shelter until she was fired from that position by Humphrey following a review of the shelter and its operations by the University of Tennessee.
Humphrey stated the Animal Shelter is currently undergoing an investigative audit by the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office that is separate from the county’s regular annual audit. He said the shelter is also under investigation by “other entities of the State of Tennessee.”