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Record of Proceedings

Columbus Animal Care Commission Hearing and Meeting – May 11, 2026

Meeting Portal — Monday, May 11, 2026
BodyColumbus, Indiana
SessionMeeting Portal
DateMonday, May 11, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:05

Mary, are you ready for us to start?

0:11

Jody, am I supposed to push something or does it?

0:15

Okay.

0:16

Let me see.

0:17

Yes, I'm all good.

0:18

Sorry.

0:19

Okay.

0:19

Awesome.

0:20

Yep.

0:21

Okay.

0:21

So we'll call the meeting to order, and I'll start with roll call.

0:25

So Joel, Martin Nobby.

0:28

Here.

0:29

Jack Shayley.

0:30

Here.

0:30

Matt Martindale.

0:31

Here.

0:32

Kelsey Arthur.

0:33

Here.

0:34

Jay Poist.

0:35

Here.

0:36

Phil Porter.

0:36

Here.

0:38

Henderson here.

0:39

Nicole.

0:40

I'm here.

0:43

And so we do have a quorum, so we can have official business.

0:48

Um Mary, would you mind going through the rules and just giving guidelines on how this will run tonight?

0:57

Absolutely.

0:58

So what we will do, um, there is a case before the commission.

1:05

And so what we will have Nicole and the Commission then tell what they want to do and what their proposal is on all of this.

1:18

And so then after that, um, if the opposing party is there, and then they can bring what they want to say in front of the commission.

1:29

Um, they can do so.

1:30

Otherwise, we just hear that and move forward.

1:34

And then after considering all of what is recommended, then the commission will make a decision.

1:43

So and for all of you attending for the hearing, um, we'll complete this and then we're gonna have our regular scheduled meeting.

1:54

You're welcome to stay at a public meeting, but do not feel obligated to after that if you want to take off, that's fine.

2:01

Um so Mary, you would like us to start with.

2:04

Um, Alyssa's here to do um our summary.

2:08

You would like us to start with that, correct?

2:11

Yes, if you could go ahead and just kind of walk through what the situation is, what your recommendations are, and go from that would be wonderful.

2:21

And commission members, this is a summary of all the things that you received over the weekend.

2:29

All right.

2:30

Uh so our history with Chris began August 3rd of 21.

2:36

Uh, we picked up a stray dog doch and mix.

2:39

He called pretty much immediately.

2:41

He picked it up that same day.

2:43

Uh we just microchipped her and he went home.

2:46

Uh September 19th of 22.

2:50

We picked up a different dog, a little Jack Russell Chua mix.

2:55

Uh the notes in the computer said it was covered in fleas was and a little underweight.

3:01

Chris called and reclaimed the little guy the same day.

3:05

We issued him a verbal warning for the fleas and a warning ticket for running at large.

3:11

We microchip this dog and he paid $25.

3:16

And April 1st of 23.

3:19

We received a call asking us to stop by and talk to Chris about breeding cats and get a count of how many he has on the property.

3:27

Uh the manager Christopher McDaniel stopped by, but no one answered the door.

3:35

He left a note on the door, but Chris Rutan never called back, and I can't find where Chris McDaniel followed up.

3:42

So uh next time we dealt with him was May 31st of 24.

3:49

We received a complaint that Chris posted on Facebook about having a dog that died when it needed an emergency C section and he couldn't get it to the care.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Animal Welfare█████████████████████████████████████████████83%
Code Enforcement███6%
Procedural███5%
Public Engagement█2%
Public Safety█1%
Fiscal Sustainability█1%
Human Resources█1%
Capital Projects█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Columbus Animal Care Commission Hearing and Regular Meeting – May 11, 2026

The Columbus Animal Care Commission convened on May 11, 2026, to hold a hearing on the case of Christopher Rutan, whose six dogs and one cat were seized from his property at 325 McClure Road. Following testimony from staff, Mr. Rutan, and a neighbor, the Commission voted to allow only the return of a single community cat (midnight) under strict conditions. The regular meeting followed, featuring updates on shelter statistics, the new building project, fundraising, and staffing.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Christopher Rutan appealed for the return of all six dogs (Harley, Marley, and four puppies) and the cat midnight. He acknowledged the poor condition of his home, lack of running water, and past failures to seek help due to fear of public backlash. He pled for a chance to clean the property within two weeks and promised to comply with any conditions, including spaying/neutering and veterinary care. He stated he plans to sell the property and move by July.
  • Nicole Nicholson (neighbor for 12 years) opposed returning any animals. She testified that she had not seen dogs outside the property for years, described an incident where two unleashed dogs caused traffic hazards, and criticized Mr. Rutan’s failure to provide veterinary care for a pregnant dog (Reese) that died. She expressed concern about the unsanitary and unsafe environment for animals.

Discussion Items

  • Staff Recommendation: Nicole (Animal Care Director) presented a history of repeated violations since 2021, including unspayed animals, flea infestations, lack of water, unsanitary conditions, and deaths of animals. Staff recommended allowing Mr. Rutan one community cat (midnight) and one dog, with the property cleaned to standards within two weeks, spot checks, and all returned animals spayed/neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated.
  • Commission Deliberation: Commissioners questioned Mr. Rutan about water access, cleaning plans, past failures to follow through, and the death of the cat Tyson from fleas. Several commissioners expressed concern about sending animals into an unlivable house without running water. Commissioner Jay Poist proposed a motion to allow only the community cat midnight, citing the long history of neglect and the unsuitability of the home for multiple animals.
  • Legal Options: Mary (legal counsel) clarified that if Mr. Rutan did not agree to the order, the Commission could issue an order without his agreement. She also explained that failure to meet conditions could lead to habitual offender status, barring him from owning animals in Columbus indefinitely.

Key Outcomes

  • Vote: Motion by Jay Poist, seconded by Chase, to return only the community cat midnight (a black, ear-tipped neutered male) passed unanimously (no opposed votes noted). The motion included: (1) Mr. Rutan may keep only midnight; (2) he must clean the entire house (floors free of feces, trash removed) to the satisfaction of Columbus Animal Care Services within two weeks; (3) animal control may conduct spot checks; (4) midnight will be microchipped and vaccinated before return; (5) no other animals are allowed; (6) if conditions are not met, the six dogs will become property of the shelter and habitual offender proceedings may follow.
  • Mr. Rutan’s Response: He accepted the decision but asked to substitute midnight for his dog Harley. The Commission denied this request, stating the order was limited to midnight.
  • Next Steps: Staff will attempt to trap midnight using a crate or trap, and then microchip, vaccinate, and return him. A written order will be prepared for signatures.

Regular Meeting Updates

  • Approved Minutes: February 2026 minutes were approved (motion and second).
  • Animal Control Issues: No dangerous animal cases. Only the agreed order discussed in the hearing.
  • TNVR/Community Cats: 92 cats fixed so far in 2026 (ahead of last year). Officers divided the city into five zones for efficiency.
  • Furry Friends Food Bank: 4,119 pounds of food distributed year-to-date. Secured donations from Cut Supplies Plus (Seymour) and an additional date from Indy Humane for reduced-cost food. Demand increasing; volunteers proposing periodic fundraisers.
  • Pet Fix (Spay/Neuter Clinic): Approximately 26 community animals fixed monthly through Brownsburg clinic; reporting glitch being resolved.
  • Grants: The 2026 Reed’s grant application will focus on the “Kind News” prevention program for K–6 classrooms. Previous grant for spay/neuter of homeless animals proved difficult to implement; exploring alternative incentives with United Way.
  • Fundraising: Adoption medical fund stands at only $11,000 (critically low). Purse Bingo set for June 1; Moonlight Loop run August 22. Catalina fundraiser (biennial) not held this year; seeking off-year alternatives.
  • Statistics: Professional services spike ($7,000 for shelter software, $2,600 for rabies vaccinations). Gas costs up. Cleaning supplies at 40% of budget; disinfectant purchased in 55-gallon drums.
  • Staffing: New medical manager expected to be hired soon. Budget request redirected from an additional full-time officer to more part-time cleaning staff, freeing full-timers for field work and follow-ups.
  • Building Update: Current building has severe odor from drain issue. New building contractor (Forced Construction) chosen; groundbreaking delayed until sewer line relocation is resolved (estimated by August 2026). Capitol campaign at $920,000 toward $1 million match from Elwood family. Donor event June 10.
  • Volunteer Program: 149 applications but only 44 trained. Considering raising minimum age from 13 to 16 to improve reliability.
  • Fosters: Always needed; kittens promoted with humorous “free pit bull” incentive.
  • Ordinance: No updates but considering tweaks to fines and board fees to discourage abandonment.
  • Conference: Animal Care Expo yielded a potential new kennel vendor with possible cost savings; follow-up scheduled.

Meeting Adjournment

The regular meeting adjourned after no further business.

Meeting Transcript

Mary, are you ready for us to start? Jody, am I supposed to push something or does it? Okay. Let me see. Yes, I'm all good. Sorry. Okay. Awesome. Yep. Okay. So we'll call the meeting to order, and I'll start with roll call. So Joel, Martin Nobby. Here. Jack Shayley. Here. Matt Martindale. Here. Kelsey Arthur. Here. Jay Poist. Here. Phil Porter. Here. Henderson here. Nicole. I'm here. And so we do have a quorum, so we can have official business. Um Mary, would you mind going through the rules and just giving guidelines on how this will run tonight? Absolutely. So what we will do, um, there is a case before the commission. And so what we will have Nicole and the Commission then tell what they want to do and what their proposal is on all of this. And so then after that, um, if the opposing party is there, and then they can bring what they want to say in front of the commission. Um, they can do so. Otherwise, we just hear that and move forward. And then after considering all of what is recommended, then the commission will make a decision. So and for all of you attending for the hearing, um, we'll complete this and then we're gonna have our regular scheduled meeting. You're welcome to stay at a public meeting, but do not feel obligated to after that if you want to take off, that's fine. Um so Mary, you would like us to start with. Um, Alyssa's here to do um our summary. You would like us to start with that, correct? Yes, if you could go ahead and just kind of walk through what the situation is, what your recommendations are, and go from that would be wonderful. And commission members, this is a summary of all the things that you received over the weekend. All right. Uh so our history with Chris began August 3rd of 21. Uh, we picked up a stray dog doch and mix. He called pretty much immediately. He picked it up that same day. Uh we just microchipped her and he went home. Uh September 19th of 22. We picked up a different dog, a little Jack Russell Chua mix.

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