Animal Welfare Commission Meeting - April 13, 2026
Animal Welfare Commission Meeting - April 13, 2026
The Animal Welfare Commission met on April 13, 2026 at 5:30 PM. The meeting was called to order with a roll call, with Commissioners Christine Koonsweiler, Teresa Burkett, and Suarez present. Animal Services Director Sherry Carrier also attended. The commission discussed updates on the new animal services facility, proposed fees for owner surrenders and commercial breeding licenses, and upcoming adoption events. One public comment was heard. Action items were approved for recommendation to the City Council.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of March Minutes: A motion to approve the March meeting minutes was moved and seconded. The motion passed with a roll call vote: Suarez (present), Kingsweiler (yes), Burkett (yes).
Discussion Items
- New Animal Services Facility Update: Director Carrier provided an update on construction progress. Ongoing work includes parking lot and camera pole conduit, drywall in Area B, electrical wiring, first coat of paint in kennel area, plywood installation in IT/storage pallet breakdown area, and starting the catio and vestibule storefront framing. Progress meetings have moved to weekly. Completion is anticipated around September 2026.
- Animal Surrender Fee Proposal ($25 per animal): A proposal to implement a $25 per animal owner surrender fee was presented. The fee is intended to encourage accountability and rehoming efforts, based on surveys by Best Friends Animal Society of Oklahoma municipal shelters and internal research. Staff noted that exceptions for emergencies (eviction, incarceration) are not planned as a waiver, but could allow a grace period. Commissioners expressed support, with one noting it is a reasonable amount and that some cities charge up to $100. The motion to recommend the fee to City Council passed unanimously.
- Commercial License Type C Fee Proposal ($1,000/year): A proposal to set the annual fee for commercial breeding licenses (Type C) at $1,000 was discussed. This license category was recently added to the municipal ordinance. The fee targets backyard breeders and aims to address overpopulation. A motion to recommend the fee to City Council passed unanimously.
- Upcoming Adoption Events: Staff listed upcoming events including: April 18 at Mercury Lounge, April 25 at Mathis Furniture, May 2 at Rock and Rescue with OAA at the fairgrounds, May 9 at Mercury Lounge and the spring carnival with parks, May 16 at Cowboy Boys Brewery, May 22-23 at Rock of Vet at Post Oak Lodge for veterans, and May 30 at Pet Supplies Plus in Brookside. Also noted that April 12-18 is Animal Control Officer Appreciation Week. The commission celebrated that the shelter is fully staffed with eight ACOs and two leads, though more are needed if funding allows.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Kirsten Junco: Ms. Junco spoke about adoption retention rates and transparency. She provided flyers for adoption packets covering the 3-3-3 rule, pet care, and managing a new pet. She expressed concern that many animals are returned within days of adoption, which often leads to euthanasia. She also requested daily access to information on which animals are euthanized, noting that current open records requests are incomplete and not matching weekly reports. Director Carrier responded that a new online program will be available soon with daily updates, but could not guarantee daily phone updates. Ms. Junco left the flyers with the commission.
Key Outcomes
- Approved recommendation to City Council: The commission voted unanimously (3-0) to recommend the $25 animal surrender fee per animal.
- Approved recommendation to City Council: The commission voted unanimously (3-0) to recommend the $1,000 annual commercial license Type C fee.
- No old or new business was discussed.
- Meeting was adjourned after public comments.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening and I'd like to welcome everyone to the April 13, 530 meeting of the Animal Welfare Commission meeting. We you can see this on Cox Channel 24 and also Tgov Online.org if you'd like to do that. We will call the meeting to order. So we'll do a roll call, please, and I'll start. Christine Koonsweiler. Teresa Burkett present. Suarez present. Okay. And then I'd like to Sherry Carrier is our animal service director. And I'd like the audience to introduce themselves. Jan Lavender. Robin Suarez. All right. Well, welcome. And that's Lucy down beside you. I heard you say we're glad to have Lucy here today, too. So thank you all for coming. All right. We'll go to uh item number two, and that's approval of the minutes in March. I move to approve the March minutes. I second it. All right. And I was not there, so I can't. You can vote. Oh, I can't. I can't. I can still vote. Okay, thank you. I'm glad you're an attorney to help us out. All right. So we've got a motion for approval of the minutes, and we'll have a roll call, please. Yes. Suarez present. Kingsweiler, yes. So the motion has been approved, and the motion passes. All right, number three, new animal services facility update. I um put a list there for you to look at. Um there continuing parking lot and camera pole. Uh I think it's supposed to be conduit. Drywall area B, wire and electrical circuits. Um first coat of paint in the kennel area. Yeah, it's exciting. Installing uh plywood and IT storage pallet breakdown area. Um and that goes on into the second week. And then they will finish the parking lot and camera pools. We'll have an inspection on the raceway for the parking lot and camera pole. They'll be finishing the drywall in area B. Um continuing with electrical. Um then they'll start paint and utility closets and the get to know kennel area. Um first coat of paint in area A.
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