Varied concerns raised over county animal control building

 

Belvidere Daily Republican

June 12

By Bob Balgemann
Reporter
BELVIDERE - To Boone County Health and Human Services Committee member Marion Thornberry, one of the main issues with the county animal control services... building is the safety of the people working there.
Committee Vice Chairman Bill Pysson wants to know how the county will pay for a new building. He also wants to know where county board Chairman Bob Walberg and his "Kitchen Cabinet" stand on the project.
Resident Robert Christianson is frustrated by the whole thing.
Plenty of emotions were on the table during the committee's June 5 meeting, the same night members agreed on a design for the new building.
There is unhappiness with the recent inspection of the current animal control building off South Appleton Road. That comes from both Thornberry and Christianson.
Thornberry once again referred to the hallway off which the offices of supervisor Roger Tresemer and program director Jacqui Mitzelfelt are located. "There's no way they could get out of those offices if there was a fire or if the roof collapsed," he said.
Christianson is allowed to speak from the audience, "when appropriate," due to receiving approval from committee Chairman Paul Larson. And he commanded the floor several times during the committee's last meeting.
The inspection of the animal building, reportedly by building and fire department officials, was done at his request, he said, adding that he did not agree with the result. But he warned, "This is not the end. It will come out in the end."
SAFE FOR HABITATION
County board member Cathy Ward, at the meeting in an ex-officio capacity, asked Bill Hatfield, director of environmental health for the county health department, if he also was part of the inspection team.
He said he was there, but added that the health department's only guidelines are to determine if the building has deteriorated to the extent that it has to be condemned. The animal control building does not meet the criteria, he said.
Thornberry said he met with Belvidere Mayor Mike Chamberlain and Mitzelfelt that morning and some fund-raisers are being planned to pay for improvements.
While on the subject of money, Thornberry said animal control services was a state-mandated program and that the county needed a dedicated source of revenue to pay for it.
"A countywide referendum would do that," Larson said.
But Thornberry replied, "If it went to a vote it would probably go down." He pointed to the recent referendum to provide a small tax increase to fund the new Veterans Assistance Commission, which barely passed.
Pysson thought all the talk about a referendum only was a delaying tactic. "That idea was given to the news media by Mr. Walberg, when it had not been discussed by this committee," he said.
Committee member Kenny Freeman said he didn't think the funding question should go to referendum.
A resident who didn't identify herself thought all municipalities in Boone County receive animal control services and should be required to pay for it.
That prompted Hatfield to ask if the county could charge the city of Belvidere for providing that service.
"You are correct, but it won't happen," Thornberry responded. "To them, it's a county problem," plus the argument that such a charge would constitute dual taxation.

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