Why Has Board Put a Gag Order on Colbert Animal Shelter?

 

Wendy Snitzer on Colbert Animal Shelter Board

Want to volunteer for the Colbert animal shelter? You must not mention the shelter on social media, must not look for problems, and must be respectful. We hope no one has any problems about number three. Always be respectful if you wish to accomplish anything.

How about looking for problems? Perhaps they just jump out at you. What do you do then? Don't mention the shelter on social media? Hmmm. We believe in the First Amendment and do not believe that the board has the authority to place such a gag order on anyone.

Funny...if you read the TimesDaily account of this meeting, nothing of these edicts was mentioned. Now tell us the shelter has nothing to hide.

Contact the Colbert County Animal Shelter Board

 

A few years ago, there were serious problems at the old Florence-Lauderdale Animal Shelter. Mayor Steve Holt of Florence took care of it immediately and even worked performing manual labor at the shelter. Thank you, former mayor Holt!

Don't expect this from the Colbert County Board or those mayors who are members. Why do they simply care so little? You would need to ask them, but pass the buck seems to be their favorite game.

We urge all in Colbert County (and beyond) to e-mail, write, or call these board members concerning the problems at the Colbert Shelter. Trust us, there has been no exaggeration in the problems reported. Much more will come to official light soon.

Steve Stanley - mayor@sheffieldalabama.org, Office: 256.383.0250, Cell: 256.627.5089.

Mike Lockhart - (256) 383-5675

Kerry Underwood - 256-366-5785, 102 North Main Street , Tuscumbia, AL 35674 256-366-5785

Tambra Howard - https://shoalspaws.com/

Tori Bailey - 201 N Main St, Tuscumbia, AL 35674, 256-394-8674
toribailey@aol.com

In case they missed the memo, these individuals work for you the people. Make them start acting like it.

*****

Thought for the day: If a man beats his first wife, how desperate is any woman who agrees to become his second?

Tomorrow Last Day for Much of Colbert Shelter Staff?

 

 

A reliable source has told us that March 31st is the last day for Anthony Wilbanks and several volunteers at the Colbert Animal Shelter. If the shelter was understaffed before, what will it be like after Thursday?

Does the Colbert County Commission care? We're pretty sure it doesn't, considering all its actions in the past.

One of the greatest fears is that the new director will bring back the gas chamber. Would Speegle actually do this? To use the business term du jour, it wouldn't be good optics for the county. 

In the past, we've supported the Colbert Shelter as well as the Florence Animal Shelter. Now we suggest you confine your donations to the latter where they will do the most good.

Why Does Colbert County Animal Shelter Have to Beg?

 

We've said before how all donations to local government sponsored animal shelters are appreciated, but they shouldn't be depended upon to run an operation. A shelter may not have funds for the five or ten surgeries an injured animal may need, but it should have the money to purchase such staples as cat litter.

Yet both Lauderdale and Colbert Shelters regularly request specific donations of basic supplies. This is especially true of Colbert. We hope all our readers will come through for the shelter, but that does not absolve the county commission from its duty.

Colbert County Animal Shelter Truths - Part I

In the first of our series on the Colbert County Animal Shelter, we'll look at the animal control officers. These officers have absolutely no input on budget matters. They can't go into the shelter's offices and randomly pull paperwork to be distributed to those who ask for budgets, payroll records, etc. That should be obvious to anyone with the proverbial lick of sense. So don't blame an animal control officer if he or she can't hand you a copy of the shelter's budget on a moment's notice.

The animal control officers themselves? Colbert County has two to cover an area of 589 square miles. If you think that makes them spread thin, there's still more.

Many consider this a taboo subject, but here goes. Men and women are different (surprised, aren't you?). Take this scenario: A man's wife leaves him for the new and improved model, he loses his job, and the motor blows up in his truck. Getting drunk seems like a good idea to him, and once drunk, setting his dog on fire seems like an even better idea. It's almost midnight when the call comes in to authorities. Whom do they send?

If you've already surmised that the female animal control officer isn't used on night calls and even some day calls, you're absolutely right. That leaves Officer Anthony Wilbanks the main enforcer in Colbert County. In case you're thinking the shelter should hire more certified officers, where is the money coming from? Certainly donations are fantastic, but a budget can't be formulated on pie in the sky...certainly not the part devoted to employee salaries.

Both Charles Hovater and Tommy Barnes should be ashamed of themselves for ever suggesting donations can keep the shelter running. If that's the case, why don't they make all Colbert County fees and taxes strictly optional? 

How about it, Commissioner Hovater and Commissioner Barnes?

Theft at the Colbert County Animal Shelter?

The next few days, we'll be concentrating on problems at the Colbert County animal shelter. What are some of the questions? Here's Mr. Ed Bowman's take (Mr. Bowman publishes the page Colbert County Corruption):



WHERE IS THE MONEY GOING Shoalanda Speaks? Is there a reason you’re not asking these questions?

Questions like 

*Why has their (sic) not been a balanced budget since 2015. A detailed budget! Not a summary budget?

*Why, when asked by elected officials, has a budget been denied by the Colbert County Animal Shelter & Board Members?

*Can the Animal Shelter & Board Members justify asking for more money from the taxpayers, when the animal shelter receives (total from the cities in Colbert County) $360,000 and another $140,000 in donations/other sources?

*What did the Colbert County Animal Shelter & Board Members do to lose a very generous donation (on a regular basis) of dog and cat food from Sunshine Mills. Inc?
A source tells me the dog and cat food wasn’t making it back to the shelter.
That in it self brings up concerning questions. Has anyone asked these questions?

Shoalanda Speaks- instead of blaming Commissioner Tommy Barnes, why not go to Anthony Wilbanks first and demand, under the Sunshine law, a copy of the budget? A DETAILED BUDGET!


You will notice that we have already answered one of these questions. Sunshine Mills tells us that the donations to the shelter were stopped not because of theft, but due to the gifts not being tax deductible. Business is business.

We'll also note that Mr. Wilbanks is the animal control officer, not the director of the shelter. He does not make the budget, nor does he handle business requests of the shelter. 

If you have additional questions, please send them now. In the meantime, here's a point for you to ponder: How would you like your paycheck to be dependent on donations? In other words, if donations come in, you get paid. If donations don't arrive, you don't eat or pay your bills. Does that sound reasonable to anyone out there? How about it, Tommy Barnes? Is that how it works at your house?

About Those Sunshine Pet Food Donations...

There appear to be very few things in life about which no one is willing to start a rumor. It's been well publicized that the Sunshine Mills company in Red Bay had for some time very generously donated food to the Colbert County Animal Shelter, but recently stopped. Why?

A rumor seems to have popped up that the food was not making it back to the shelter. It was either being sold or going home with employees or both. Is any of this true?

In one word: No! A source at Sunshine Mills has stated the company discontinued the donations due to the shelter not being a 501c3 charity. Any donations to a non-charity are not tax deductible and therefore impact the company's profits greatly. 

We're not sure if the shelter would even qualify for such a status. We're guessing that it wouldn't since the shelter is part of the county government. Let's just be appreciative that the shelter received these donations for such a long period of time.

And the rumors? Was one county commissioner responsible for most of them? If so, Prince will be happy to put him on the agenda.

My Incisors Stand Ever At The Ready!

And going out for Charles Hovater:

Why Don't Colbert Businesses Pay a Penny?

The debate on restructuring funding for the Colbert County Animal Shelter is just getting heated up. If funding could somehow be based on negative words from the county commission, the shelter would have enough cash on hand to last until 2100.

Why has no one mentioned one glaring problem? Funding is currently based on electric meters in the three major Colbert towns: Muscle Shoals, Tuscumbia, and Sheffield. But wait...it's not all electric meters.

That's right, the $1.05 payment per meter is based solely on residential electric meters, not business meters. So if a sick, stray dog shows up at the Walmart front door, will animal control be expected to come take care of the problem?

The current formula is a joke in itself, but to exclude businesses from the mix is one of the most idiotic ideas we've heard in a long time. Doesn't tax money from these commercial entities go toward schools? As far as we know, McDonald's hasn't fathered any children recently. 

There needs to be a new funding formula. By putting off the decision, Colbert County governments are only making the matter worse. Then again, these are the same governing bodies that routinely take shelter supplies from the private sector and barely say thank you. 

Be sure to say "Thank you" to these politicians during the next election cycle.

Mayor Underwood, Prince Wants a Word with You!

A word from Prince, our Canine-American blogger:

Ahem and arf, Mayor Underwood. So you think a .10 per electric meter increase to fund the Colbert animal shelter will be a hard sell. Grrrrrr! After 12 years with no increase? Has anyone bitten you recently?

How about this...how about all dog owners/lovers stop shopping in Tuscumbia? You don't care about us, we don't care about you. 

But don't think we won't visit Tuscumbia. We'll make an effort to come bite everyone over there when we have the time. And we will do our business in that city, ahem. That doesn't mean purchasing from your merchants; that means looking at Tuscumbia as the toilet you're letting it become.

In closing, again I say, I'll biiiiiiite you!

Wonder How a "Bubba" Tastes?

This Thing Called Protocol...

The word "protocol" has popped up in two recent events--both of which ended in death. Much discussion has taken place concerning the use, or lack of such, by Lauderdale County deputies Saturday night. No matter what precipitated the shooting itself, it's mind boggling that any would suggest the deputies should have arrived via the front driveway.

If the event had been a real attempted murder or hostage situation, the deputies would have been sitting ducks for the shooter. That being said, what happened after the deputies arrived seems to be the subject of debate even among the deputies themselves.

For those who have asked, no, we didn't publish a photo that included Deputy Joe Shanes because we knew he was involved in the shooting. He was simply in the photo labeled as Lowery Davis. Another fine example of incompetence in the Lauderdale Sheriff's office.

*****

According to PNS, something unsavory has hit the fan at the Colbert County Animal Shelter. Let's hope that Roscoe's death and the lack of protocol that precipitated it will be a catalyst for needed change in that department.

Latest Shelter Director Resigns

Shoalanda

Earth to Mayor Shoemaker & Other Pressing Issues

Concerning the Colbert County Animal Shelter, Tuscubmia Mayor Billy Shoemaker said, "it seemed unfair to ask non-pet owners to pay taxes for the animal shelter and believes the vaccine fee could solve the funding woes."

Okay, Mayor Billy, does that mean when I go to buy my car tag I can say, "Hey, I don't have kids. It's not fair for me to have to pay a school tax. So, just take that amount off before I buy my tag?"

I want to get personal and tell you a story about a friend of mine. I'll call her Lydia because I've never met anyone by that name and I don't want to embarrass anyone. Lydia is one of the most honest and sweet people I've ever met.

Lydia likes to shop more than I do, so that's a lot. One day at lunch she left a dress shop and the alarm went off. Here came all sorts of people who looked through her purse and bag. You might say Lydia was just a little embarrassed by this, but the store apologized when they didn't find anything that she had stolen.

The next week, different store, same scenario. This time the store didn't even apologize to Lydia. Needless to say, Lydia didn't want this to happen any more, but she wasn't sure what was making it happen. Enter Lydia's boyfriend.

Jim was a local police officer, so when he heard Lydia's story, he looked in her purse. Lydia was always dieting, so she had started carrying a small calculator to add up the calories she had when she ate out. Jim took the calculator with him and placed it in his shirt pocket. He went to the same dress store Lydia had trouble with the first time and guess what? You're right, he set off the alarm.

So now Lydia knew her calculator would set off certain alarms. What did she do? What would you do? Remember, she was totally innocent of any theft and she had every right to carry a calculator with her.

If you guessed Lydia stopped carrying the calculator in her purse, you'd be right. She never set off any more alarms that I know of. End of story and now you want to know why I bothered to tell you this.

I once wrote a blog here where I discussed a man who had been accused of rape. He was never indicted but several of us writers thought he should have been. Why? Well, one thing was he'd had the law called on him twice before. Once for a violent act in high school and once in college for whatever the woman had accused him of.

Don't you think this young man should have started choosing girl friends more wisely? If I were 20 years old and had already had two girl friends report me to authorities, I'd sure be on my toes to weed out any prospective girlfriends who might just get mad and falsely accuse me. Note to all young men: When normal women get mad at you they call you a ****head but don't call the police and make up some lie about you.

So to my constant critic who keeps popping up here and there saying how terrible I am to think his friend should have gone through the court system, just remember Lydia. Don't you think your buddy should have been as smart as her?

Bailey

No More Gas Chambers/Finally a Legal Family!

Beckham--Survived Gas Chamber

The Alabama Legislature has passed Beckham's Act: By December 31, 2011, all animal gas chambers in the state will become illegal. Interestingly, the only two remaining chambers are located at the Florence Shelter and the Colbert County Shelter. What does this say about our area?

We don't believe the Shoals cares less about animals than other areas of the state. We do believe this area has been the recipient of some very bad advice concerning animal euthanasia. We're seeing comments from various sectors that the next step should be no-kill shelters. Our opinion is the next step should be a state law requiring all counties to provide an up to date and staffed animal shelter. Sadly, we have to look no farther than Franklin County to find one that doesn't.

*****

When a long time couple marries, we're apt to hear "It's about time they made it legal." We're extremely pleased that we can today announce Rylan Kade and his parents are finally "legal." No one can now legally hope to take this child away from his parents...and we hope those who sought to do so will now take down their Facebook pages and retire their warped and magical thinking, allowing this family the peace and security they've been seeking for the last three years.



Shoalanda

What's Wrong at the Colbert County Animal Shelter?

From 2003 until 2009, Tommy Morson received mainly rave reviews for his management of the Colbert County Animal Shelter. Then in 2009, a local veterinarian brought a suit against the shelter and challenged the manner in which the facility performs euthanasia. Morson has been vocal in his advocacy of the gas chamber, a method used now in only a handful of Alabama shelters. Director Morson feels a more personal method of ending the lives of stray animals would take too great a toll on shelter workers. This point may soon become moot if the state continues down its current path and outlaws such methods in toto.

While this debate is ongoing, Morson now faces stronger charges. According to reports from last week's Colbert County Animal Control Association meeting, at least one employee and one volunteer have accused Morson of various forms of sexual harassment. A second employee presented copies of e-mails in which Director Tommy Morson apparently corresponded with an escort service in another city, arranging for its services while on a shelter related trip.

So far, the Association has taken no steps to discipline Morson. Our sources say the investigation is ongoing, and more details will be published as they become available. We commend Mr. Morson for his past dedication to area animals; however, a hostile work environment is not one that draws either volunteers or capable employees. We hope this is resolved quickly.

*****

Be sure to visit the I Love Sheffield site to view a great film to video of the Giant Santa that once stood guard over North Montgomery Avenue.



Shoalanda

The Colbert County Animal Shelter

April 12, 1997, was a red-letter day for Colbert County. After many years of leasing a dilapidated structure from the Colbert County Humane Society, the new county animal shelter officially opened its doors. The shelter is overseen by the Colbert County Animal Control Association whose membership consists of one representative each from Sheffield, Tuscumbia, Muscle Shoals, and Colbert County.

The Colbert facility's first director was Jamiel Jordan Cantrell. By November 2000, Cantrell had been suspended and was suspected of misuse of funds that totaled almost 40K. The Association was forced to borrow 30K in order to meet the shelter's financial obligations. Cantrell and his wife Alicia Wisdom Cantrell were later arrested on theft charges unrelated to the missing shelter funds.

Two individuals applied to replace Cantrell--Tommy Morson, a former director of the Florence Animal Shelter, and Elaine Bray of Muscle Shoals, a long time shelter employee. The Association chose Bray, who was also heavily involved in animal rescue. Bray remained as director for three years, but the continual euthanasia of unwanted dogs and cats took its toll. The Colbert shelter routinely puts down as many as 400 animals per month, and Bray decided her love for the job did not outweigh the emotional hardship caused by the mass euthanasia.

In 2003, the Association hired Thomas Bruce Morson Sr. as full time director of the shelter. Morson, then 65, had resigned from his position with Florence in 1999 after 14 years on the job, but had later decided he was ill-suited for retirment.

The Animal Control Association felt lucky to have recruited Morson, who was a past president of the Alabama Humane Society, the Alabama Animal Control Association, and the Southeastern Animal Control Association. Co-workers commended Morson for taking the helm of the under-funded shelter, and complaints were few...until 2009.

To be continued...



Shoalanda

As Others See Us...

Is living in Tornado Alley any worse than living in a certain western state prone to earthquakes and forest fires? Is it worse than living below sea level in Louisiana? We think not...but we do like to see both sides of the coin before we totally disagree with one or the other. In that spirit, here's a link to an extremely interesting article that may sway some opinion, or at least lead many to suggest a certain Alabama senator learn to tone down his rhetoric:

Anti-Bailout Southerners Now Expect Aid

*****

Fallout from last month's tornadoes continues. Did the town of Littleville lose the key to its community storm shelter? Two e-mails to us have indicated as much. Calls to the town directed us to several individuals--none of whom had the knowledge or authority to comment on the situation.

Did the Phil Campbell Fire Department use illegal Mexican labor to repair its roof? That question involves several facets, and we can comment on the issue without even calling the fire chief who was named in the e-mail.

The town of Phil Campbell in all probability contracted with a roofing firm, not knowing if it employed Caucasian snake handlers, black voodoo queens, or Mexican hat dancers. It is the responsibility of the roofing company to ensure each employee's paperwork is in order (read: not forged).

As for the workers being Mexican, we may assume they were Hispanic, but they could have been Guatemalan or any other nationality from below the border. If they are illegal, what should be done? Illegal is illegal; they should be deported. We don't see the ICE making very much effort to do its job unless the said illegal immigrants are convicted of violent crimes. If you have an answer please contact us. We'll be happy to publish your thoughts and replies.

*****

The Connection has published it's third installment on recent events at the Colbert County Animal Shelter. We look forward to the next installment of this erotic soap opera; however, we don't think we'll be stepping on any toes if tomorrow we publish some background on the shelter and its current director Tommy Morson...



Shoalanda