27798 Nanticoke Rd.
Salisbury, MD 21801
(410) 430-5448/cell (410) 742-0079/home
04/09/2013
Mr. Rick Pollitt, 1st Wicomico County ExecutiveGovernment Office Bldg., Room 303
Salisbury, MD 21801
RE: Investigation of Humane Society of Wicomico County
Dear Mr. Pollitt,
I am requesting you & Mr. Strausburg investigate the NON-REGULATED, NON ACCOUNTABLE
Humane Society of Wicomico County. You appropriate a large amount of taxpayer money to them through contracts for 1. Animal Control & 2. the Housing & Care of stray animals. I believe it was in the amount of $240,000 for 2013.
In addition to that money, Wicomico County rents them the facility on Citation Drive for $1 a year hugely adding to the total payment if real-time rent was paid.
It is unfathomable to me & many citizens that HSWC receive taxpayer money without being monitored or accountable for the precious lives of animals that are dependent on human intervention. What other organization or facility is entrusted with LIVES & not answerable to the government & public? It is totally reckless, inconceivable, & derelict to let this private family-run club operate at the cost of the animals.
Through their own admission on their web page, they state they are a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. That they govern themselves with a Board of Directors & Executive Director. That they are not a Wicomico County entity & ARE NOT UNDER Wicomico County SUPERVISION. Yet they receive $240,000 a year from the County,
(to me) an unknown amount of money from the City of Salisbury, $20,000 from the Town of Delmar, plus I assume money from Dorchester County since they are picking up their strays. I, also, understand that if Delmar did away with their animal ordinances, they would fall under the jurisdiction of Wicomico County eliminating that $20,000 & AC spending 20 hours a week there with the other 20 for Salisbury. Is that double pay for 1 Officer?
The citizens & animal lovers of Wicomico County need your help.
To many of us the animals are like our "children". Look at the regulations on child care facilities yet the HSWC take in these animals which is the end of the road for many at the hands of what we believe are INHUMANE LEADERS.The stories & incidences in 2013 & 2012 are too sad & lengthy to list. Citizen complaints have been ignored with rudeness, silence, & non response. We have written, called, & visited The Wicomico County Council, The Wicomico County Sheriff's Department & each direction has led to your authority as our only hope. The TV reports have shown the unconscionableness & non-conforming attitude of this "private family owned & operated country club".
Why is there no Animal Control on weekends? Why are they not on call after "closing time"? Two officers can have staggered hours (8-5,10-7) & staggered days (Mon-Fri, Tues-Sat) with on-call rotation on weekends for better coverage. Let the On Call Officer take home the Animal Control vehicle like David Fitzgerald does every day to Berlin riding on taxpayer dollars. ..
Questions to be asked with a monthly accounting:
1. How many stray animals were brought in by Animal Control?
2. How many stray animals were brought in by the public?
3. How many stray animals were brought from Dorchester?
a. What is the arrangement with Dorchester County?
b. Who picks them up & brings them to HSWC? How much expense, how many man hours & travel time
c. How are Dorchester people going to find or know to check Wicomico to locate their pets?
d. Are the strays up for adoption at WC cost?
4. How many calls are received at AC & HS?
a. How many are responded to & investigated?
b. How many followup calls & results? Abuse & Neglect must be monitored regularly.
It takes followup. followup. followup?
c. How many citations written?
d. How many court/trial cases & results?
5. How many dogs running loose?
a. How many times were the owner's contacted?
6. How many animals were adopted?
7. Why are the City Animal Control Officers allowed only at the FRONT COUNTER?
a. Why won't the HSWC tell the City Officers where the dogs are & what has been done to them or for them?
You rent the Citation Drive property to the HSWC for $1 a year. That is a huge amount of money to be added to the contract money paid yearly.
1. Building renovations:
a. Do they ask approval & submit a proposal?
b. Does it matter they spend more money on the office than improvements for the animals?
c. Does it matter that they keep more & more animals outside?
d. Does.it matter when you go in to adopt a pet, they only let you look at a portion of the kennels? They explain the others cannot be seen without David being there?
Mr. Pollitt, this information should be giving you great concern for the welfare of the BELOVED pets/animals that go to the Humane Society of Wicomico County because of their OWNERS & the other animals that need to go there. Sadly animals are dependent on humans & it is our responsibility to have concern, compassion, solutions, provide safety /protection & merciful resolutions.
WILL YOU HELP??? MONEY TALKS!!!
NON PROFIT??? HSWC 2011 Form 990: Total Revenue $635,436, Total Expenses ,$659,821, Net Assets $771,908
Sincerely, Sally Jones
Page 2
Why is there no Animal Control on weekends? Why are they not on call after "closing time"? Two officers can have staggered hours (8-5,10-7) & staggered days (Mon-Fri, Tues-Sat) with on-call rotation on weekends for better coverage. Let the On Call Officer take home the Animal Control vehicle like David Fitzgerald does every day to Berlin riding on taxpayer dollars. ..
Questions to be asked with a monthly accounting:
1. How many stray animals were brought in by Animal Control?
2. How many stray animals were brought in by the public?
3. How many stray animals were brought from Dorchester?
a. What is the arrangement with Dorchester County?
b. Who picks them up & brings them to HSWC? How much expense, how many man hours & travel time
c. How are Dorchester people going to find or know to check Wicomico to locate their pets?
d. Are the strays up for adoption at WC cost?
4. How many calls are received at AC & HS?
a. How many are responded to & investigated?
b. How many followup calls & results? Abuse & Neglect must be monitored regularly.
It takes followup. followup. followup?
c. How many citations written?
d. How many court/trial cases & results?
5. How many dogs running loose?
a. How many times were the owner's contacted?
6. How many animals were adopted?
7. Why are the City Animal Control Officers allowed only at the FRONT COUNTER?
a. Why won't the HSWC tell the City Officers where the dogs are & what has been done to them or for them?
You rent the Citation Drive property to the HSWC for $1 a year. That is a huge amount of money to be added to the contract money paid yearly.
1. Building renovations:
a. Do they ask approval & submit a proposal?
b. Does it matter they spend more money on the office than improvements for the animals?
c. Does it matter that they keep more & more animals outside?
d. Does.it matter when you go in to adopt a pet, they only let you look at a portion of the kennels? They explain the others cannot be seen without David being there?
Mr. Pollitt, this information should be giving you great concern for the welfare of the BELOVED pets/animals that go to the Humane Society of Wicomico County because of their OWNERS & the other animals that need to go there. Sadly animals are dependent on humans & it is our responsibility to have concern, compassion, solutions, provide safety /protection & merciful resolutions.
WILL YOU HELP??? MONEY TALKS!!!
NON PROFIT??? HSWC 2011 Form 990: Total Revenue $635,436, Total Expenses ,$659,821, Net Assets $771,908
Sincerely, Sally Jones
17 comments:
Now sally, why you want to go and rock the boat! they got a real good thing going there and all you want to do is make things rough for them! like actually having to show their worth to the taxpaying citizen!
Very well stated Ms. Jones, I commend you. Pollitt needs to grow a set of balls and do his job. This has been the worse run HS under Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald needs to be removed and a qualified/trained animal rescue manager needs to be hired immediately.
"It is unfathomable to me & many citizens that HSWC receive taxpayer money without being monitored or accountable...
Why not, the entire volunteer fire and service in Wicomico County is not monitored or held accountable.
Sally the only thing O Pollitt cares about funding is the BOE and the rest of the county can go to h#$%. He does not care how it's spent once it's handed out. Make someone accountable HA.
3:02. The Executive has no say over who the humane society appoints as director I recall the same criticism regarding the past 2 directors
Who's going to keep Tricky Ricky accountable? O forgot, NO ONE!!!
5:32. the voters
I would like to get an answer to a call I made to the Wicomico County Humane Society today. I asked a gentleman there what are the restrictions as to how many dogs can be housed at one small house near me. What is the limit and I was told that since I live in the city he would not answer my question, I would have to get it from Dog Control in Salisbury. All I wanted was how many per per residence, I do pay taxes in Wicomico County and the city, and the WCHC requests $ and support all the time from city residents. The city too did not have the answer but they are working on a related item. Does anybody have an answer?
Another reason for not getting an answer is that the person you asked has no idea what he's doing. Ask why there hasn't been the open yearly meeting for members required by HS bylaws. Not last year and not this year.
6:18. Your question is one to be answered by Salisbury Animal Control not the HS
This place has been run poorly for years and years. There has always been controversy from the place. Why in the heck would Bonnie Gordy hire her nephew in law when she knew the history of the controversy and should have expected the same. Maybe David just needed an out with all the controversy at BFD. Most people like David couldn't find their way out of a paper bag without a gov't job. If they really were ambitious they would find a real job. Just more gov't waste.
"Anonymous said...
6:18. Your question is one to be answered by Salisbury Animal Control not the HS
April 10, 2013 at 7:04 PM"
Don't be an apologist. They have a contract with the city and when a member of the public calls about a question regarding regulations within the city the staff should know the answer. If they do not know the answer then they should do what they can to find out for the person calling and call them back with the answer. That's how well run organizations operate. They don't give the public the runaround.
the answer is five (5) for all wicomico county, includes the city.
What do you expect? The way they treat the homeless humans crowded into shelters isn't much different than over crowding at the humane society. At least the animals are put out of their misery.
Thanks for your efforts Sally, most of the enities such as the HS don't answer to anyone and are run as a rouge enterprise, largely funded by taxpayer dollars with no accountablity.
The real question is, Why is a NON Profit Organization ( The Humane Society) contracted by any Government Agency for money to do a job. Doesn't that make it a for Profit Agency. The Humane Society is supposed to be a non profit organization on its own, not paid for by any agency. All other counties have county operated animal shelters not humane societies as a business. Why are the residents of the entire county (including all city limits) paying a non profit organization as a business?
Qualified people were turned turned because they wanted too much money. Guess who's making the "too much" amount with no qualifications? Ask to see a copy of the requirements listed in the ad. for the executive director's job.
5:11, Most governments anymore do contract out to humane societies. OC uses the Wor Co Humane Society, Safe Haven has a government contract as does the Georgetown/Delaware SPCA and the Kent Co SPCA in Camden.
The money they get from the governments just covers the costs associated with picking up strays in those jurisdictions.
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