[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6117837,"mediaKeyId","2725541-6b07a18e61ff8da35d8f585734fa8891","parentId",2725541,"title","Shelter staff report steady foster use, volunteer sign-ups and budget timing; cost study deferred to next year","audioSeconds",115,"startMs",757000,"endMs",872000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2725541-6b07a18e61ff8da35d8f585734fa8891&start=757&end=872","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2725541-6b07a18e61ff8da35d8f585734fa8891/thumbnail_757000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6117837/Alaska/Shelter-staff-report-steady-foster-use-volunteer-sign-ups-and-budget-timing-cost-study-deferred-to-next-year","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6117837-0cd42905b1b448eb80aec68819fe61e4/orig.mp4?Expires=1771148717&Signature=E9CCRYJQDjtPq7s0An7MN9XgncwGpQREkHBJP8Aeu4Z4nJeOFHsC30uRdF7AJ1KvrE4du5CVy~dayW2ORJix5IcT5fPkpXdOElP4IpUIsuHprcIjg37nJWRk5OPXAcEV79W1cBe53Do7ctHXaXkrUXUsC~zFppQyFm2iWVULMw8W~cXdKbWlyTD841h5jQt39clSHtXgaXZlieC-2-yNyk8u6RzwWul93rXy5UJMu4Gdgftc73G~q~uvX90FrQyJUDb3n2BjnKfvdLXBfeq04ldSuheYjoAqJlQAflzsBBGvEl-3~a6HlbbtIa7puO4rFRSuhyDPsoOME4YHPKpDLg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-02-03T00:00:00Z","article","Sandra Hill, Animal Control Manager for the Fairbanks North Star Borough, reported staffing and program updates to the Animal Control Commission on Feb. 3, including recruitment, volunteer activity, foster counts and the timing of a requested cost-benefit analysis.

Hill said an Administrative Assistant II position failed to fill on the first recruitment and will be reposted; the animal-tender position closed and interviews are being scheduled. Hill reported a first-aid class in November that the borough sponsored and noted classroom visits at Denali Elementary in November and December conducted by the animal-control officer team.

On volunteers and fosters, Hill said the shelter logged roughly 132 volunteer hours in December with 20 animals placed in 12 foster homes, and about 74 volunteer hours in January with 20 animals in nine foster homes. Hill said the borough is vetting volunteers through Human Resources and that the shelter is preparing to roll out scheduling software that will allow residents to view and sign up for specific volunteer time slots and tasks.

Commissioners asked about the volunteer program, how volunteers are vetted and what activities volunteers perform; Hill said volunteers are vetted through the borough’s normal HR process and, once cleared, can help with cleaning, laundry, dishwashing and, depending on training, walking and handling animals.

On data and trends, commissioners requested intake and demographic breakdowns to identify where owner surrenders and at-large animals come from. Hill said the shelter’s software can produce detailed reports but that report-writing takes staff time; staff asked commissioners to prioritize the specific fields they want tracked so appropriate reports can be generated.

Hill gave a brief budget update: the shelter’s recommendations were submitted to the borough administration in a Phase 2 presentation and staff are awaiting the administration’s response. A requested cost-benefit analysis was not completed before the current budget presentation because staff prioritized other operational work; Hill said the analysis will be scheduled and completed well before next year’s budget season.

During the meeting the commission approved the meeting agenda and consent agenda (which included multiple prior meeting minutes) by roll-call vote. The motion to approve the agenda and consent agenda was seconded by Commissioner Ruth Bethune; the roll call vote was 7–0 in favor.

The commission also held uncontested elections for chair and vice chair. Gail Gardner was nominated and declared elected chair by acclamation; a single nominee for vice chair was also declared elected by default and the nominees accepted the positions.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Fairbanks North Star Borough Animal Control Commission Meeting - February 03, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Animal-control staff reported volunteer and foster statistics, staffing recruitment updates and a budget timeline; a requested cost-benefit analysis was not completed in time for the current budget and will be prioritized for next year.","taxTitle","Fairbanks North Star (Borough), Alaska","taxId",5063,"location","Alaska","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6117843,"Staff: 65% design for new Fairbanks animal shelter complete; public presentations planned in March",84,3393000,3477000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2725541-6b07a18e61ff8da35d8f585734fa8891&start=3393&end=3477","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2725541-6b07a18e61ff8da35d8f585734fa8891/thumbnail_3393000.jpg","/articles/6117843/Alaska/Staff-65-design-for-new-Fairbanks-animal-shelter-complete-public-presentations-planned-in-March","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6117843-2c2aff3ee7d4d5d176dd979bda094b76/orig.mp4?Expires=1771148717&Signature=Y3TAGDQQG-Rl9ZYfTWHY8-rvJtn5U9ZvK~x89uFPSgSEBuwFSFQFZbuFnH4z2LKXFuK75VUqfmOvo5g53EwUqDUzxdb7g-IuJq0LBg0EVG~BUVBbTtDr8fOiMB-oczL63ksWaGH4lfCEEYR~MHNyd1D~O88HtE4NBMglTZLbLaBncVV3cqtBcorVDji1juwz94iChlx0-MDOkXx8mQ00WfpkNR3xeNHP2seCtnsp4Yewm2SOrsF1JPzFQdmHMjPuElz0CL2lIvTXjSwPrYasOIjW320G4zB0-QD0tSQpgKetWlZnN3dGikAxcNmVTBXAVphoMXm36KISLLnPaO03aA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Sandra Hill, Animal Control Manager for the Fairbanks North Star Borough, told the commission on Feb. 3 that the animal-shelter replacement project has reached a 65% design milestone and that design consultants will present the plan to elected officials and the public in March.

Hill said Buttersworth and Indigo Hammond (design consultants) will present the 65% plans to the assembly and the commission; tentative dates mentioned in the meeting were March 6 for the assembly presentation and March 7 for an open house at the Carlson Center, though Hill and the clerk cautioned that the March 6 date was not yet set in stone and would be finalized by the clerk’s office and administration.

Commissioners asked whether the public would be allowed to ask questions at the Carlson Center open house; staff said there would be a method for questions, either written or verbal, and that finalized times and details would be posted on the borough and commission websites and advertised on Facebook.

A commissioner who had reviewed the 65% design said she had not seen significant changes during the last review cycle and recommended commissioners attend the presentation in person. Hill said staff would coordinate website postings and social-media notices once dates and times were finalized.

Commissioners did not take formal action on the project at the Feb. 3 meeting; the discussion functioned as an operational update and scheduling notice for the upcoming presentations.","Borough staff said a 65% design for a replacement animal shelter has been completed and will be presented to the assembly and the public in early March, with an open house scheduled at the Carlson Center.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6117850,"Fairbanks animal-control code revised to raise fines, remove initial warning and add enforcement tools",858,3580000,4438000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2725541-6b07a18e61ff8da35d8f585734fa8891&start=3580&end=4438","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2725541-6b07a18e61ff8da35d8f585734fa8891/thumbnail_3580000.jpg","/articles/6117850/Alaska/Fairbanks-animal-control-code-revised-to-raise-fines-remove-initial-warning-and-add-enforcement-tools","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6117850-0e04fd010677b8c07439600918ad797a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771148717&Signature=jNhf7u~0IqKtD9cDD5mb7RWysQB3iHYM2yLn9kYBM40ly7ebZZdfNSlufMAqUFFMD5NsLjNwsHN5KfyZtdRMPcxv6G9mT3cOnmowDoNTfwjPJ101HwdwpbMTqbQq45EKX0vSaFFMZ-lng2Xr7Lov4VPT-pxSw3HUm9ao7j6Wvh0hmxAS5x1xyq9mjK3P0pIFIvPMq3~genOhwrI6xywhidmQdE2aWJ7mt5CmaYqKCJNqPHTJTJmisiu8Yp6oZFYt3hUh7bEQQ1vs7JpuHYC51gRBwe-mo2MR670X7wPeKgtxdfPk3PxkZe0JXNWXqlC9wKDzLc0z~wfmC1Z6J2f8Nw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Staff from the Fairbanks North Star Borough animal-control program briefed the Animal Control Commission on Feb. 3 about code changes the borough assembly adopted to strengthen enforcement of humane-care, rabies and related sections of borough code.

The presentation, delivered by borough animal-control staff, said the assembly amended multiple sections to fix enforcement gaps staff had identified after the passage of an earlier inhumane-care ordinance. The presenter said fines that were previously smaller than the cost of compliance have been raised so penalties are more likely to spur corrective action rather than simply become a cheaper option than following the code.

The staff member described several specific changes. Failure to provide humane care is now subject to a single citation amount rather than a graduated warning-then-citation scheme and the previous warning for inhumane-care violations was removed so that an officer may issue a citation on first inspection if appropriate. The inhumane-care citation amount discussed in the presentation was raised to $300 per animal in many cases, with higher thresholds and a $1,000 cap connected to additional legal steps.

Rabies- and quarantine-related fees were also increased to reflect the real cost of shelter quarantine or euthanasia and testing. The presenter said quarantine at the shelter runs about $20 per day and that quarantine periods for exposed animals can range from roughly 45 days to as long as 180 days depending on the protocol; in several cases the assembly raised fines tied to rabies exposures to about $500 to better match the expense of compliance.

The code now requires microchipping of animals that undergo quarantine so staff can identify animals moving forward; the assembly added an exception that animals slated for euthanasia for testing do not need to be microchipped. The revisions also add enforceable requirements for intact males to match existing restrictions placed on intact females in heat, a change staff said responds to recurring complaints about intact males roaming, damaging property or harassing other dogs.

Other changes highlighted by staff included removal of a nuisance-parking provision that had proven difficult to apply fairly, the consolidation of some fee tiers into single median amounts (for example, at-large/loose-animal fines were set to a consistent amount around $200 rather than a first/second/third escalating scale), and elimination of some circumstances that previously required a written warning before a citation (for example, interference with an officer and certain inhumane-care warnings).

Commissioners asked about authorities and next steps when an animal must be seized. The staff member told commissioners the borough does not have unilateral authority to confiscate animals for cruelty or inhumane care; such criminal removals are a matter for state peace officers (for example, troopers or local police) under state animal-cruelty statutes. The staff member said trooper response depends on whether the case meets the state standard of prolonged suffering, whether a veterinarian can support that finding, and on trooper availability.

Commissioner Ronni Rosenberg emphasized that the ordinance’s legislative history explicitly excludes hospice care performed under veterinary guidance, and staff confirmed that hospice treatment by an owner, when coordinated with a veterinarian, was intended to remain a lawful option.

Commissioners and staff said they expect the changes to give animal-control officers better practical tools to address ongoing welfare problems, to reduce perverse incentives where fines were previously cheaper than compliance, and to speed enforcement when animals are found in deteriorated conditions.","Staff described recent amendments to borough animal-control code that increase fines for inhumane care and rabies-related violations, remove an initial written warning for some cruelty citations, add microchipping requirements for quarantined animals and expand enforceable standards for intact animals.","actionData","errors"]

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Shelter staff report steady foster use, volunteer sign-ups and budget timing; cost study deferred to next year

Staff: 65% design for new Fairbanks animal shelter complete; public presentations planned in March

Fairbanks animal-control code revised to raise fines, remove initial warning and add enforcement tools