County officials discussed proposals to expand code enforcement in the Planning and Zoning Department, create a contracted countywide animal control officer and shift animal-intake fees from the Sheriff’s Office to Planning and Zoning.

A county official leading the discussion said the county currently has a half-time code-enforcement position dedicated to Quincy and proposed elevating that position to full time to expand countywide enforcement and add animal licensing enforcement to the role. The official proposed moving intake-fee revenue, roughly $30,000 per year, from the sheriff’s budget into planning and zoning to fund the change and suggested municipalities share in those costs.

The official said the contracted animal control officer would be on call and handle animal pick-ups for intake, a function that historically sat with the Sheriff’s Office and patrol. Committee members asked whether the code-enforcement and animal-control roles could be combined; staff said the code-enforcement position would focus on follow-up (licenses, violations) while the contracted animal control officer would perform pick-up and intake work.

Members also discussed municipal cooperation on cost-sharing and the need to review state statutes to clarify legal responsibilities if municipalities do not participate. No formal action was taken; the matter was presented for budget discussion ahead of the 2026 budget cycle.