SILOAM SPRINGS — The Benton County judge had campaigned on opening an animal shelter to serve the county, but he’s changed his stance on animal control since then.

Judge Dave Bisbee said he now wants an animal control ordinance.

He told this to about 10 people who attended the judge’s first press conference in downtown Siloam Springs on Friday.

“I’d thought we’d need an animal shelter,” the judge said.

“What I’ve come to find out is animal shelters are not the answer. It’s animal control ordinances.”

A county resident at themeeting asked Bisbee about what to do when domestic animals are running loose and being a nuisance on his property.

“I say very light heartedly, ‘Shoot ‘em,’” Bisbee said.

Justice of the Peace Bob Stephenson, who attended the press conference, said “people don’t need 19 dogs running loose.”

But Louis Houston of Siloam Springs said shooting a neighbor’s dog would likely turn into a problem between neighbors.

This would be where the animal control ordinance could help, Bisbee said.

“We could prevent a lot of neighbor problems,”

Starting a county animal shel-ter would be difficult because animal rights activists want a no kill shelter, the judge said.

It would cost $10 per day to house an animal, he said. The cost is comparable to housing an inmate at the county jail.

Bisbee also talked about staring a trash service in the county.

Mike Wishon, who lives about eight miles east and south of Siloam Springs along Lookout Tower Road, asked about what could be done about the trash being dumped nearhis property.

“My concern is the trash that’s being dumped out there,” Wishon said.

Bisbee had considered the nearest trash dumping site to be set up in Decatur, but not in the area Wishon’s living.

Stephenson said a mobile trash dumping site could be placed along the Illinois River.

“The Decatur one won’t help people living east and south of town,” Stephenson said.

Repairing the Fisher Ford Road bridge was also discussed at the press conference.

“We haven’t given up,”Bisbee said.

A $20,000 bid to submit an application to the U.S.

Army Corps of Engineers has been received.

The application would be sent to 200 agencies in order for the project to go forward.

The state highway department closed Fisher Ford Road bridge seven years ago.

Houston said that the road had been known as Fish or Ford before being named what it is now.

Bisbee also announced that he would ask the Quorum Court to decrease the property tax that supports roads, from 2.2 millsto 1.9 mills and increase the tax that goes to the county general fund from 4.8 mills to 5 mills. It would be a net decrease in property tax of .1 mills.

Siloam Springs might lose $50,000 to $55,000 annually in property tax revenue from the county if the tax that supports roads is decreased, Bisbee said.

“It’s important we get this information out,” he said.

The next judge’s public meeting and press conference in Siloam Springs will be noon Nov. 13 at the Arvest Bank Community Room on University Street in downtown.

News, Pages 1 on 10/14/2009

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American_Humane says...

To the Editor,
Jeff Della Rosa’s article, “County judge holds meeting in Siloam,” published on Oct. 14, 2009, was brought to the attention of the American Humane Association today. As an organization that has advocated for the protection and humane treatment of animals for 132 years, we want to take this opportunity to express our serious concern for the humane treatment of stray and unwanted pets in Benton County. We find Judge Bisbee’s change of position on opening an animal shelter to be unacceptable. Additionally, the judge’s joking recommendation to “shoot ‘em” when asked what to do with stray animals is absolutely appalling. The issue of housing stray and unwanted pets is a very serious one for any community and should be regarded as such by Bisbee.

American Humane supports the judge’s proposal to enact an animal control ordinance in Benton County. A well-written ordinance will serve to protect both the pets and citizens of the county. However, we also strongly believe that every community has an obligation to ensure that stray and unwanted pets are provided with shelter and adequate care until such time as they can be returned to their owner, adopted to a new home or humanely euthanized by injection. Allowing homeless animals to roam the community or killing them by any means other than injection is inhumane and intolerable in a civilized society.

We strongly urge Bisbee to reconsider his position on establishing an animal shelter, and we urge the citizens of Benton County to demand humane treatment for their stray and unwanted pets. There is more than one option available that would provide an acceptable solution to this matter. The county may find it more feasible to contract with another local animal shelter to provide services rather than opening its own shelter. American Humane would be happy to provide guidance or assistance in this matter.

Sincerely,

Debrah Schnackenberg
Vice President, Animal Protection Division
American Humane Association
63 Inverness Dr. East, Englewood, CO 80112
www.americanhumane.org

October 16, 2009 at 4:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )