Supervisors will consider spay and neutering grant, other agenda items Tuesday
The Merced County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will consider accepting $15,000 from the state for the Sheriff’s Department to augment spay and neuter services, among other agenda items.
The funding comes from the California Department of of Food and Agriculture and will be used to spay or neuter dogs or cats owned by county residents, according to county documents. The money cannot be used to spay or neuter animals impounded by the county’s animal shelter.
In 2013-14, the county set aside $40,000 to fund a low-cost spay and neuter program, which served 253 dogs and 249 cats. The estimated number of animal births the program prevented was 1,518 dogs and 3,735 cats, based on the average litter size of a dog – six puppies – once a year and the average litter size for a cat – five kittens – three times a year.
Funding for the program lasted three months, according to the county documents.
The board also will consider:
▪ A contract with Fresno Regional Workforce Investment for a $43,370 grant to implement a pre-apprenticeship support, training and placement for 20 disadvantaged job seekers, individuals receiving unemployment and veterans in Merced County.
▪ Designating county fire stations as local safe-surrender baby sites. The 2014-15 Merced County grand jury report found that the Board of Supervisors has no plan in place for the statewide Safely Surrendered Baby Law, which was created in California in 2001 and signed into state law in 2006. The county does not have a hotline or a website specifically about the law, though the state has both. The grand jurors recommended the supervisors immediately adopt a “Safely Surrendered Baby” policy that includes surrender sites at all county fire stations, as well as a hotline and website. The plan also should include signs and fliers in several languages for use by county offices, the grand jury said.
▪ Appointing Scott Pettygrove as the interim director of the Human Services Agency. Ana Pagan, the former director, retired last week. Pettygrove currently is the deputy director. Pettygrove would be paid $75.75 per hour and begin Aug. 10.
The Board of Supervisors will meet Tuesday in the board room at the Merced County Administration Building, 2222 M St. in Merced. Open session is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.
This story was originally published August 3, 2015 at 5:22 PM with the headline "Supervisors will consider spay and neutering grant, other agenda items Tuesday."