Manatee County's Animal Services Advisory Board had at least 25 member-submitted agenda items removed from its Aug. 12 meeting after county administration said the board was "not authorized" to discuss shelter operations, according to a board member who contends the move conflicts with the resolution that created the panel.
Board member goes public with dispute
ASAB member David Daniels detailed the dispute in a guest column published Aug. 24 in The Bradenton Journal, calling on the Board of County Commissioners to either rescind the restriction or formally amend the board's governing resolution.
Founding resolution authorizes operations input, member says
The nine-member advisory board was created by Resolution R-26-006, which the BCC unanimously approved Feb. 17, according to the column. Section 3.1-E of that resolution authorizes the ASAB to "make recommendations to the Board and County Administration concerning the future funding and resource and operational" options for animal control, according to Daniels' account of the document.
County staff materials distributed at the board's inaugural June 17 meeting described its core purpose as providing advice and recommendations on "policy and operational questions related to animal services and welfare," Daniels wrote. Commissioner George Kruse told members at that same meeting, as Daniels recounted: "This is your advisory board. ... We [county staff] are just here to facilitate."
New restriction surfaces two months later
Two months later, at the Aug. 12 meeting, administration introduced a new rule barring operations discussions and removed submitted items from the agenda, according to Daniels. The only significant motion the board approved that day was a recommendation that the BCC reconsider funding permanent shade structures at Bishop Animal Shelter.
Among the canceled proposals Daniels submitted were educational signs at county fishing piers warning that discarded line kills wildlife; a request to discuss risks of sending animals to free adoption events in Polk County; a zero-cost plan to photograph dog-walk boards daily to verify all shelter dogs are walked; and a proposal to track denied owner-surrender requests.
Board's power limited to recommendations
The ASAB is purely advisory. Even approved motions are only recommendations that the BCC must separately vote to accept.
"Commissioners must either formally modify the resolution or order the immediate withdrawal of these unlawful restrictions," Daniels wrote.
Daniels, who holds Seat 3 on the board as a volunteer with more than 80 hours at Manatee County Animal Welfare, was appointed by the BCC on April 7. Dena Sabou chairs the board; Katy Demick serves as vice chair.
County administration had not publicly responded to Daniels' allegations as of Aug. 24. Animal Services Director Dr. Syna Johnson, who attends ASAB meetings, had not issued a statement on the Aug. 12 agenda changes. The Lakewood Ranch Beacon was unable to reach county administration for comment before publication.
The BCC's next scheduled regular meeting is Tuesday. Residents can attend or watch the meeting through the county's online portal at mymanatee.org.
