Members reconsider change in days
After Hollister council members last month advised the city
staff to eliminate Saturday hours at the Hollister Animal Shelter,
they are now at odds as to whether it’s a good idea.
Hollister Animal Shelter officials earlier last month had
contended the switch 17 months earlier
– to open Tuesdays through Saturdays – correlated with decreased
adoptions and more euthanizations since that time. Though it’s
unclear how much the recession played into those numbers, most
council members appeared to back the idea, with the exception of
Councilman Doug Emerson.
Members reconsider change in days
After Hollister council members last month advised the city staff to eliminate Saturday hours at the Hollister Animal Shelter, they are now at odds as to whether it’s a good idea.
Hollister Animal Shelter officials earlier last month had contended the switch 17 months earlier – to open Tuesdays through Saturdays – correlated with decreased adoptions and more euthanizations since that time. Though it’s unclear how much the recession played into those numbers, most council members appeared to back the idea, with the exception of Councilman Doug Emerson.
Emerson during the initial discussion had expressed skepticism about the numbers and whether it makes sense to close on Saturdays in a city where the majority of working adults commute out of town to work.
On Monday, he was joined by Councilwoman Pauline Valdivia in opposing the formal change, while council members Victor Gomez and Eugenia Sanchez preferred moving back to Monday through Friday.
It means the Saturday hours will remain for now, while it’s unclear when the switch might come back for consideration, as Councilman Ray Friend was absent from the meeting and stands as the swing vote.
Police Chief Jeff Miller last month had addressed the issue in a report to council members.
Despite promotion of the new days of operation last year, including mention on the city’s website and a note on the door of the shelter, “there appears to have been insignificant public utilization of the Saturday opening,” Miller wrote in a report to the city council. He said the weekday-only schedule will also allow his department to offer more administrative support to the shelter.
From March 2009 through February 2010, while shelter admissions jumped nearly 10.5 percent, the adoption rate decreased by 4.5 percent and the euthanasia rate jumped more than 8 percent, according to the city.
The animal shelter is located at 1331 South St. It is open noon to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.
