Brownwood News – Two board members of the Corinne T. Smith Animal Center have submitted their resignations and four others will be asked to do the same.
Around 25 people attended a special called board meeting of the Corinne T. Smith Animal Center Wednesday night, March 11, at the Adams Street Community Center. Vice-president, Sherry Howry, presided. Brownwood City Attorney, Pat Chesser, also attended.
Submitting their resignations from the board last week were Larry and Peggy Eason.
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Of the now 13 board members, nine were present Wednesday night, four were not. Those not in attendance were Bob and Debra Dixon, Kevin Kitchens and Patricia Caudill. Board members present were Leona Cleveland, Stephen and Veronica Finch, Allan and Betty Cass, Anna Day, John Morris, Sherry Howry and Howry’s husband, Bill, who voted via video Skype as he was out of town.
In action taken by the Board members present Wednesday night, the four board members not present will be asked to resign by certified letter and a letter delivered by regular mail. The vote was 8-1 with one board member, Leona Cleveland, believing the four members should be served the papers in person. The letter will explain that the board members have violated the duties of obedience as outlined in the by-laws of the Corinne T. Smith Animal Center.
The current board also voted unanimously to serve Debra Dixon with a letter demanding all Corinne T. Smith Animal Center items in her possession be returned to the property.
The current board is working through a myriad of issues dealing with the overtaking of the board in mid-December 2019 by some of the very board members now being asked to resign. The current board is working to regain control of check books, bank statements, credit card bills and ledgers for the last three months. Straightening out the bank accounts with new signatories was expected to happen Thursday morning.
It was reported in the meeting that the animal center is $86,000 in the negative for this year. Even with that, using what interim financial paperwork the board has, it was reported that the CTSAC has $375,000 in their accounts, down from $450,000 at the end of November 2019. More than $32,000 has been spent on veterinary bills in the last three months. Payroll of $73,000, just since October 2019, is well above normal due to overtime pay.
It was also noted that the petty cash budget appeared as a loss of $2,400 in the financials. Petty cash was supposed to contain no more than $50.
“There are a lot of things that are not real clear,” said board member Stephen Finch. We didn’t have our big fundraiser (Canines, Cats & Cabernet) this last year. That was a big fundraiser for us. With excessive spending, we’re definitely in the hole but we’re hoping we can recover,” Finch said.
SHELTER UPDATE
As of Wednesday night, the animal shelter contained 86 dogs and 32 cats for a total of 118 animals. That’s down from 140 dogs with the cat population remaining near the same. The number of sheltered animals continues to drop from week to week as pets continue to be placed with new owners. Only one cat, described as very wild, has been euthanized. The cat was said to have attacked its owner. The shelter is receiving much assistance from American Pets Alive, an organization from Austin. “They’re helping us with a lot of stuff. They’re still at the shelter right now helping us with forming protocols and putting a lot of stuff in place that’s needed for the staff and our whole policy and procedure manual,” Finch said.
COMMITTEE FORMED FOR GROUND IMPROVEMENTS
Stephen Finch was nominated to chair a committee of board members, public and city officials to address drainage issues, buildings and kennels.
Amid the turmoil, current board members are rolling up their sleeves and cleaning up the facility. They plan to paint at the center today (Thursday).
The public has been donating pet food and other supplies. The public can help by donating gift cards to hardware stores that can be used by the shelter as they work to make upgrades.
The Corinne T. Smith Animal Center is a 501 © (3) non-profit organization. The City of Brownwood owns the land and the building. The animal center is in the 12th year of a 40-year lease of the property.
GETTING BACK TO THE CORINNE T. SMITH ANIMAL CENTER MISSION STATEMENT
Finch noted plans for the Board to make a point to read the Mission Statement each time they meet. The mission statement, core values and goals are below.
Mission Statement
The mission of the Corinne T. Smith Animal Center is dedicated to promoting the welfare, compassionate care and protection of animals, taking all domestic animals brought to us, finding suitable homes for adoptable animals, providing information, raising public awareness of animal issues and promoting responsible pet ownership.
Core Values
Humane treatment of all animals
Compassion in every decision and interaction
Fiscal responsibility and accountability
Honesty and integrity
Recognition of staff and volunteers as a vital resource
Goals
To provide a compassionate and healthy environment to those in our care
To facilitate responsible adoption by placing animals in permanent, caring homes
To eliminate cruelty to animals through education and advocacy
To reduce pet overpopulation through education and spay/neuter programs, and
To provide education and resources that promote responsible pet ownership