Lewis and Clark Humane Society

Minutes of Board Meeting

Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2004

 

CALL TO ORDER: President Jean Ketchel called the monthly meeting of the Lewis and Clark Humane Society Board to order at 6:35 pm at the shelter. Present were board members Jean Ketchel, Tia Nelson, Lisa Mecklenberg Jackson, Kaye Davis, Jan Sheehan, Jane Benson, Jennifer Green, Judy Trevor, Jolyn Eggart, Lisa Peterson, and Kevin St. John.  Shelter executive director Gina Wiest was also present.  Board member absent was Annie Murfitt.  Guests present included Laura Behenna, Deb Pistoria, Stephanie Byrket, Ed Stipich, and Jen Hornung.

 

SECRETARY’S REPORT: Minutes for the January 2004 meeting will need to be approved at next month’s meeting.

 

MONTANA SHARES REPORT: Jan reported that the MT Shares meeting is next week.  We may move from an associate membership to a full membership.

 

SHELTER COMMITTEE REPORT: Tia reported that some anonymous letters to the board have been received.  Board members’ home phone numbers and addresses should not be given out—letters should be addressed to “board member” via the shelter.  The shelter committee will address valid complaints.

 

The shelter committee recommends that we should have a spay/neuter room at the shelter if we can get the funding to do so.  Laura is working on a grant application for this.  Having this done on-site will be much less traumatic for the shelter animals and means less transporting of animals for the staff.  A vet volunteer (or one paid a small hourly fee) will be needed.  Only shelter animals will be spayed/neutered.  A motion was made by Lisa P., seconded by Jan, that we do the spay/neuter room if outside funds are sufficient to cover costs.  Motion passed.

 

Tia stated that we have gotten the OK from the state vet to microchip our shelter animals.  This does not need to be done by a vet.

 

Tia reported that the shelter has been approached by a company called Airtel offering 6 cell phones and local coverage for $29/month for a two-year period. These phones also have a two-way radio, which Gina thought would be great for emergencies and dog walkers.  A motion was made by Tia, seconded by Lisa P., to go with the Airtel contract.  Motion passed.  The phones will be left at the shelter and anything beyond local calls will be billed to individual users.

 

Laura presented a letter she had prepared regarding the donation of used cell phones to the shelter.  The phones bring in between $1 and $10 each (the donations are tax deductible), and the shelter gets the money.  Laura will be placing donation boxes around various places/businesses around town.  Motion by Tia, seconded by Jan, to do this.  Motion passed.

 

There has been a perpetual contract between LCHS and Broadwater County for animal control.  Broadwater, like Jefferson County, is now refusing to pay for these services (cost is actually $63 per animal, rather than $53 as previously reported).  The shelter committee recommends that Gina and a board member meet with the Broadwater County Commissioners.

 

The shelter committee has received a request from the shelter volunteers for retractable leashes.  Both Tia and Gina stated they don’t feel these types of leashes work well for dog training.  Deb said she and Bob Pesta use the retractable leashes and like them.  It was decided that Deb and Bob would continue to use the old retractable leashes and Gina will order some long Web dog leashes.  There was some discussion concerning the dog walkers using the back door to prevent congestion in the front reception area, but it was decided the back door wouldn’t be safe until a handrail was installed along the stairs.

 

There was some discussion regarding security cameras at the shelter.  Lisa P. will invite companies to the shelter to look at the facility and give their recommendations.  The matter will then go before the shelter committee.

 

FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE:  The fundraising committee met Feb. 5.  Laura may try to set up a fundraising seminar with local experts.  The fundraising committee meets the first Wednesday of every month at Fireside Coffee. 

 

OTHER BUSINESS:  There was some discussion on joining the Montana Nonprofit Association, a trade association for nonprofits.  The MNA recently put on a training regarding self-insurance.  More information will be gathered on this group and joining them will be discussed further at the next board meeting.  Lisa P. and Jane are looking at the city ordinances for kennel licenses which require a license for anyone having three or more animals.  They would like to see these ordinances changed to be more lenient, like many other cities’ ordinances.  They feel the current Helena ordinances are outdated and were probably intended for commercial kennels.  Lisa and Jane intend to set up a meeting with Mike Maynard and the county commissioners to discuss this.  Laura Behenna will serve as a back-up person for the layout for Animal Tracks if Lisa MJ is unable to do it.  Kevin will help Jane with distribution of the newsletter.  Citing travel reasons and lack of time, Pam Joscelyn has resigned from the LCHS Board but says she would still like to remain involved with LCHS activities.  Lisa P. has written a letter that will be sent to animal caretakers in the state regarding the killing and disposing of unwanted dogs on the Fort Belknap Reservation and asking the caretakers to send a letter of concern to tribal authorities.  Gina also discussed a recent situation in Polson where three dogs were killed (brought to the landfill, shot, and put in the trunks of old cars) for chasing rabbits.  They were not taken to the local shelter or held for the mandatory 72-hour holding period.

 

SHELTER MANAGER’S REPORT:  Gina reported that she needs to change Internet service providers as she is having trouble with her e-mail at the shelter.  The Benefit for the Animals (Spayghetti Dinner) is Feb. 28.  Deb reported that getting auction donations this year has been tough, as there are lots of other fundraisers going on at the same time.  “But Shauna and I haven’t left a place of business without a donation,” Deb said.  “And we have been greeted very warmly by the community.” For the first time, there are sponsors for this year’s dinner.  Gina has already collected $1,800. 

 

Gina gave January 2004 statistics. 

Dogs                      Cats                       Rabbits

Came in                            103                        57                          1

Returned to Owner              45                          1                          

Adopted                            35                          37                          1

Euthanized                        6                           13

Spayed/neutered                53                          13

 

Gina mentioned that she had an idea to convert the garage into a puppy area.  Then the puppy area in the shelter could be eliminated allowing for more room in the lobby and an office for the adoption counselor.  It was mentioned that before beginning any new shelter building projects are started, we need more of a commitment from the city that we will be staying in our current spot.

 

MISCELLANEOUS:  Gina stated that she had applied for a $500 equipment grant from the Mikal Kellner Foundation.  Jean will check with board members via e-mail regarding changing the board meeting time from 6:30 to 6.  Lisa P. will be starting to coordinate a volunteer committee.  Jolyn mentioned that new shelter computers should be incorporated into the budget every 2-3 years.  The shelter committee will look at possibly meeting with other state humane society boards for an idea exchange.

 

ADJOURNMENT:  The board meeting adjourned at 8:05 pm.  The next LCHS Board meeting will be at the shelter on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 at 6:00/6:30 pm.

 

 

Respectfully Submitted,

 

Lisa Mecklenberg Jackson

LCHS Secretary