Friday, February 1, 2008

Great Falls develops parameters for Baker

I understand that the City sat down and developed parameters for Ms. Baker, the investigator.
How can one investigate if there are parameters? I would like to address Ms. Baker in the following letter:

Ms. Baker:

We, the citizens, would ask that you investigate everything. Speak to everyone involved. We would ask that you realize that the City Commission and Mr. Lawton ARE the Board of the Animal Shelter, and as such, will, in all probability, develop "parameters" that shy away from certain of their behaviors.

Here are some issues we would like investigated, please:

1) Cashing of HSCC checks without their authorization
2) Hiring of an unqualified individual as Director of the Animal Shelter
3) Acts of cruelty by Shelter staff
4) Negligence and lack of oversight by the Board of the Animal Shelter, which is comprised of City Commissioners and Mr. Lawton, which resulted in this investigation
5) Involvement by that same board with the Animal Foundation of Great Falls and the intended purpose of the original take-over and future "hand-off" of the shelter to the AFGF or its sub-group which resulted in this investigation
6) The amount of money spent by the City on the Shelter to date
7) The purported claim by the City that over 70% of the Staton Report requirements for Shelter improvement has been met by the City since taking over the facility.
8) The shut-down of the foster-home program
9) The number of animals killed to date within the Shelter
10) The lack of records kept for public inspection (violation of MCA)
11) The exact amount and types, i.e., fines, licenses, etc., of monies collected by the Shelter and City to date, and to whom they were funneled i.e., the Animal Foundation, Spay of the Falls, back into the Shelter or into other City accounts
12) The qualifications of the personnel currently writing policies and procedures for the Shelter
13) The intent by the current Shelter director to eliminate specific animal-related duties, such as temporarily caring for certain wild animals until such time as they can be handed off to another authority.
14) The lack by shelter personnel & board to ensure performance of their duties, i.e., collection of licensing fees, inspection of commercial kennels/pet stores and subsequent reissuing of annual licenses, education programs for the public, adoption fees, etc.

Thank you and we await your report,

The Concerned Citizens