Last Friday, the City-County Observer published a letter from Mark Albini addressed to the Evansville City Council to draw attention to conditions at the Evansville Animal Control Center. Albini pointed out ongoing maintenance issues such as peeling paint, clogged drains, and safety and health issues.
For Albini, the final straw was the death of a dog that he adopted just in time to save it from being euthanized. Less than five days after the one-year-old dog went home with Albini, she died from parvo.
Albini’s letter also shared his disappointment in the response from the mayor’s office. “I have received a very dismissive email stating that the mayor’s office doesn’t oversee Animal Control,” Albini said, “and that it is solely under the Department of Transportation and Services, specifically Todd Robertson.”
When asked about the tone of the correspondence between the mayor’s office and Abini, Mayor Stephanie Terry said, “Our office prides itself on being professional in responding to inquiries.”
The email to Albini, sent by a staff member, said, “Thank you for reaching out to the Mayor’s Office with your concerns. I have shared the information with the Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent of Animal Control, as well as the Director of Transportation and Services (the city department EACC falls under). EACC does have a union maintenance team that makes these repairs, and they have been made aware. Additionally, contractors will be performing regularly scheduled painting of the kennels shortly.”
When asked if she would visit the facility, Mayor Terry said, “Yes. And members of the mayor’s office staff have visited Animal Control on multiple occasions.” The visit from the mayor took place Friday afternoon.
Animal Control falls under Transportation & Services Director Todd Robinson, and the mayor has been engaged with him and 2nd Ward City Councilperson Missy Mosby about what steps can be taken to “make a significant difference in support of the work done by Animal Control.” Ablin, Mosby, and the mayor all agree that the staff at Animal Control are not at fault. “We are fortunate to have a caring, dedicated staff at Animal Control, and we are working with them to determine what resources are needed and available to improve conditions within the facility,” Mayor Terry said.
One of the resources that is needed is funding. The mayor tells us that she increased the budget for Animal Control by $74,905 in the proposed 2025 budget. The city council will adopt that budget on October 28.
