Response from the Board of Supervisors The Board of Supervisors concurs with and approves the response provided by

The Board committed violations of the Brown Act over the course of the year. These violations included not posting notices 72 hours in advance of a meeting, not holding a public meeting before and after a closed session to inform the public of its decision on related matters, and other violations that are still under investigation at this writing.

For several years, Foothill Fire Protection District has been receiving tax dollars from an area to the south of Hogan Dam, accessed off of Hogan Dam road, that has not been annexed by the district. During a recent Local Agency Formation 63

The Grand Jury confirmed complaints received by the consultant that cats without sedation were being euthanized by intracardiac injection. Also, the Grand Jury found there were complaints of abusive treatment of animals being taken to the euthanasia room.

The Grand Jury found Calaveras County Animal Services, when compared to similar counties, is under funded. Budget amounts for 2006 divided by population resulted in the following: Name of County Population Budget for 2006 Cost per person/per year Calaveras County 49,000 $343,823 $7.02 Amador County 38,000 $798,211 $21.00 Tuolumne County 57,000 $823,000 $14.44 El Dorado/Westslope 68,100 $1,260,000 $18.50

The Grand Jury finds inadequate communication between Animal Services and the Calaveras Humane Society. Several animals selected for “Pet of the Week” or for transport to another facility were euthanized due to poor communication between Animal Services and the Humane Society. Animal Services developed “Pet of the Week” procedures, issued on March 3, 2006 to improve communications between Animal Services employees and volunteers of the Humane Society. Without the Humane Society’s 50 volunteers, it would be difficult to operate the Calaveras County animal shelter. These volunteers find foster families and permanent homes for the animals and help out with a variety of other tasks.

The Calaveras County Animal Services Facility is in need of developing and revising their Policies and Procedures Manual, job descriptions, methods for training and 60 evaluating its staff and volunteers. Animal Services has mentioned implementing a new tracking software program to maintain a more effective database. Animal Services management intends to have all the above items completed and in place by January 2007.