Sheriff's office to take over county animal control

Coffee County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Ronnie Whitworth said the department will now take over animal control and animal abuse investigations, following budget cuts at the State Dept. of Agriculture.

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Published: October 13, 2008

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Chief Deputy Ronnie Whitworth of the Coffee County Sheriff’s Department told commissioners Monday that the Alabama State Dept. of Agriculture will no longer be handling the county’s animal control issues.

“It’s back on us to investigate animal abuse cases,” said Whitworth. “We got a letter last week that said due to budget restrictions with the Dept. of Agriculture, the job is being passed down to us.”

Whitworth said the county has no official animal ordinance but has received about 20 livestock and domestic animal calls so far this year. He said the Sheriff’s Department’s new responsibilities could include everything from reports of starving horses to cracking down on puppy mills.

“We’re on budget restrictions ourselves so it’s going to be a burden but we’re going to do the best we can with what we’ve got,” said Whitworth, who acknowleged the issue is an emotional one for many residents. “If they call us, we’ll investigate to the best of our ability.”

In other Coffee County Commission news, the commision voted unanimously to approve Engineer Randy Tindell’s request to begin construction on the final phase of a resurfacing project on County Road 239.

“This is one section of road we’ll be happy to have behind us,” said Tindell. “It will be nice to see the final portion completed. It’s about 5 miles and we estimate construction in January or February.”

The $2.5 million, 11-mile long Alabama Department of Transportation project will cost taxpayers $270,000, according to Tindell.

Commissioners approved a resolution to renew a certification of deposit (CD), which is worth more than $300,000, and accept Troy Bank & Trust’s high rate of 3.5 percent.

The commission unanimously voted to take $5 out of each member’s paycheck and put the money into a fund for a needy family. District 3 commissioner Robert Stephens said the voluntary monthly withdrawl would net about $420 per year.

Several students from the Faith Academy homeschool attended the commission meeting Monday. Barbara Baldwin, the mother of two of the children, said it is important for students to observe governmental proceedings.