Trumbull commissioners talk about merger during budget hearings

Staff report

WARREN

The Trumbull County commissioners talked Thursday with two county department heads — Gwen Logan, executive director of the Trumbull County Dog Warden’s office, and Ernie Cook, county 911 director — about two potential mergers.

The commissioners recently gave a proposal to the Animal Welfare League of Trumbull County regarding having the AWL take over the care and housing of dogs currently being handled at the county dog kennel on Anderson Avenue Northeast in Howland.

The merger would involve AWL’s handling the dogs at its new facility on Youngstown-Kingsville Road in Vienna. It’s undetermined where the employees of the county dog kennel would work, said Commissioner Frank Fuda.

The AWL proposed an amount of money it would need from the county to pay for “build-out” of space in the AWL building to house the county’s dogs.

Fuda said during the final day of county budget hearings Thursday that the new AWL facility is a “beautiful facility,” and the AWL is a “terrific organization,” but the AWL is asking for an “outrageous amount of money” from the county to house the animals.

Fuda said he would “love to work something out” so AWL and the county dog kennel can merge, “but we can’t dig into the general fund” to pay for it.”

The county dog kennel is self-funding, but it doesn’t generate enough money from dog licenses and other fees to pay the amount the AWL is asking, Fuda said.

Veterinarian Jeff Williams, president of the AWL board, said he believes the AWL and county commissioners will continue to discuss various ways to make the merger happen. One hope is that the number of dog owners who obtain dog licenses will increase, providing the necessary revenue to pay for the space needed to house the animals.

The space consists of block walls and needs items such as heating, flooring, cages and paint to make it usable.

Ernie Cook, chief deputy for the Trumbull County Sheriff’s Office and director of the county 911 center, told commissioners the potential merger of the county 911 center and the Warren Police Department is still on track but awaiting review by the Trumbull County Prosecutor’s office.

Cook said he’s hoping that many of the Warren dispatchers will make the move to the county. “We want them,” he said.

Cook said wireless-phone fees collected by the county 911 will be used in the coming months to upgrade the 911 equipment in Niles and Lordstown.