MOUNT VERNON — As of Sept. 19, the Knox County Dog Shelter housed 27 dogs.
Dog Warden Brian Biggerstaff said 57 dogs entered the shelter in August, and 56 left.
But five on the adoption floor have been at the shelter for over 60 days.
“One or two might just be dog selective. I think that the other three might be breed specific,” Biggerstaff said as to why no one has adopted the dogs. “You need to find that special person.”
Commissioner Bill Pursel asked whether there was a different fee for dogs considered dangerous.
“If a dog is designated as a dangerous dog, you purchase a dangerous dog registration on top of a regular dog license as well,” Deputy Dog Warden Tyler Moore said.
The designation is not because of the breed.
“The only way it can be designated is if the dog causes injury to a person, the dog kills another dog, or they’ve been convicted three times for failure to confine that dog,” Moore said.
Pursel noted there is proposed legislation to return to basing dangerous dog designations on the breed. According to Commissioner Thom Collier, one group advocating for that is landlords.
Under the current method, landlords must wait until an incident happens to ensure a tenant has insurance. Designating by breed requires the tenant to have insurance before an incident.
(See the August report below.)
Knox County JFS
Knox County JFS Director Scott Boone said card skimming for SNAP benefits has escalated significantly in the past two months.
“We had 18 to 20 cases prior to Aug. 1, then it escalated to over 100,” Boone told the Knox County commissioners. “[Skimmers] electronically withdraw the benefits from the recipient’s cards right around the time of deposit, around the first of the month, and they’re spending them.”
Other news:
• JFS continues working with Knox Area Transit Director Bethany Celmar to increase KAT’s NET program ridership. The state reimburses KAT for NET riders.
• The agency’s active caseload is 3,310 families. That number includes overlap if a family is involved in SNAP and children’s services.
• JFS’ Seek Work program works with 342 individuals.
(See JFS’ 2023 annual report below.)
Miscellaneous actions
• Allocated $5,000 to the Knox County Agricultural Museum from the 2024 budget to start reconditioning the log house on the fairgrounds. The commissioners plan to allocate $15,00 to the museum in the 2025 budget to help complete the project.
• Approved Modern Builder’s bid of $1,139,288 for the service center’s North Addition Project. The engineer’s estimate is $950,000.
• Approved legal notice for invitation to bid on swine barn project at the Knox County Fairgrounds. Bids are due Oct. 24.
• Renewed the school resource officer’s contract between the Knox County Sheriff’s Office and Centerburg Local School District