7:40:35 PM EDT
CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE ON DOG ISSUES
A questionnaire on dog related issues was sent to each of the candiates for County Commissioner via Email. The text of the Email is shown below and then the questionnaire. Following that are the responses from each candidate still in the race following the primary election. The date of their response is also shown. To save space, the questions are not repeated each time. Just the responses are shown.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TEXT OF THE EMAIL TO THE CANDIDATES
8/12/06
Dear District 2 and District 4 County Commission Candidates:
This questionnaire is being sent to all of the District 2 and 4 candidates for County Commissioner on behalf of the Brevard Animal Recreation Club, Inc. (BARC). We would appreciate it if you would respond and let us know where you stand on the dog-related issues shown below. We plan to post the results on our Website, e-mail the results to our 560 members and also share this information with other dog organizations in Brevard County.
Thank you!
Fran Gorecki
Secretary of BARC
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE QUESTIONNAIRE
Please provide an answer on the following questions, including a narrative when appropriate:
1. In general, are you in favor of the county having off-leash dog parks? These are fence enclosed areas where dogs can safely run and play off-leash while under the supervision of their owners. For background, there are currently two county off-leash dog parks -- Wickham Park and Lori Wilson Park. The County Commissioners have required an attendant and an admission fee at any county dog park. A dog park has also been constructed at the Palm Bay Regional Park but it has not been opened yet because there is no money in the budget to pay for the attendant. As a result, the park cannot open until the budget for the new fiscal year starting 10/1/06 is approved by the county commission.
2. Off-leash dog parks have been proposed by the citizens advisory committees at Mitchell Ellington Park in Merritt Island, at the Viera Regional Park, at the Fay Lake Wilderness Park in Port Saint John and at the South Beaches park. None of these parks have funding at the present time. Would you support an initiative to provide the funding to build these dog parks within the next two years? Would you support also providing funding for the attendants that have been required by the County Commission?
3. Would you be in support of establishing additional off-leash dog parks within the county beyond those listed in#1 and #2?
4. Would you support re-evaluating the need for having attendants at county off-leash dog parks and/or charging entry fees for off-leash dog parks?
5. We have 72 miles of beaches in Brevard County. Would you be in support of the county
establishing a small section of beach (say 500 to 1000 feet) where dog owners could legally take their dogs? If yes, how do you propose to work with the opponents of dog beaches (health hazard due to dog feces on the beach, upset the fragile environmental ecosystem, nesting turtles, etc.)?
6. Would you be in support of funding to install dog bag stations and appropriate signage and an attendant, if deemed necessary, for a dog beach?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CANDIDATE RESPONSES
District 2 (Seat Currently Held by Commissioner Ron Pritchard)
Republican
Chuck Nelson - Response Received 8/17/06
Thank you for the opportunity to address issues related to dog parks. My responses are shown below.
1. Yes, I support the development and operation of off-leash dog parks.
2. Yes. It would not be an unreasonable time frame for the Parks and Recreation Department to identify funding within their budget revenue streams for the construction and operation the dog parks referenced. Due to the County's budget year and when funding actually becomes available, construction might start after the second year, but could be completed shortly thereafter.
3. Yes.
4. Yes. It is actually my preference not to have attendants and charge so long as voluntary compliance with operational rules and safety are adequately addressed.
5. No, for the reasons contained in this question. I do support the inclusion of small lakes in off leash dog parks, wherever possible, as an alternative.
6. Yes, at a lake front park, but not on Brevard beaches.
Democratic
William Huminski - Response Received 8/16/06
Please find attached my responses to your organizations questions. If you have any further questions or need clarifications do not hesitate to call me at 321 454-4490. Thank you for this opportunity.
1. Yes, I am in favor of the County providing off-leash Dog parks. As a member of the Mitchell Ellington Park committee I voted to establish an off-leash Dog Park at that site after the completion of the Referendum required components. Of course all such parks should be subject to proper controls for the protection of the users and county residents from liabilities resulting from its misuse.
2. The issue of these parks and the scheduled completion dates depends on the recently implemented action by the County Commission to pass the decision back to the voters via the November ballot. On the ballot will be the bond issue for the completion of the remaining areas from the original referendum in 2000 for $73M, that due to cost overruns, through either mismanagement or poor estimates to begin with or the price increases experienced since 2004 have resulted in almost an additional $36M or 50% more needed to complete. This may be a conservative estimate in that the Parks Department has noted that it may be more likely $54M needed to complete. I am in favor of providing Off-leash Dog parks at these sites once the original items detailed for the citizens is completed.
The requirement to provide an attendant before opening, while appearing to be the responsible thing to do, only delays the openings. This should be reviewed. What do the current fees for the licensing of your pet go towards anyway? Perhaps a small increase could fund the attendant, with a special tag included with the dog license noting valid for any dog park in the county. A legal disclaimer absolving the County of any Liabilities may be sufficient when posted at the sites. Responsible dog owners will and should provide the self discipline required to make the interaction between pets and owners a safe and pleasant experience. If the referendum fails, then the monies to complete both the parks and the dog parks will have to be found through the yearly operating budgets, subject to the County Commission approval.
3. The funding of additional Dog parks would be dependent on the success or failure of the parks on the current schedule. Use must dictate need, if need is proven, then location and quantity will follow, subject to County approvals and funding for same.
4. As I stated in question #2, I think both the need for and the fee schedule process should be reviewed. Would an attendant be required during all hours of parkoperation or just evenings and weekends? How much and how would the monies be collected must be determined first. Is an attendant necessary and cost effective? This must be decided before one can determine the best course of action. How does one maintain the parks for County residents only?
5. Regarding the establishment of dog parks at the beach, I would defer that decision until after and based on the successful operation of the land-locked parks. The opening of a beach based park brings another set of problems such as containment of the pets and compliance with any and all county/state/federal health codes and regulations. I am also sure that given the length of this county more then one location would be desired and placement could become an issue with those non-pet owners. I would favor a more in-depth study of this before reaching any decisions.
6. Based on my answer to question #5 above, the requirements for a beach based Dog park may be more stringent. We do not provide enough Life Guard stations at the County’s beaches today for the human population. While the requirement for environmental issues and concerns is obvious if may prove to be cost prohibitive in the final accounting. The study should rout out answers.
Thank you for this opportunity to respond to your concerns and issues. I have tried to answer them constructively. My wife and I are pet owners, unfortunately our beloved dog, Jasmine, an eleven and a half year old Rottweiler, passed away last year. She has not and cannot be replaced.
District 4 (Seat Currently Held by Commissioner Sue Carlson)
Republican
Mary Bolin - Response Received 8/14/06
1-Yes, I worked on the First dog park - Satellite Beach where I live, we used volunteers until money was available. I am a very BIG fan of dog parks.....
2.Yes if money is available - sell memberships- I spend more money on my two soft coated wheaton terriers than any other single item in the household !!! I will pay to have a safe, clean & healthy place for them to enjoy other dogs.
3. Yes if money is available- sell memberships can assist to get more faster.
4. Memberships should support most of the cost.
5. If we can find a suitable area for the dogs, yes, with the understanding that users must be held responsible for the cleaning of the area. Others must understand that dogs roamed the beaches long before humans took over with regulations.
6. Unfortunately , the budget does not allow much anymore. I believe in the power of the people to achieve together the goals we desire. Many of us are willing to donate, set up memorials, volunteer, ect., to fund these un-funded parks and equipment.
Democratic
Kendall Moore - No response received.
Libertarian
Ilene Davis - Response Received 8/14/06
1. In general, are you in favor of the county having off-leash dog parks? These are fence enclosed areas where dogs can safely run and play off-leash while under the supervision of their owners. For background, there are currently two county off-leash dog parks -- Wickham Park and Lori Wilson Park. The County Commissioners have required an attendant and an admission fee at any county dog park. A dog park has also been constructed at the Palm Bay Regional Park but it has not been opened yet because there is no money in the budget to pay for the attendant. As a result, the park cannot open until the budget for the new fiscal year starting 10/1/06 is approved by the county commission.
1. I BELIEVE ALL PARKS SHOULD BE SELF SUPPORTING. HOWEVER, SINCE MANY PARKS ARE NOT SELF SUPPORTING, AND MANY OF THE DOG OWNERS TAXES PAY FOR PARKS THAT DONT' ALLOW DOGS, I WOULD PROPOSE THAT A PERCENT OF ALL DOG LICENSE FEES BE USED FOR DOG PARK FUNDING, AND THAT A PERCENT OF ALL PARK FEES BE USED FOR PAYING REQUIRED ATTENDANTS. - HOLD COUNTY HARMLESS AGREEMENT SIGNED BY USERS OF PARK.
2. SEE ANSWER TO #1. FUNDING FROM LICENSE FEES FOR DOGS IN THAT AREA. PART OF PARKS/REC BUDGET FOR ATTENDANT. HOLD COUNTY HARMLESS AGREEMENT SIGNED BY USERS OF PARK
3. SAME COMMENT AS ANSWER #2
4. YES, WOULD CONSIDER RE-EVALUATING. BUT AS LONG AS TAX DOLLARS ARE USED TO BUILD THE PARK, A REPRESENTATIVE OF TAXPAYERS IS NEEDED TO MAKE SURE ALL USERS HAVE SIGNED HOLD HARMLESS AGREEMENT AND TO OVERSEE TAXPAYERS INTERESTS
5. ABSOLUTELY,POSITIVELY YES. There is plenty of property owned bytaxpayers, some of whom are dog owners. allowing DOG OWNER TAX DOLLARS TO SUPPORT ONE SECTION OF BEACH IS ONLY FAIR. The simple solution is to use beachfront property owned by taxpayers, have signs that on beach above the waterline they may encounter doggie doo-doo, but with dog owners agreeing to keep below waterline free of same by having owners patrol the beach on a 15 minute basis to make sure "wet sand" is free of doggie doo-doo. SIMPLE TO ADMINISTER, FAIR TO ALL.
6. YES/NO: I BELIEVE IT IS FT. LAUDERDALE THAT HAS SUCH A STATION. I WOULD SUPPORT ADVERTISMENT FUNDED STATIONS. IN FACT, IF ELECTED, I'LL DONATE $1000 / YEAR OF MY COMMISSIONER SALARY TO SPONSOR SUCH A STATION, AND I'LL BET PETSMART AND OTHER PET SUPPLY COMPANIES WILL DO THE SAME.
Written by
barcemail
Permalink
|
Blog about this entry
| 
Add to del.icio.us | 
digg this
This entry has comments:
Add your own
