Comm. Fritchey Bores in on Animal and Rabies Control

2016 Cook County Proposed Budget: Bureau of Administration, Oct. 22, 2015

The Bureau of Administration is composed of

• Bureau Departments:  Transportation and Highways, Environmental Control, Medical Examiner, Law Library, Animal and Rabies Control, and Adoption and Child Custody Advocacy
• Shared Services Functions:  Industrial Engineering, Printing and Graphics Services, Fleet Management, Records Management, Veterans Affairs, and Child Support Enforcemenst

Martha Martinez, Chief of the Bureau of Administration, presented information on all the Shared Services Functions, while the heads of the Bureau Departments had individual presentations.

Several Commissioners heaped praise on John Yonan and the Department of Transportation and Highways and on Dr. Stephen Cina and the Medical Examiner's office. Several Commissioners also noted the successful rabies control clinics run by Dr. Donna Alexander and the Animal and Rabies Control Department. But Commissioner Fritchey spent a considerable amount of time questioning Dr. Alexander.

Commissioner Fritchey criticized the recommendations published on the Animal and Rabies Control Department's web site for owners of lost pets (e.g., owners should walk around their area calling the name of their pet), and said he thinks the department can and should do much better. Comm. Fritchey asked whether Dr. Alexander knew that the Animal Welfare League, with which the County contracts to take in animals the County collects from unincorporated areas, has the highest kill rate in the state. Dr. Alexander answered she was aware, but the Animal Welfare League also takes all animals, regardless of whether in poor health, unlike other entities, which explains the higher kill rate.

Looking at the number of animals collected and the number of staff doing the collection, Comm. Fritchey said that the average per day per employee is 3. He asked what else these staff people were doing. Dr. Alexander explained that capturing an animal can take several hours. Comm. Fritchey noted the Office of Inspector General's recently issued report on the department which described a practice whereby staff people with cars were able to include their time driving to and from work as part of their work day, and received overtime if they returned to their home later than the regular workday.  Dr. Alexander said that practice, which pre-dates her tenure which began in 2008, was discontinued as soon as the Inspector General brought it to her attention, about 8 months ago.  Chairman Daley spoke up that the Department had sent a letter to the Commissioners a few days earlier addressing all the issues raised by the Inspector General in the report. Comm. Fritchey said he had not received the letter, and it was resent by email to all the Commissioners. Comm. Fritchey also questioned why it was taking so long for the department to upgrade its computer system, and concluded that he would like to overhaul the deparment, but would like to ork with the department to do so.

As was true for the deparments under the Bureau of Finance, the STAR performance management 2016 goals did not encompass the departments' 2016 "highlights," and often the targets for those goals were lower than the expected actuals for 2015.

--Priscialla Mims