Colusa County grand jury releases its findings on Williams Cemetery, jail, animal control

The 2017-18 Colusa County grand jury recently released its report, revealing several investigations over the past year that concluded in recommendations for the county.

The grand jury consists of 19 citizens acting independent of the court, implementing investigations into all agencies and departments within their area.

Here’s a breakdown of its report: create cost-effective methods for upkeep and to continue finding donors.

The grand jury held a mandatory meeting with jail staff in October and conducted an in-depth inspection in November, finding the jail operates adequately, but plans for the new facility are ideal, as current risks to both inmates and staff exist.

“Within the Colusa County Jail, security risks exist for both staff and the inmate populations due to the outdated linear design,” the grand jury report said. “The current linear design does not allow for continuous observation of inmate living areas.”

The single-floor facility can hold a maximum of 92 inmates and has 13 sheriff’s office employees. At the time of inspection, 71 inmates were being housed.

Although there is no current completion date for a new facility, the grand jury found that $20 million of the estimated $20.29 million cost will be covered by state grants. The county will provide additional funding, the grand jury report stated.

Through interviews and site tours, the grand jury found the animal control division runs well, but is in immediate need of extra funding.

Currently, two full-time employees and one parttime employee work at the facility. With a large area to cover and few employees, the hours are limited in the afternoon. With assistance from non-profit support groups and cooperative livestock owners, the facility is able to house the animals but needs “a larger, more capable animal housing facility.”

Currently, 14 dog kennels and 20 cat/small animal cages are housed in the facility. Outside, six large pens are available for dogs to move around in during the day and extra animal storage as a last resort, the report said.

Employees have to manually lift animals into the metal cages in the bed of the control pickup trucks. Another concern is during hot weather, the animals are placed in non-insulated cages, the report said. Other counties use specialized trucks with power lifts and larger, air conditioned cages, which the grand jury urges adoption of.

The jury also found the license and vaccination record keeping is a labor intensive process with records held on index cards. Because of the bulk of index cards there is no easy way to compile license renewal notices. The animal control agency applied for a grant to cover a commercially available software for animal shelter management, and license and vaccination tracking, but was denied.

The grand jury urges Colusa County to purchase the software and equipment needed to update the facility.