Animal shelter task force slates public meeting

BENTONVILLE — The Animal Shelter Task Force prepared for the public meeting it will hold next month during its second gathering Thursday.

The 11-member group will meet from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. July 12 at the Bentonville Community Center to gather input on what the community would want in an animal shelter.

Jackie Roach, with Best Friends Animal Society and task force member, walked the other members through the meeting format Thursday. It will include meeting guidelines and expectations, a history of the process up to now, small group breakout sessions and polling survey.

Discussions of the city having its own shelter are still in the conceptual phase. The goal the July meeting will be to gather information so the discussion can move into more tangible steps, the group discussed Thursday.

Factors such as the shelter size, location and budget aren’t known yet and can’t be known until it’s decided on what services the facility will provide, they said, discussing that the services provided will be based on what

the community wants and depend on money.

Thursday’s meeting was to work through logistics. Group members went over the polling questions, both the content and wording. Members volunteered for different roles for the July meeting, such as presenters, small group facilitators and timekeepers.

Discussion also took place on the importance of having the process be influenced by community members. Members will promote the July meeting through a news release, Facebook event, fliers and personal contacts.

“It’s going to be about us getting people involved,” said Stephanie Orman, task force chairperson.

The task force was created this spring in response to animal advocates calling for the city to look into getting a shelter of its own.

Bentonville is the only one of Northwest Arkansas’ four largest cities without an animal shelter. Animal control officers have been taking lost and stray dogs to Rogers’ shelter for 10 years. It began a three-year contract with Centerton on May 1.

The task force is planning on making a recommendation to City Council in October.