SOUTHPORT — An alderwoman’s push to return Southport’s animal services to the structure it had two years ago led to a mix of surprise and varying accounts of how the change happened in the first place.
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Alderwoman Karen Mosteller had the issue placed on the Aug. 4 agenda and made a motion to break the city’s Animal Protection Services department off on its own as it was prior to 2023.
Historically, the city’s animal services were performed by an animal control unit within the police department. In May 2019 animal welfare was written into the city’s ordinances after reports of abuse from animal control officers. The change created a dedicated Animal Protective Services officer position in the town and laid out detailed policy on what is allowed on the part of residents and how the officer should handle issues ranging from managing strays to dealing with dangerous critters.
The city’s APS operated as an independent miniature department until 2023, when it was quietly placed in the police department’s fold. There is nothing in the city’s ordinance that suggests APS must be independent.
Mosteller questioned the rationale for placing APS under the police department and would rather the officer report directly to the city manager. Though she heaped praise on the city’s APS as a model, she framed her position as not an issue with the police department but that the duties of the job are different from those of a police officer.
Mosteller expressed a desire to hire an animal welfare expert for the recently vacant position.
The move comes after Kate Marshall resigned as the APS officer effective Aug. 1. In October 2023, Marshall was one of three employees placed on unpaid administrative leave under mysterious circumstances involving Ring cameras installed at city buildings. Marshall was later cleared of any policy violations and reinstated, though the other two employees were fired.
Southport Police Chief Todd Coring said Marshall gave her resignation to interim city manager Noah Saldo and the chief met with her a week prior to the board meeting.
“She spoke with me briefly about her resignation and said she didn’t have an issue with the police department,” Coring said. “We’ve had a great working relationship with Kate.”
Coring said she was a former police officer as well and his team would help regularly on calls, such as alligator removals, and learned a lot from Marshall, who recommended some officers train with wildlife trappers. He had not heard any issues from residents or the city manager either.
Marshall’s position was posted on a government jobs board July 11 and Coring said the city received 14 applicants. Katie Ward, a Southport police officer, is serving as the APS officer in the interim.
In the ordinance, the APS officer is never mentioned as a department head or independent of any department. The officer is specifically charged with enforcing city and state laws relating to animals. The ordinance also states law enforcement officers may carry out many of the duties of the APS officer, including seizing dangerous animals, euthanizing animals in specific cases and issuing citations. The only mention of reporting to the city manager is in reference to keeping records.
Coring, who was an alderman when the ordinance changes were approved, told the board he was caught off guard by the discussion to make APS its own department and believed the PD has done well with APS. He said the change was made two years ago after discussions with former interim manager Bonnie Therrien.
“We did not change anything about APS,” Coring said. “We’ve not changed [Marshall’s] appearance, her uniform, the vehicle, where she was stationed, the temporary holding facility at [River Road Animal Hospital].”
One advantage to the APS officer being in the police department, he highlighted, is integration into communications. It allows the APS officer to be dispatched and call for backup easily, and helps the department know where and what call the officer is out on.
While Alderwoman Lowe Davis recognized Marshall as the ideal APS officer and said the town would miss her, she questioned the advantages of separating the departments. Mayor Rich Alt also noted it does not appear the program has suffered under the police department.
Mayor Pro-Tem Rebecca Kelley didn’t think a separate department was necessary for a single employee.
Marshall said she was never involved in a conversation about folding APS into the police department but indicated animal welfare has trended toward moving away from policing. More so, Marshall said APS has not been able to receive grants for vaccination clinics because it is part of the police department’s larger fold, which has a larger budget.
Referencing her previous work as a police officer, Marshall noted the rigid chain of command can be an issue for animal control officers. In her role, she needed to make life-or-death decisions for animals, but she said Coring let her run APS as she saw fit.
Coring was surprised by the grant issue being brought up, noting it was the first time he was hearing about it. He countered it with the county having funding for vaccine programs.
“We can still get those rabies clinics and set them up right here in Southport,” he said.
Marshall turned and said something to Coring off-mic and he responded he felt like he was “on trial.”
Kelley then made a motion to force a vote on Mosteller’s motion to end discussion as people continued to bicker inaudibly. That move deadlocked 3-3 and Alt broke the tie in favor of moving ahead with a vote. Mosteller and Alderman Robert Carroll were the only members to vote in favor.
Port City Daily reached out to Mosteller for comment on whether there were specific reasons she brought the issue to the board and if she planned to do so again. She did not respond by press.
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