Do you have an interest in improving the quality of care and control of animals in Pierce County? If so, then Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson would like to hear from you.

Anderson is creating an Animal Control Advisory Panel to meet monthly and make recommendations on animal control codes, policies and programs.

“This Advisory Panel will help identify needs, problems and resources related to animal control,” Anderson said.

Anderson decided to form the Animal Control Advisory Panel after studying the missions and work of two existing panels – the Equine Task Force and the Canine Advisory Panel. She is disbanding those panels and combining them into one board whose members will be chosen through a public application process, rather than personal selection. The Advisory Panel will establish regular meetings staffed by Animal Control officers and the Auditor, with opportunities for public testimony.

The board will consist of the following:

• Two at-large members.
• A veterinarian.
• Two representatives of animal welfare organizations.
• A person affiliated with a purebred animal registry.
• A person who does not own an animal.
• A horse owner.
• A person who owns an animal other than a dog, a cat or a horse.
• A representative of a municipality receiving animal control services from Pierce County.
• A representative of the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.
• An owner of a pet-related business operated in unincorporated Pierce County.

“Advisory Panel members will be chosen based on expertise and diversity of perspectives,” Anderson said. “There are lots of folks in Pierce County who meet the criteria, so I hope many of them will apply for a chance to make a difference in the lives of animals.”

The Advisory Panel will meet the third Tuesday of each month at the Pierce County Annex, 2401 S 35th Street, Tacoma. Meetings will be held at 6 p.m. in Conference Room A.