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Questions about a 45-day lapse in animal control response drew scrutiny Tuesday at the Webster County Board of Supervisors meeting.
Supervisor Niki Conrad pressed the county's contracted provider for answers about missed calls and response time reports she said she had repeatedly requested after receiving multiple complaints from citizens. Conrad said the supervisors never received those reports.
Blaine Hepp, owner of Total Animal Control, told supervisors that dispatch messages had gone to his spam folder, leaving him without calls or messages for animal control response from Sept. 11 through Oct. 25.
"45 days is an awful long time to go without an animal control call," said Conrad. "This is very concerning."
Hepp attributed the communication problems to difficulty using his phone and email, saying he primarily used the device to make calls. He said the county's 911 manager had helped him add information to his phone so he could email Conrad.
Conrad asked that reports be submitted separately from invoices and emailed to the Board of Supervisors. Hepp said he would provide those reports to the supervisors later this week.
The supervisors also approved the purchase of a survey drone from Leica Geosystems for $52,098.35. According to Webster County Engineer Jamie Johll, the drone will be used for general land surveys and was budgeted for in the FY27 budget.
The purchase of a motor grader from Ziegler Cat, of Fort Dodge, for $377,500 was also approved.