Mayor's Task Force Report Introduction

Jacksonville Mayor John Delaney formed a task force to study Animal Care and Control in Jacksonville with the intentions of improving and modernizing the department. It was this Task Force which recommended a free spay and neuter program for pets of low income citizens, in addition to seventeen pages of findings and recommendations. Many of these recommendations were instituted, many were not, the SpayJax program was one of the few that was fully implemented as the Task Force had envisioned.

As the Task Force meetings progressed and programs and results from across the country were studied and considered, one of the few programs all could agree was absolutely essential to addressing the pet overpopulation problem was a targeted, effective spay and neuter program.

Keeping this in mind, it would seem an effective tool in convincing governments to fund pet sterilization programs would be to get a “task force” of some type formed to study the problem. This “task force” or “blue-ribbon committee” or “oversight committee” must have influential, interested persons on it to make it effective. Any reasonable, logical person who studies the causes and solutions to the pet overpopulation problem will come to the same conclusions as all of us, that targeted pet sterilization programs are the most important tool in combating this crisis.

A copy of the Mayor's Task Force Report is available here for you to look over. Feel free to download and print this report to distribute widely. Many, if not most, of the recommendations were not followed, however the targeted spay and neuter program was implemented perhaps because this was the most obviously effective tool available.

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