CAMDEN — During the Ouachita County Quorum Court meeting in February, County Judge Robbie McAdoo mentioned that a part-time employee had been caring for about 20 stray animals at the employee’s home.
McAdoo said then that he would like for the county to help reimburse the employee for the volunteer effort and to seek a suitable shelter to address the problem of strays in Ouachita County.
At the time, we commended the county judge for recognizing and discussing the significant problem of stray animals in the county, and we hoped the court would indeed work toward reaching a resolution to the problem.
Sadly, since the February meeting, we have noticed no mention of the problem in subsequent quorum court meetings.
In an editorial in February, we stated that the problem of stray animals in Ouachita County has gone unaddressed for far too long, and that the problem is a county one.
That situation obviously has not changed.
We encourage McAdoo to pursue what he brought up in February, and urge justices of the peace to actively work toward establishing an animal shelter in Ouachita County.
Obviously, the expenses of operating an animal shelter are not yet in the county budget because there has not been such a facility. We acknowledge tackling this problem is a fiscal challenge. It might be that a combination of county and volunteer resources will be required.
We hope the quorum court will take the lead on getting this accomplished.