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VIDALIA, La. —Nearly 90 days after taking over operations of the city’s animal shelter, Vidalia officials have yet to set policies on how to handle stray dogs and cats found in city limits.

Aldermen met Tuesday with animal control officers and representatives of a local shelter and transport organization to discuss changes to the existing ordinance regarding impoundment and disposition of dogs in the town but did not reach a consensus on any changes. Vidalia Mayor Buz Craft said the meeting was for “discussion only” and that the Aldermen would come back in a public meeting to vote on changing the ordinance. The next Board of Aldermen meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Oct. 8 at Vidalia City Hall.

“When we took over this project in July … we had no policy or procedures in place,” said Vidalia Police Department Capt. Jimmy Watts. “I’ve reached out to other agencies throughout the state — several other parishes. … What I’ve done is comprised everything we thought would be best for Vidalia.”

Watts said VPD’s recommendation includes a “blank spot” for the holding period of animals and does not say what will be done with them once the holding period ends.

“As far as how long we’re going to hold them, the chief and I have discussed that and we’d like that at the board’s discretion,” Watts said. “If we can’t get a dog adopted, how long should we keep the dog and what should we do with the dog after? Because we only have 12 spots.”

The Vidalia Police Department is capable of holding 12 dogs at one time but currently has no long-term housing plan for animals that can’t be placed in homes or returned to owners. The ordinance also does not address stray cats.

When longtime shelter volunteer DeeDee Roberts relinquished control of the shelter to the Vidalia Police Department beginning July 1, the police department was tasked with the shelter operations as well as animal control. Roberts had previously operated the shelter as a no-kill shelter, housing some animals indefinitely.

Police Chief Joey Merrill said at the time of the transfer he wanted direction from city officials and clear guidelines on how long animals could stay in the shelter.

The existing ordinance regarding impoundment and disposition of dogs at large states, “Any dog found running at large in violation of this article shall be caught, taken up, and impounded by the person so authorized by the chief of police, and shall be so kept for a period of seven days, including the day of capture. Such dog shall, if not redeemed by the owner within such period, become available for adoption or transport to another facility for adoption, and kept no more than eight months in the town impoundment facility.”

The owner of the dog is also responsible for paying an impoundment fee when they pick up the animal as well as for paying for any vet care provided to the animal, according to the ordinance.

Since July, the Vidalia Police Department has had some success at finding dog owners by advertising lost pets on the official VPD social media page, Watts said.

However, four dogs are currently in the pound because officers have not been able to place the animals in a home since July, Watts said.

“They’ve been posted on the VPD Facebook page and no one has claimed them,” he said, adding, “We’re doing everything in our power as a police department and as animal control … to make sure that a dog is adopted out to a family.”

While no official action was taken on the animal control ordinance during Tuesday’s meeting, the Aldermen discussed at length things that they’d like to see added to the ordinance, including whether pets should be required to wear tags or be microchipped so that their owners are easily identifiable. Aldermen also discussed what should be done with stray cats — whether they should be fixed and released or not — which the existing ordinance does not address.

However, how long those animals can stay at the pound and where they go after that period remains unclear and was not addressed by aldermen.

Mayor Buz Craft reiterated that the pound will not be a kill shelter.

“It’s not a kill shelter,” Craft said, adding the only animals that are euthanized are those that are deemed a danger to the public or are terminally ill and cannot be brought back to good health based on a veterinarian’s recommendation.

“No decision has been made by any town officials to euthanize any animals. I just want to make that plain,” he said.

Kathy Fitch, a volunteer with Hoofbeats and Pawprints Rescue, said her organization runs a no-kill shelter but does not have open intake.

“It’s not easy to place them, especially adult dogs, adult pit bull dogs or adult heartworm-positive dogs. We sometimes keep them several months to a year and we do eventually place them but there is no easy solution,” she said.

However, Fitch said HPR can help if VPD comes across an animal, particularly young and healthy cats that can be socialized, that they need to place.

“HPR can be a resource,” she said. “We usually place around 1,800 dogs plus cats a year. A pretty large portion of that is cats. We never mind being called and asked if we have the capacity.”

Craft said he expected more public participation at Tuesday’s meeting and expects more once the aldermen address the animal control ordinance.

“I’ll be honest, I really thought we’d have more participation from the public,” Craft said. “When this was in the process of coming out Facebook was lit up with rumors that it was going to be a kill shelter. I was getting calls from news outlets about what was going on.”