Humane Society Building, Issues Dominate Commission Meeting

By Andy Kober

Sometimes one has to take a step or two backward to make progress forward.

This was evident during last week’s Harris County Commission meeting regarding the Humane Society of Harris County.

On the commission agenda seeking approval for a new building on property leased from the county, the discussion regarding the humane society took an interesting early twist.

With a dedicated group of volunteers the humane society, led by Kathryn Genova, has done a great job in providing for feral, abandoned and neglected pets in the county while also working to reduce the number of feral dogs and cats. The society has been diligent in seeking forever homes for animals, primarily dogs and cats, and humane society volunteers have worked in close cooperation with Harris County Animal Control.

At least until recently.

After serving for so many years, Genova retired and new leadership took over – and change can often be difficult.

Sue Stepp addressed the commissioners noting that she had been a “long-time volunteer” serving in various capacities over eight years and as a board member for six years. That changed recently with Stepp no longer volunteering and expressing concerns over “executive management and board leadership over the last six months.”

“I fully supported the vision and mission of the previous executive director Kathryn Genova and her approach to implementing and direction of programs,” Stepp added that now there is minimal cooperation between the humane society and animal control. She said there is no “adoption manager” at the humane society and no “active adoption events since October 2024.”

According to Stepp, the pet food pantry has “declined rapidly” and has stopped delivering pet food to other agencies helping animals.

Stepp expressed concern over the humane society financial status and called for a “forensic audit”.

During discussion it was noted the Humane Society of Harris County is a private entity and the Harris County Board of Commissioners lacks the authority to arbitrarily conduct such an audit. Any such audit would have to be conducted by the humane society’s board of directors.

Stepp charged that prior to September 2024, volunteers showed up regularly during the week to exercise dogs but said currently there is only a “skeleton crew” on Sundays and Mondays. She said there were no outreach programs in 2024 and the neuter and release programs were discontinued after August 2024. She called for the commissioners to review the lease agreement with the humane society to determine if the organization was in compliance with terms of the lease.

County Commission Chair Rob Grant asked for the county attorney to review applicable law and the lease agreement.

TWO other people were present and also offered comments, most of them negative, about the current status of the Humane Society of Harris County.

One of them, reported to be a past volunteer, board member, and board president, resigned from the position. He said this was due to a “disagreement” with the direction taken by new leadership. He noted some of the same issues previously highlighted by Stepp and claimed that a “lot of long-term volunteers” have left. He voiced support for the return of Genova as executive director.

Another person reported having volunteered with the humane society for 13 years and having served on the organization’s board of directors for six years, but left in late 2024 due to concerns with the new “administration”.

She reiterated that various programs have stopped and called for those programs to be reinstated and be incorporated in the county’s lease agreement.

She expressed her support for Genova and reported volunteering her time with Harris County Animal Control saying, “They welcomed us with open arms.”

Grant said terms of the contract and lease agreement could be discussed during an upcoming work session.

THE Humane Society of Harris County was not on the agenda for the purpose of criticism, but rather to have a new building approved. However, the issues would tie together

Hughston Homes is donating and building the outside shell of a new facility for the humane society, replacing multiple small metal buildings currently in use. The humane society would raise funds to complete the interior.

The proposed 3,000 square-foot building could include a lobby, office, examination rooms, cold storage for medications, operation and recovery rooms, isolation rooms, storage rooms and more. The final interior layout would be at the discretion of the humane society.

Neal Callahan, serving as agent for the humane society, reported that no funding is being sought from the county, but the project required approval from the commission.

Callahan also addressed the issues that had been raised noting the humane society had been going through a “transition period”. He said the board was meeting to address the very concerns aired earlier during the meeting. He added that Genova had been asked to return for an undefined period of time to “get everything back on track.” Further, Callahan said that all prior board members are being asked to rejoin the board.

After Callahan’s presentation, Grant motioned for approval of the humane society’s plan for a new building. Commissioner Scott Lightsey seconded the motion which was unanimously approved.