Ladies and Gentlemen,

On June 16th, 2025, several volunteer members of the Cumberland County Animal Services Board directly petitioned the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners during a regular board meeting to properly support our Animal Services department.  While none of the commissioners made any promises, we have received email responses from Chairman Kirk deViere and Commissioners Henry C.  Tyson.  

From Chairman deViere:

“Good evening. Thank you for engaging with the board on this matter. Your careful examination of the Animal Services budget and the specific concerns you've raised will be important in our discussions with our county manager as we move forward.”  

From Commissioner Tyson: 

“Thank you for your input and for making the board aware of your concerns. I appreciate the attention to detail and for the points you made regarding the Animal Services budget. AS we continue to move through the budgeting process, we will keep your comments and input in mind. Please note that while we have a proposed budget currently that it is not in its final version yet. We have several budget work sessions left and we will dig into this departments request versus what’s proposed. Thank you again!”

Ladies and Gentlemen, our fight is not over yet. Cumberland County has over 300,000 residents; let’s work to get at least 3,000 signatures.  I know this is an ambitious endeavor, but with your support, we can do it!  Please continue to share this petition any way you can, whether via social media, email or in person! Thanks so much!  —Sandy Reeves