Angry animal lovers gather at Fayette County commissioners meeting

FAYETTE COUNTY, Ga. - Fayette County's meeting room was full of angry and confused animal lovers Thursday night. Last meeting, they approved a new euthanization policy and squashed work on new shelter ordinances.

One commissioner says they were following the rules, the others say everything was happening out of order.

"No body had mentioned an expansion until now and we just don't have a magic wand to make it happen," said commissioner Randy Ognio.

Commissioner Steve Brown and a group of others worked for 6 months putting together ordinances to improve and expand the animal shelter. Commissioners say they shouldn't have.

"All we're asking is that the commissioner that wants this ordinance to go forward is to come to the board and ask for that approval. and he's not asking for it," said Ognio.

About a dozen people lined up to ask commissioners to reconsider.

"What I see are the kind of people we want to be involved in our government. the kind of people who love brown dogs and white kittens," said one citizen before asking the commissioners to reconsider.

Citizens asked for better living conditions for the animals and they repeatedly requested a citizens advisory committee. The commissioners say these are all great things, there's just a certain order everything has to happen.

"We've got to get it to something that can pass before we spend a lot of money on it," said Ognio.

Commissioner Brown says a volunteer spent thousands of her own dollars to hire a lawyer to make sure everything they did was by the book. The other commissioners don't agree proper steps were taken.

Regardless, people lined up to say these ordinances need to be reconsidered immediately. People we spoke to say they will line up every meeting until their voices are heard.

"Either someone is going to change their position or people are going to look at electing someone else come November," said Commissioner Steve Brown.