Stacy Allen shows the Jasper City Council a poster of some of the 87 dogs rescued and adopted out since she began volunteering with the city for animal services.

JASPER — After Jasper’s animal shelter drew negative attention on social media recently, the Jasper City Council addressed issues with animal control at its June 8 meeting.

Marcus Collins, Jasper’s city manager, said Public Works Director Gregor St John is now overseeing the shelter and animal control. Stacy Allen and Marie Harrell, volunteers that had access to the shelter, are still allowed to help rescue animals, however their privileges to the shelter have been revoked, Collins said, citing a signed agreement between the city and the volunteers that said they weren’t allowed to bring anyone else onto the property.

“I love animals, and the ultimate goal here is to help and protect the animals,” Collins said. “However this type of negative attention cannot happen. We are doing our best. We are a small town providing animal control services throughout the county.

“We are working diligently to improve animal services to ensure that we are able to provide the best viable options for the animals that come in through animal control.”

Collins said St John has been directed to contact Allen when new animals are brought in so that she and Harrell can assess the animals, but away from the shelter.

Allen, who spoke at the meeting, said St John had not been contacting her. Although, she later admitted that she instructed him not to text after 9 p.m. because he had reached out late one night about an animal.

The council also approved moving the monthly meetings from the second Monday of the month to the third Thursday. Mayor LaBarfield Bryant was the lone councilor to oppose the change. The meetings will continue to begin at 6 p.m.

A special meeting to set the proposed millage rate for Fiscal Year 2020-21 was also set by the council for July 28 at 6 p.m.