Warren finally has weekend and holiday coverage in the animal control office, after town officials this week filled a new part time position approved by voters at the Financial Town Meeting in May. The part time coverage had long been sought by shelter volunteers and supporters, who worried about not having an animal officer on duty during off hours.

The move is a good first step in what should be a complete overhauling of the animal control office’s staffing. Since Heidi Garrity left with an injury nearly two years ago (and now stands accused of stealing more than $9,000 from the town), the office has become victim to union rules that are holding the shelter back.

The animal control officer is a member of the United Steelworkers Union, which also represents DPW staff, town hall workers and police dispatchers. Under union guidelines, any union member can apply to be temporary ACO in the permanent ACO’s absence; that is how DPW worker Mike Briggs got the temporary job that he kept for about a year and a half. However, union rules also dictate that that temporary position must be posted every six months; earlier this year, that six-month anniversary hit and he was replaced by police dispatcher Gary Violett, also a member of the steelworkers, who outranked him in seniority.

Mr. Violett recently retained the position after his first six months were up, and he will remain there, theoretically, until someone with more seniority replaces him or a permanent ACO is found.

Warren’s animal control office has been a revolving door foår two years now, and that needs to change. There are two choices:

First, the town could consider making the ACO a member of the IBPO, the union that covers police officers. The office is currently supervised by Warren’s Deputy Police Chief, so it would make more sense to have the ACO be a member of that union. Or, Warren could consider privatizing the position, leaving it up to the employment marketplace to find the most qualified person for the job.

At the very least, Warren should do attempt to do away with the Steelworkers’ seniority requirement, though there will likely be resistance. Leaving animal control staffing strictly at the mercy of union seniority rules does little to ensure that the best person for the job is the one on the job, or that the shelter gets the consistency it needs.