ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Accountability at the Belmont County Animal Shelter was again a topic of discussion Wednesday for the board of commissioners.

Several guests have attended the commissioners’ past three meetings, following confirmation that the shelter euthanized four dogs.

Vince and Sandy Lewis of Shadyside posed several questions to the commissioners this week. Sandy Lewis asked how the shelter could promote itself as a “no kill” shelter. Commissioner J.P. Dutton said there is no official entity that decides if a shelter is “no kill,” but he said that is a generally accepted designation for a shelter that euthanizes less than 10 percent of its animals.

Sandy Lewis, who said she has adopted several dogs, said she has faced delays in the adoption process and that the phone at the shelter should be attended at all times.

“We have people who want to adopt these dogs. They’re calling the shelter and no one’s answering the phone,” she said. “I would take them all if I could.”

She also reiterated a question from last week’s meeting, asking if some of the dogs that had been euthanized had “sponsors” who had been unable to adopt themselves but had paid the dogs’ adoption fees in hopes that they would be adopted.

Dutton said the commissioners had looked into the matter and found the fee payments had been passed on to another dog.

Vince Lewis asked if the shelter’s finances are regularly examined.

“There seems to be a problem of accountability and information passed down. … We have concerns,” he said. “Man’s best friend.”

Dutton said the shelter falls under the authority of the commissioners and is subject to a yearly audit by the Ohio Auditor’s Office.

Dutton said the need to adopt more animals is pressing. He noted that the shelter should optimally hold 30-40 dogs but regularly houses 70 or more – some for three years, which can lead to emotional changes in animals.

Dutton said the shelter is also making every effort to keep its doors open as the colder months approach. The commissioners are exploring the possibility of expanding the shelter or building a new one.

He added that there had been reports of biting issues among some of the four dogs most recently euthanized. He confirmed the commissioners have limited the number of volunteers at the shelter following clashes between volunteers and staff.

In another matter, commissioners also heard from Lew Gray Jr. of the Cats Run Road area of Powhatan Point. He raised the issue of road flooding on Ohio 148, particularly on the 8-mile section from Powhatan Point to Clover Ridge, along with Cat’s Run Road and Town Run Road. He said flooding has occurred there for almost 60 years.

He elaborated after the meeting, saying this is a main route for first responders in the event of emergencies.

“A lot of the residents out that way are senior citizens. They’re elderly, they have serious medical conditions,” he said, estimating about 10 people in the area have serious health concerns. “What would happen if they had a serious medical condition and the road was flooded?”

Later, Dutton said the issue is most likely the responsibility of York Township and the commissioners will inquire with the Ohio Department of Transportation about options.

County Engineer Terry Lively agreed that ice jams and flooding in that area have been serious, but he said options are limited. He said he had talked with Gray about the possibility of a flood wall to prevent water rising onto the road, but any change in the floodplain would necessitate a study and approval by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“Anytime you talk about changing the floodplain and start affecting where water can go during floods, it’s a long and expensive and complicated process to go through and get approval, and of course you have the cost of the project itself,” he said. “It’s nothing the county engineer’s office would be able to take on by ourselves.”

Lively said he would continue to look into federal funding options, but he believed funding would be unlikely due to the comparatively few residents in the area. He estimated about 100 people live in that region.

He did not speculate about how extensive a project might be or the cost.

“Without a preliminary study I couldn’t tell you how big of an area or how long of a wall or how tall,” he said.

“There are alternatives for getting into Cats Run, but of course they would take longer and it’s more travel time to get around.”