MOULTRIE — The Moultrie-Colquitt County Humane Society’s board participation or lack thereof seems to be a part of the underlying issues the organization is having.

In the organization’s most recent meeting, County Administrator Chas Cannon noted the three board members in attendance. “We’ve got to get board members to show up,” he said. “We don’t even have a quorum now. … You’ve got to have four to conduct business and we can’t conduct business without a quorum.”

A little later, another board member came in, which then gave the board the four members they would need if they had wanted to vote on an action item. The organization’s board is made up of seven members: three appointees from the City, three appointees from the County and one position that is appointed by the City and County on an alternating basis.

“We gotta get more members to show up. … That’s on the County and the City to emphasize that,” said Cannon of the County and City’s responsibility to the Humane Society board.

That was a message Cannon had also conveyed at a previous meeting of the Colquitt County Board of Commissioners, where the Humane Society’s finances were discussed with Courtney Azar, the director of the organization.

During the county meeting, Commissioner Mike Boyd asked if the board controlled the Humane Society’s budget.

“The board, they go over the budget. The budget that I gave you, the 2023, the numbers that are on there, that’s the numbers that they approved for that year. We haven’t had enough board members this year to approve a new budget or to discuss anything,” replied Azar.

Board member Marcie Meadows said that she had never served on a board as small as the Humane Society board.

“I propose that the City and County can keep it at their number but then the board, itself, maybe, appoint six, so we have a total of 12,” she said.

She went on to say that when people work full-time jobs, it’s likely that not all of the board members can show up to meetings because things happen at work.

“So, I think if we double the number of board members, then you can have more of them that show up, one. And, two, you can have different committees like somebody in charge of fundraising,” Meadows said.

She said that she has had people approach her about serving on the Humane Society’s board.

Azar added that it would definitely help with fundraising and would help in a majority of ways including volunteer work. Both he and Meadows pointed out that the United Way had a total of 30 board members.

“And it doesn’t put all the pressure on the City and County to come up with the board members,” Meadows added. “I just think we need to have more board members because life happens and things happen and everybody can’t come.”