City and county residents 21 or older interested in volunteering to help at the city of Vicksburg’s animal shelter are now about to sign up. Volunteer applications began being accepted Monday morning.

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen Friday approved a volunteer agreement/release form and policies to allow volunteers to assist city workers at the shelter. The agreement is the result of a meeting between city officials and concerned citizens in early September over conditions at the animal shelter.

Several concerned citizens complained to city officials about the condition and cleanliness of the shelter and the conditions of the animals.

Friday, Darlene Hughes, one of the residents who complained about the shelter, said things there were improving.

“We have gotten almost 20 animals adopted, and PAWS has paid for them to be spayed and fixed from our networking, and putting them back in the community,” she said. “We have been going down there and interacting with the animals and it is cleaner down there, and I have to give (the employees) credit. There is always food and water now (for the animals). That’s a good thing.”

The board also amended the city’s policies at the shelter, requiring all adopted animals to be spayed or neutered, extending the shelter hours to 5 p.m., and staggering the work hours for shelter employees, having some going to work at 7 a.m. to open the shelter and leaving at 3:30 p.m., and other employees coming in about 8 a.m. and staying until 5 p.m.

Under the policy, shelter employees will take the animals to the veterinarian for shots and to be spayed and neutered, and the new owners will pick up the animals at the vet.

Shelter employees will determine if an animal has to be taken to be adopted or go to the vet or be euthanized.

Volunteers, city attorney Nancy Thomas said, will be required to follow the city’s policy, accept the guidance and direction from the center staff, be present for their scheduled shift, and only shelter employees will be able to take the animals out of the enclosures for the volunteers to exercise them.

“That is a safety issue. We don’t want an animal that has been deemed to be vicious to be taken out of the cage by a volunteer,” Thomas said.

“In working with (shelter director) Mr. (Robert) May and employees at the shelter, we have identified two time periods during the day volunteers could help them, and that is 8 to 11 in the morning, and 3 to 5 in the evening to help them clean the animals, clean the bowls, clean the shelter, walk the animals, pet the animals and other miscellaneous duties,” she said.

Thomas said the agreements releases the city from any liability at the shelter, and there will be a sign-in sheet and the shelter will provide a badge identifying the volunteers, who will be approved by May.