Nick Youngblood, founder of Camp Patriot animal rescue and sanctuary in Rutherford County, used his three‑minute public comment on Nov. 4 to call for greater transparency in county animal‑control reporting and in the county’s public‑records process.

"According to the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, Rutherford County is the only county in the state with no animal control data reported for 2023," Youngblood said, and he described 2024 state records that he said listed only a small number of animals for the county.

Youngblood praised the county’s decision to turn animal control operations over to Heart of the Foothills in July 2025 and said he expects improved reporting from that provider. He also described multiple problems in obtaining records through county public‑records requests: he said he hand‑delivered a request in January 2025 that was accepted by a deputy director of communications but was told later that the communications office did not handle records requests. He said it took nearly two months of follow‑up to receive a response and that the initial file format was difficult to open.

"Turning operations over to Heart of the Foothills was huge progress," Youngblood said, "and making these full meeting videos available to anybody through granicus.com, that's huge progress. But the real opportunity, in my opinion, is to make Rutherford County a model of open government. Post clear records instructions, report animal welfare data accurately, and show that citizen input actually leads to action."

Youngblood said he reviewed more than a year of meetings and found no visible record showing follow‑up actions tied to public comments. He asked the county to post clear instructions on how to file records requests, to publish accurate animal‑control data and to make evidence of follow‑up on public comments easier for residents to find.

The board did not respond directly to Youngblood’s remarks during the public comment portion; the meeting proceeded to consent agenda items.