12-04-2025
James River Humane Society board member urged to resign amid report of unlivable home
Apr. 12—JAMESTOWN — Members of the James River Humane Society are calling for the vice president of the organization's board of directors to resign after a Jamestown Police Department report said her home was deemed unlivable for animals and humans.
The Jamestown Police Department responded at 615 3rd Ave. NW on March 12 for a welfare check after receiving a 911 call from an individual stating the front door of the home was wide open and the dogs were out, according to the log of calls from the Stutsman County Communications Center.
Jolene Biloff, former president and current vice president of the James River Humane Society Board of Directors, is listed as the 2024 owner at 615 3rd Ave. NW, according to the North Dakota property tax information portal on the Stutsman County website.
The investigation report of the welfare check at that address written by Lt. Nick Hardy with the Jamestown Police Department says all the floors upstairs in the home were covered in animal feces.
"There wasn't a spot that wasn't covered," the report says.
The report says Biloff told Hardy that the animal feces hadn't been cleaned up in a year.
"Jolene said she doesn't let the dogs outside because they bark," the report says. "Jolene said she knows the condition is bad, she just hasn't done anything about it."
Scott Edinger, chief of police, said Biloff is not facing any charges.
The report says three dogs and a cat were taken from the residence and another cat was at large.
The report also says the sewer was backed up for about two months.
A phone call and message left to Biloff seeking comment was not returned.
The home was deemed a dangerous building, said Tom Blackmore, zoning administrator and building inspector.
Blackmore said he provided a written notification to the property owner of the dangerous building designation.
"Within that notification, the property must be vacated immediately," he said. "It has to be either repaired or demolished within a time not exceeding 30 days of the day of the letter."
He said the expiration of the dangerous building designation was Friday, April 11.
"I will make contact with the homeowner tomorrow (Friday) to inspect the property," he said in an email on Thursday, April 10, to The Jamestown Sun. "If the home has not been brought into compliance, I will follow the procedures set forth in the City of Jamestown Municipal Code Chapter 9 Article VI and notify the City Council of noncompliance."
Blackmore said Biloff is working to clean up the property.
"She has had really good communication with me," he said.
In the event of noncompliance, Blackmore said he notifies the Jamestown City Council.
"Then the City Council holds a hearing to hear the testimony of the building official and also the property owner," he said. "Then the City Council determines whether the home has to be either repaired or demolished."
He said an extension of the 30-day notice may be granted if the property owner is working to fix the issues.
James River Humane Society member Jodelle Gefroh told The Jamestown Sun that Biloff is not fit to serve on the nonprofit organization's board of directors.
"There are so many concerned people," she said.
The James River Humane Society is a nonprofit, no-kill shelter set up to care for homeless cats and dogs in the Jamestown area, the organization's website says. The website says it is the Humane Society's policy to provide humane care and treatment for animals needing protection in the area served by the shelter.
The James River Humane Society also receives a half mill from the city of Jamestown. Voters approved a measure by more than 60% in 2010 to have the city of Jamestown adopt an ordinance for a half mill levy annually for the support and maintenance of an animal shelter and to authorize the city to enter into a contractual agreement with the James River Humane Society.
During the James River Humane Society Board of Directors meeting on Monday, April 7, Gefroh called for Biloff to resign immediately from the James River Humane Society Board of Directors. She said the board should remove Biloff from the board if she doesn't resign.
The James River Humane Society Board of Directors took no action on the request.
Gefroh said the organization's bylaws state the purpose of the Humane Society is preventing cruelty to all animals and promotion of their welfare and for other lawful purposes. "Cruelty includes 'every act, omission or neglect whereby unnecessary, unjustifiable pain, suffering or death shall be caused or permitted,'" the organization's bylaws say.
Gefroh said she intended to read the investigation report of the welfare check at the board meeting on Monday but felt "flustered" after Rachel Hastings, community service officer for the Jamestown Police Department, spoke.
Hastings said individuals were at the meeting planning to hand out the investigation report of the welfare check at Biloff's home.
"I find this plan to be spiteful," she said.
Hastings said the condition of the house wasn't great but it wasn't her right to speak publicly about what she saw that day.
"While walking through the house, I couldn't help but wonder what hardships that this person experienced because at this point, I had only known Jo because of her association with the Humane Society," she said.
Jamestown City Councilwoman Pam Phillips, president of the James River Humane Society Board of Directors, said the board listened to the information from Gefroh and Hastings.
"No action was taken at that time," she said. "I would hope that we deal with this matter with grace and compassion."
Phillips said she will talk to board members individually to see how they feel or what they want to do next.
"When it comes to the Humane Society I would hope that they would ask her to step down immediately," said Wanda Alber, a member of the James River Humane Society. "She's a liability to the board and the shelter at the moment. She might be a great voice and a great advocate for animals but at the moment, she sure wasn't for her own and her own safety."
