The Dade County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to add to the consent agenda a resolution accepting an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the City of Trenton to create a Trenton‑Dade Animal Center, a joint animal shelter and services facility. The county plans to provide the land and construct the building shell while the city would buy interior equipment and run daily operations.

Why it matters: The agreement is the first formal step toward a shared shelter that county and city officials say would combine resources, split operating costs and keep state agencies such as the Environmental Protection Division from stepping in on compliance issues. Commissioners discussed governance, the division of capital and operating responsibilities, and a proposed advisory board drawn from both jurisdictions.

In broad terms, Robin Rogers, the county attorney, summarized the proposed division of responsibilities: "The county will build the shell of the building. The city will buy the equipment for inside the building. We'll split the cost of operating the shelter 50‑50," Rogers said.

Commissioners and TDAC (Trenton‑Dade Animal Center) members reviewed site and governance details. The county owns a larger 5‑acre tract behind the county transfer station but commissioners agreed to describe the usable development pad more narrowly in the IGA; the commission asked staff to amend the document to reference roughly 2 acres for the immediate development area while retaining county ownership of the larger tract for future use.

The draft IGA calls for initial shared financing and an advisory board of seven members: three appointed by the county (one required to be a community representative), three appointed by the city (one a community representative) and a seventh member appointed by agreement between the county executive and the city mayor. Rogers said the city and county attorneys had negotiated language addressing appointment and operating procedures.

On term length, commissioners pressed for a shorter evaluation period. The draft called for a 10‑year initial term with automatic one‑year renewals; multiple commissioners asked for and agreed to seek a three‑year initial term to allow an earlier review of operating costs and the split of responsibilities. Mayor Alex Case and city counsel were expected to review the proposed change before the city's vote.

Questions during the discussion included who would carry payroll and personnel authority (the city would manage day‑to‑day operations and staffing for the shelter itself; the county would be responsible for county staff serving in roles tied to county duties), how capital projects would be allocated if SPLOST or other funds funded portions of the building, and an annual review process for operating cost adjustments.

The board placed the IGA on the consent agenda for approval by the full commission; the IGA was then approved as part of the consent agenda vote. The agreement still requires the City of Trenton to approve its counterpart resolution and finalize the intergovernmental implementation steps, including the advisory board appointments and an IGA effective date.

Ending: Commissioners said they expect additional, narrower decisions to return to the commission as project engineers price mechanical/electrical/plumbing plans and as city attorneys confirm the three‑year initial term. The project will proceed only after the city signs a matching agreement and funding allocations are finalized.