County animal‑control staff and community partners updated the Public Safety Committee on sheltering pressures, a proposed partnership with IVAR (a local shelter), and efforts to modernize rabies‑tag records and clerical processing.

Animal‑control staff said short‑term options had been arranged, and they and Ottawa police representatives reported meetings with IVAR about a more permanent arrangement. Ottawa PD Captain Kyle Boras and animal‑control staff said IVAR’s facility could house some county animals but that IVAR’s greatest constraint is manpower. County staff discussed options including a contracted staff arrangement with IVAR, county hiring to support operations, or a hybrid model where the county supports staffing or pays a monthly reservation fee.

Staff reported higher revenue this year from dog licensing (year‑to‑date receipts reported at $161,000 against a $225,000 annual budget) and said revenue could support at least one full‑time position depending on how a future arrangement is structured. Staff also described the operational burden of data entry: one clerical employee processes thousands of tag records annually and is near capacity. Several technical approaches were discussed to reduce manual work, including using an external shelter management product (Shelter Manager) for bulk uploads or arranging data extracts from veterinary software to automate imports.

Animal‑control staff proposed short‑term subcontracting to load historical rabies‑tag records into the county system and suggested a monthly, reserved‑space contract with IVAR for sheltering; county staff said they will develop a formal plan and present costs to the committee next month. Committee members emphasized the need for a designated area for county animals at IVAR and asked that any contract include clear responsibilities and financial terms.

No final intergovernmental agreement was approved at the meeting; staff were directed to return with a negotiated cost and layout plan for committee consideration at the next meeting.