Riverton council approves amended service agreement with Paws for Life after debate over shelter capacity

The Riverton City Council voted to approve a revised service agreement with Paws for Life Animal League on Aug. 19 after city and Paws representatives negotiated changes to the contract language governing what happens when the shelter reaches capacity. The council approved the agreement after a motion to adopt wording proposed by Paws passed by voice vote. The contract continues the existing arrangement under which the city leases the animal shelter facility to Paws for $1 per year and pays utilities for the facility; the city also provides sheltering of impounded animals as required under the Riverton Municipal Code. The newly adopted paragraph 6 says the city will pay Paws $45,000 per year in four quarterly payments of $11,250 and that, if Paws is unable to accept and safely house animals due to facility capacity, “it shall be the sole responsibility of the city to secure and fund alternative housing for such animals,” with the exception that Paws will provide food. The agreement requires Paws to provide vaccinations and microchipping for animals the city places for adoption and allows the city to use part of its quarterly payment to cover documented emergency veterinary care with immediate notice to Paws. The discussion leading to the vote focused on shelter capacity, the costs of municipal animal services and who bears liability when Paws cannot intake animals. Councilwoman Borders said euthanizing animals was “not an option” and argued the council should not adopt punitive language toward the shelter. Councilwoman Johnson raised concerns about what the city will do when Paws cannot accept animals and urged the council to identify alternative placement options such as foster homes or additional kennel capacity. Lyle Slack, Paws director, told the council “It's never been our intention to keep animals very long” and described a summer surge in intakes that, he said, stemmed from post-COVID ownership changes, staffing limits and regional transfer bottlenecks. Council members also asked staff to research potential capital or grant funding to expand shelter capacity (for example, insulated kennels) and to collect cost estimates for alternative housing options. Several council members asked staff and Paws to pursue a foster-home roster and other placement networks to reduce the likelihood that the city will face unaddressed impoundments in future high-intake periods. The motion to approve the agreement as amended was made by Councilman Kyle Larson and seconded by Councilman Eric Carr; the council approved the amendment and then approved the agreement by voice vote. The agreement will be the working contract for the coming year while staff and council pursue longer-term solutions.