Harper Woods Council approves three-month contract with Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society after heated debate

Harper Woods City Council voted to approve a three-month agreement with the Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society (GPAS) to provide municipal animal services from April 1 through June 30, 2025, at a prorated cost of $19,824.

The contract vote followed nearly two hours of discussion involving council members, city staff, the Harper Woods police chief and representatives of GPAS. Council members pressed GPAS leadership on the organization’s cost-sharing methodology, the metrics used to allocate the annual facility cost and allegations about public statements made by GPAS after an earlier tabled vote.

The debate centered on two issues: how GPAS calculated each municipality’s share of the facility’s fixed operating costs and whether Harper Woods was being charged disproportionately because the shelter building is located in Harper Woods. Several council members described the proposed annual allocation as far higher than other participating communities; GPAS representatives said the allocation was calculated from intake data and operational overhead.

The executive director of GPAS (identified in the meeting only by role) described the nonprofit’s accounting and governance process and said the three-month contract was necessary before the organization could accept payment. “I couldn't accept money when we don't have an agreement,” the executive director said. She also said GPAS had reduced some operating expenses and that board-approved cost calculations were based on intake and usage numbers for 2023 and through October 2024.

Councilwoman Sawicki and Councilman Tucson voted against the resolution; other council members voted to approve it. The roll-call vote recorded five yes votes and two no votes; the resolution passed.

Council members sought commitments that the three-month window be used to reduce unnecessary calls to GPAS, page intake-count accounting clarifications and a revisit of the allocation method. Chief Hammerly and Acting City Manager Shemansky said they would meet with GPAS and that the city intended to adopt operational policies—such as requiring police dispatch before direct resident drop-offs to the municipal facility—to reduce usage and costs.

Public commenters, several of whom identified themselves as Harper Woods residents, urged the council to adopt an allocation that spreads fixed facility costs across all six participating municipalities and to separate those fixed costs from variable, per-animal fees. Community members and a number of council members said they will press for a new allocation methodology when city managers and police chiefs meet with GPAS in December 2025 to review annual costs.

The council approved the three-month agreement as a stopgap to restore municipal animal-control services. The agreement allows either side to modify or terminate the arrangement by mutual consent and contemplates a broader allocation discussion among the municipalities later this year.

Votes at a glance: Resolution to approve GPAS agreement for 04/01/2025–06/30/2025, amount $19,824 — outcome: approved (roll call 5–2).