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Summerset approves annual animal-shelter agreement with Sturgis
Summary
Summerset approved its yearly contract sending stray animals to the City of Sturgis shelter; officials noted a fee increase, discussed recovering costs and directed staff to analyze repeat intakes.
Summerset officials approved the town’s annual animal-shelter agreement with the City of Sturgis after a brief discussion and voice vote.
The agreement governs where police department personnel take stray animals and how Sturgis’ boarding and impound fees are applied to Summerset cases. Speaker 1, Staff member, summarized the arrangement: “Right? Yeah. Each year annually, we have a animal shelter agreement. This is where the police department takes strays anything and have been citations. Okay?”
Why it matters: the shelter agreement sets the fees Summerset must pay when its police bring animals to Sturgis for boarding or disposition. Board members raised concerns about rising costs and whether the town can recover expenses from owners when appropriate.
During discussion, Speaker 1 said the town reviewed past cases and found one stray dog that cost “almost $1,400” in associated fees. Speaker 3 urged staff to gather more data on recurring animals, saying that “the data is gonna tell us the story of how much and some of our reoccurring animals are frequent flyers that go there.” Speaker 2 and others agreed that staff follow up to better track costs and repeat impounds.
Procedural actions: Speaker 3 moved to open discussion; Speaker 2 seconded and the motion carried by voice vote. After discussion, Speaker 3 moved to close discussion; Speaker 2 seconded and the motion carried. Speaker 1 then moved to approve the animal shelter agreement; a voice vote was recorded and the chair said “Aye. Motion carries.” No individual roll-call vote or counts were given.
The discussion also included a brief exchange acknowledging that Sturgis’ fees appeared to have increased since the previous year and that staff would consult with the town attorney or finance staff about recovering fees from owners when appropriate. No specific legal provisions or ordinance citations were referenced during the discussion.
The board did not provide a detailed fee schedule in the meeting record; members directed staff to return with more detailed data on historical costs, frequency of repeat impounds, and options for cost recovery.
Upcoming administrative note: the office will be closed for Good Friday (April 18) through Monday, April 21 for Easter, as announced later in the meeting.
