Cass County moves animal-control generator purchase to April meeting

The Cass County Board of Commissioners voted to move consideration of purchasing a backup generator for the county animal control center to its April 10 meeting, after county officials described ventilation and power risks at the shelter.

Sheriff Clint Roach and county facilities staff told commissioners the county animal shelter currently has no dedicated backup generator and can be vulnerable during outages. "Animal control does not have a generator, and it is is full of animals 24 7, 3 60 5. So, the need for this, is is urgent," Sheriff Clint Roach said.

County staff said they have gathered bids and that quotes will expire if the board does not act soon. A facilities staff member identified as Ron told commissioners the chosen generator would be large enough "to run the entire facility, to exchange the air, to keep us up with all the qualifications and and need for the state, licensing." Ron added that the shelter has experienced multi-phase power outages and noted a ventilation requirement: "We're required to exchange the air at a minimum of 10 times an hour," a condition that, staff said, becomes a health and licensing risk if power is lost.

Commissioners did not vote on the purchase itself. Instead the board approved a motion to place the generator purchase on the April 10 regular meeting agenda for formal consideration; the motion and second were recorded but individual mover/second names were not identified in the transcript.

If approved at the April meeting, staff indicated the county would use one of the bids they have already obtained; staff also warned that some quotes will expire if not acted upon promptly.

The item will return to the board for a formal vote on April 10; no dollar amount, vendor name, or specific funding source was specified during the discussion.