Humane Society reports surge in calls and proposes budget that could cut weekend coverage

Representatives of the Clinton County Humane Society presented detailed 2024 shelter statistics, staffing and budget proposals and a one-time grant award at the Board of Commissioners meeting on July 15. Owen Lucas, secretary for the shelter board, and Cheyenne Taylor, executive director, described rising service calls, shelter intake and adoption figures and two budget scenarios for animal-control coverage.

"Our highest number that we always have are animals at large at 265 calls total for last year," Lucas said, and he reported 502 total calls for service in 2024 while noting a data mismatch between city and county records. Taylor said aggressive-dog calls and bite reports have risen: "This year, year to date, we're not even halfway through the year yet, and we've already got 30 bites that we've responded to," she said, comparing that to 23 bites in prior years.

Why it matters: shelter capacity, staffing and animal-control response affect public safety, public health and county budgets. The Humane Society presented two budget options: a full 24/7 coverage plan and a reduced schedule that would eliminate paid weekend coverage, leaving the shelter to respond to weekend emergencies via on-call board members or staff. The full-coverage payroll and operating figures were presented as approximately $171,000; a reduced schedule was shown at roughly $165,000, a difference the shelter estimated at about $6,000.

Operational and financial details: the presentation broken out intake and outcome data (2024 totals reported as about 335 cat intakes and 325 dog intakes; 289 cat adoptions and 137 dog adoptions), an average live-release rate the shelter reported as 97 percent, and average lengths of stay (cats ~126 days, dogs ~59 days). Taylor described veterinary and medical costs involved with each intake and credited partnerships with Purdue University Veterinary Hospital and a local nonprofit, Paw Pals of Clinton County, for subsidizing medical care. Board member Nancy Elsey said a community-foundation grant of $80,000 will fund replacement of aging kennels.

Health and enforcement coordination: a county health official briefed the board on the reporting chain for animal bites and said the process currently routes a bite report from hospitals or law enforcement to the Humane Society and then to the health department and state. The official said there is a gap in who tracks and enforces animal-bite liability, referencing Indiana Code "15 20 Dash 1 Dash 4" as a statute that addresses dog-bite liability and criminal penalties when owners knowingly fail to control animals. The health representative said the department and the Humane Society will pursue process changes and follow-up with the board of health.

No budget vote: the Humane Society brought budget proposals to inform the county but the board made no final funding decision at the meeting. Commissioners asked clarifying questions about staffing, weekend call patterns and city contributions (the city contribution was stated as $50,000). The Humane Society said weekend on-call shifts had produced few paid calls and that the organization had proposed making weekend staffing on-call rather than scheduled paid time to reduce costs.

Public comment and next steps: a county resident, Jerry Lisco, told the board he had inspected the Humane Society and urged public support for its staff; he said he and others found staff professional and willing to work on improvements. The health department representative said the county will continue work on clarifying responsibilities in reporting and enforcement and invited the Humane Society to the board of health meeting the following week to continue coordination.

The board did not take formal action on the Humane Society budget at the July 15 meeting. Commissioners said they would consider the information as they prepare the county budget for 2026.