Joint Animal Services presents revised shelter plan, estimates multimillion-dollar funding gap

Joint Animal Services executive director Sarah Hawk updated the Tumwater City Council on May 6 about operations, volunteer contributions and a revised facility plan that agency staff say will improve operations but require major new funding.

Hawk told the council that volunteers provided nearly 5,000 hours in 2024 and that those efforts “saved our organization over $200,000 in additional labor and help around the shelter.” She said the agency’s average length of stay for animals fell from 11 days in 2023 to seven days in 2024, and that the shelter handled about 3,305 intakes last year.

The presentation placed the Joint Animal Services service area across four jurisdictions: Thurston County (46% of calls/intake), Olympia (25%), Lacey (21%) and Tumwater (8%). Hawk described operational changes that she said reduced length of stay, increased positive outcomes and allowed the shelter to perform more complex veterinary care in-house: “We did over 2,000 exams on animals, over 1,200 spay and neuter surgeries, along with 64 additional surgical procedures,” she said.

Hawk also summarized a completed space-needs assessment and a redesigned facility concept that she said is “just under 20,000 square feet.” Staff provided an estimated total cost range for the project and emphasized that site acquisition and site development drive wide variability. In the presentation Hawk said the project cost estimates range broadly; staff gave a design cost window of about $33 million to $44.15 million and said the remaining funding need after anticipated contributions could be in the roughly $26 million to $34 million range, depending on site and development costs.

Hawk outlined potential funding sources: roughly “a little over $1,000,000 in reserves,” a state design request that staff said was originally for $2 million but now looks likely to be about $1 million, and an estimated $500,000 from private foundations such as PetSmart Charities, Petco and Maddie’s Fund. She also said the interlocal agreement (ILA) that governs Joint Animal Services currently specifies that any loan repayment would be borne on a per-capita basis by the member jurisdictions and that staff were meeting with jurisdictional representatives to explore options including bonding, a levy or an animal control district as a dedicated funding mechanism.

Council members asked about recruiting volunteers, program needs and siting. Hawk said the agency expects to need roughly three to five acres for a new site, prefers locations on a bus route, and is prioritizing a site that will not be within a residential neighborhood. She described a new cruelty response volunteer program and a recent, complex field response that involved 40 Great Pyrenees dogs; the agency said it worked with the owner, completed surgeries and rehoming arrangements to reduce the owner’s herd to a sustainable number.

Hawk requested that council and jurisdictional staff continue discussions on financing options; no ordinance, funding appropriation or binding council direction was adopted during the May 6 meeting. Council members and staff agreed that further work at the staff and jurisdictional level is needed before the council would consider any formal funding commitments or a ballot measure.

Tumwater residents who want to volunteer or donate were directed to Joint Animal Services for current needs; Hawk said the shelter anticipates a spike in “kitten season” supplies and needs (mama/baby cat food, formula and litter) and that dog food and durable toys are also routinely useful.

The presentation included examples of 2024 service outcomes and several operational metrics; staff said they would return with additional financial modeling and site options as the planning process continues.