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Alpine discusses replacing aging animal-shelter incinerator as shelter income rises
Summary
Animal services staff told council the shelter’s incinerator is cracking and must be replaced; council discussed funding options including budget amendment, USDA grants and lease-purchase, and asked staff to return with vendor options and cost ranges.
Alpine city staff told the City Council the animal shelter’s incinerator has developed a crack and should be replaced to avoid service interruption for pet cremations that also generate revenue for the shelter.
Jennifer Stewart, who introduced the item as part of the animal advisory board discussion, said the shelter has cremated roughly 2,000 animals in the past five years and that cremation services generated nearly $51,000 in revenue in 2023–24. Stewart said the shelter’s current unit was purchased as a lower‑cost machine and is not designed for daily, high‑volume use; newer commercial units that can process multiple animals per day range from about $65,000 to $100,000 depending on capacity and features.
"We need to replace it immediately, or we're going to have to stop services to our city," Stewart told council, adding that the shelter also serves nearby jurisdictions including Marfa, Presidio and Fort Davis. Council members and staff discussed funding options: applying for USDA community‑project grants (which require a line item and can take months), using fund balance and a formal budget amendment, or deploying a lease/purchase to spread payments over 3–5 years. Finance staff noted there is no room in the current budget for the purchase without a formal amendment.
Council members asked shelter staff to return with specific vendor options and three price tiers (low, mid, high) and to model payback scenarios based on modest fee increases; council also asked staff to propose procurement paths and whether the purchase could be arranged through a purchasing cooperative. Shelter staff said current private cremation fees run roughly $90–$130 based on weight and that the shelter’s cremation program was profitable: net revenue after expenses was about $35,000 in the most recent accounting period. Council discussed potential procurement timelines, the need to follow city purchasing rules, and the possibility of increasing fees modestly to improve payback.
The council did not take immediate action but requested procurement options and a financial plan for review at a future meeting.
