County approves one‑year animal shelter contract, increases appropriation to $33,000

The Delta County Board of Commissioners approved a one‑year contract with the local animal shelter and increased the county appropriation for shelter services to $33,000 for the coming year, up from the long‑standing $25,000 appropriation.

Commissioners said the appropriation increase reflects that the previous amount had not been raised for more than a decade. The contract change shortens the term to one year (instead of the county’s usual three‑year contracts) so the board can revisit terms and funding before Sept. 30. Administrators said they tightened some contract language and asked county staff, the sheriff’s office and partner municipalities to meet with the shelter to discuss a broader ordinance update.

Commissioners noted the shelter is a private nonprofit (501(c)(3)) that provides boarding, vaccination and quarantine services for animals collected by the sheriff’s department and municipalities. One commissioner asked whether the county would have a seat on the shelter’s board; staff said the shelter declined to give the county a board seat because it is an independent nonprofit, and the county’s role is to purchase services.

At the meeting staff provided rough metrics used in finance discussions: an approximate per‑animal cost of about $330 per year and nearly 1,000 shelter intakes cited across jurisdictions in recent reporting, though commissioners noted local totals vary between the county and larger municipalities. The motion to approve the contract passed by voice vote.

County staff said the county will convene stakeholders to update the county’s animal control ordinance to reflect that the county no longer operates a shelter directly and relies on contracted services.