Independence officials outline $3 million plan to buy regional animal shelter ahead of April bond vote

The Independence City Council discussed plans on Jan. 27, 2025, to ask voters to approve approximately $3 million as part of a general obligation bond question to purchase the regional animal shelter building from Jackson County.

City Manager (speaking to the council) said on the study-session dais that “on April 8, Independence voters will have an opportunity to vote on 3 general obligation bond questions,” and that one portion would be used to purchase the shelter building so the city could own the structure on land it already owns.

The shelter is roughly 30,000 square feet and currently holds about 100 dogs and 100 cats, Christina Heinen, director of Health and Animal Services, told the council. Heinen described the facility’s features — a veterinary clinic with surgical space, six enclosed play yards and two on-site laundry facilities — and the operations staff: about five animal-control staff and about 14 shelter staff who run the daily shelter services.

Heinen said the county originally constructed the building for about $5,500,000 and that the county still owes roughly $3,000,000 on the building; the bond question would cover that outstanding amount to purchase the structure and place it under city ownership. She told the council the city operates the shelter 365 days a year and has repeatedly identified facility needs including the fire-suppression system, artificial turf, plumbing and hot water, HVAC, fencing and roof leaks. Heinen said some repairs have been performed recently by the county but several deficiencies remain.

Council members asked for cost details. Heinen estimated replacing the artificial turf at roughly $50,000 to $100,000, “probably closer on the $100,000 side,” and said fence repairs and gate replacements would be lower in cost. The city manager said the city’s five-year capital improvements program would begin to account for the facility as an asset and that funding sources would likely be a combination of funds to avoid undue burden on any single budget.

Council members and the city manager clarified operational and contractual implications if the city purchased the building: the current arrangement, they said, is that Jackson County built the structure and the city provides county animal-control services and housing in exchange for use of the facility. If the city buys the building, that arrangement would end; the county could choose to contract for services with the city or with other providers, and operating costs for the city would change depending on those decisions.

On funding, the city manager reviewed Proposition P, a voter-approved sales-tax measure that includes a dedicated $750,000 annual allocation for the animal shelter that escalates with the Midwest Consumer Price Index. He reported the city had already captured that bucket for the current fiscal year and estimated the tax now generates roughly $893,000 for the shelter this year because of online sales growth; once the police and shelter buckets are satisfied, the language directs remaining proceeds to a “waterfall” distribution across other voter-approved funds.

No formal vote or action was taken at the study session; council members asked staff to include the asset in capital planning and to continue refining cost estimates and funding options prior to placing the bond question on the April ballot.

The discussion closed with council members thanking staff for the update and acknowledging county repairs made since earlier briefings.