Vermont volunteer spay/neuter program urges fee, rule changes to avoid shortfall

A volunteer-run spay/neuter voucher program told the Agriculture, Food Resiliency & Forestry Committee it may run out of funds and urged several changes to how the program is funded and administered.

The VBSA Humane Society representative, speaking at length to committee members, said the program is currently funded by a $4 share from each dog license and that the limited revenue threatens the program’s ability to continue. “It’s only funded right now by $4 to every dog license,” the representative said, noting the program had once closed for about three and a half months and could face similar disruptions again without changes.

The representative said veterinarians and program applicants surveyed support raising the voucher copayment to $50 per animal (from a current median co-pay around $27) and suggested increasing the dog-registration fee by about $2 to boost the dedicated funding stream. The representative also proposed adding rabbits to the list of eligible companion animals and correcting clerical and statutory references in the program rules that did not update when administration shifted between agencies.

Why…