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Commissioners discuss Humane Society contract, seek longer term and audit language after price and service changes
Summary
County leaders reviewed a proposed 2025 contract with Humane Society of Southwest Washington covering animal intake and care. Negotiations flagged a new condition linking a lower fee to termination of jail-based kennels; commissioners asked staff to pursue a one‑year concession and seek a multi-year contract with audit and clear scope language.
Jason Lorraine, a prosecutor in the county attorney’s office, briefed commissioners on recent email exchanges with the Humane Society of Southwest Washington over a proposed 2025 contract to provide sheltering and intake services for animals the county seizes or delivers.
Jason Lorraine said the Humane Society initially indicated a reduced county fee of about $111,000 for 2025 but later appeared to link that lower price to a requirement that the county cease use of its jail kennel facility. Lorraine said the connection between the reduced fee and ending county kennel operations was not part of earlier negotiations and represented a material change in position.
Commissioners and the sheriff’s office discussed trade-offs. The county jail kennel provides a 72‑hour holding location that often allows owners to reclaim animals quickly at low cost to owners and the county. Humane‑society staff signaled that assuming responsibility for intake and all citizen drop-offs would add workload and cost; the Humane Society has publicly described higher per‑animal costs in recent coverage and briefings to other jurisdictions.
Discussion points included: whether the county should accept a one‑year reduced fee tied to ceasing jail kennel operations; whether to seek a three‑ to five‑year contract that locks in a price and includes a CPI or cost‑of‑living escalation; whether the agreement should explicitly exclude or include citizen drop‑offs and adoption fees; and whether contract language should require documentation and allow auditing of billed services.
Commissioners directed staff to return to Humane Society negotiators with a counterproposal that would accept a first‑year concession (the $111,000 figure) only if the society confirms that the price is inclusive as represented, and to pursue a multi‑year agreement (three to five years) with a clear audit/reporting requirement and a CPI escalation clause. They also asked that any language tying the reduced price to elimination of the jail facility be clarified or struck if it changed the county’s operational control. Commissioners asked the prosecutor’s office and the sheriff to continue negotiations; no contract award was made Monday.
Ending: Commissioners gave staff direction to negotiate for a one‑year concession and seek a multi‑year contract with audit and inclusive-service language; staff will return with revised terms for formal action.
