Trumbull County commissioners move to form advisory committee for new dog pound, urge quick funding plan

Trumbull County commissioners held an informational meeting about a proposed new county dog pound and agreed to form an advisory committee to shepherd funding, planning and public outreach for the project.

The meeting focused on a donated site adjacent to the Animal Welfare League (AWL), previously studied architecture and cost estimates, and how the county should structure fundraising and oversight for what presenters said is likely a multi-million-dollar capital project. Commissioner Danny Malloy and other commissioners asked staff to return at next Tuesday’s workshop with a draft resolution, membership plan and clearer budget figures so the panel and fundraising effort can begin.

The discussion matters because county staff, volunteers and rescuers told the commissioners the current Trumbull County shelter is undersized and in disrepair, and that a modern facility would increase adoptions, volunteer capacity and the county’s ability to meet statutory duties for stray and dangerous animals. Speakers said AWL offered property for the build, donors and a bequest previously set aside toward the project, and architect renderings already exist.

Jason Cook, a volunteer and local rescue operator, told the commissioners the county faces a “major crisis with dogs in Trumbull County” and described broad community support for a new, more user-friendly shelter. "If we have a better facility, a more user friendly facility, it'll flush out better volunteers," Cook said, adding that private donors and contractors have signaled interest in helping if the county demonstrates commitment.

Michelle Goss, who identified herself as representing the county dog warden/operations, said the most recent plans were prepared for property donated by the Animal Welfare League and that sanitary, water and zoning reviews had been completed for that site. "Those are the most recent plans that we have. And that is for building in front of the Animal Welfare League; the property that they gave us," she said, adding that the donated parcel is already titled to the county.

Consultants at the meeting cautioned that direct grant funding for full construction appears unlikely at present and that a large capital project will require multiple funding sources. Ty Beatty of Campbell Consulting estimated the project would likely be in the $3 million to $5 million range and said securing significant capital could take a year or longer with a mixture of public and private partners.

Commissioners and presenters outlined funding already associated with the project: a roughly $200,000 estate gift reported to be held in a county fund, an earlier $250,000 payment to architects (presenters said roughly $205,700 of architectural fees had been paid), and an earlier attempt to apply ARPA or federal grant funds that did not produce full construction funding. Sheriff’s and prosecutor’s office staff and county finance staff discussed the existence of a dedicated county revenue line for dog-warden donations and urged that construction and operating donations be tracked separately.

Participants discussed the intended scale: current plans show about 55 kennels plus quarantine space; speakers said the existing county pound currently houses far fewer animals (speakers referenced about 14 dogs at the current facility) and that adoptions now take longer than in 2020. Presenters emphasized the pound’s intended role as a public-service intake and adoption facility, not a long-term rescue holding operation.

The commissioners and county staff debated how to form the advisory panel. Human-resources staff recommended a public, transparent process that includes a statement of interest and conflict-of-interest disclosures for members, and the prosecutor’s office advised care in structuring donor relationships and in permitting contractors to donate labor so as to avoid ethics or procurement issues.

Next steps recorded in the meeting: HR will prepare an application/statement-of-interest format for prospective advisory members; the commissioners asked staff to prepare a resolution confirming the donated AWL site and the current architect design as the project baseline; the commissioners also asked the consultant and county staff to supply an updated engineer’s estimate to use for fundraising and to present a recommended committee size and membership approach at the next workshop. The meeting concluded with a routine motion to adjourn that passed.

County officials stressed that donors can give to a county-managed fund set up for the dog-pound project, but that large donors frequently prefer tax-deductible gifts routed through a nonprofit; the prosecutor’s and finance offices suggested creating separate line items (construction vs. operating) or a dedicated nonprofit-building fund to accommodate tax-deductible donations and to keep accountability clear.

Commissioners said they want a small, accountable advisory committee (initially formed with a few core members including county staff and community representatives) that can coordinate fundraising, community outreach and the technical steps needed to put the project out to bid once funding commitments are sufficient.

The commissioners did not adopt a final resolution during the meeting; they directed staff to bring draft language, cost updates and a committee proposal to the workshop next Tuesday for further action.