City managers outline strain on pound services after switch to Surry Valley Animal Shelter

City officials updated the Minot City Council on July 7 about changes to animal pound services since the municipality moved care and impound services to Surry Valley Animal Shelter. The city manager reported growing operational strain, higher costs than earlier arrangements and legal limits on rehoming animals held as evidence in criminal cases.

City staff said the contract with the previous provider, Minot Vet Clinic, represented a notably lower cost; switching to Surry Valley raised annualized costs but remains broadly comparable with what other municipalities pay. At the six-month mark the city had spent about $85,000 and staff estimated roughly $14,000 per month going forward. The city reported 74 dogs impounded to date this year with about 47% returned to owners and 85 cats impounded with 15% returned.

Council members and staff flagged several operational issues: (1) a spike in long-term evidentiary holds (seven long-term dog holds reported) that tie up limited kennel space and prevent accepting other animals; (2) low financial recovery from reclaim fees (about $2,338 so far) compared with rehoming and kennel occupancy costs; and (3) the legal restriction that animals held as evidence in criminal cases are property that cannot be rehomed until court authority is granted. The city manager said staff had contacted the state’s attorney’s office and the city attorney about options, but legal risk and liability limit options such as fostering animals in private homes while cases are active.

Staff described steps taken or proposed to reduce strain: improved communications with Surry Valley and social media outreach to help owners find impounded animals more quickly, enhancing dispatch-to-shelter communications, proposing ordinance changes (including stronger licensing or requiring microchipping), and evaluating longer-term options such as a city-owned pound. The manager emphasized that a city-owned pound would be an expensive, multi-component project that includes land acquisition, design, staffing, veterinary services and regulatory compliance.

Council members asked for further detail on how a mandatory licensing or microchipping program might change recovery rates and offset costs. Staff said they had not yet finalized offset estimates but suggested that, if recovery of reclaimed animals increased to 75% through chipping and stronger licensing, the city could reduce some shelter costs by reuniting animals with owners before sending them to Surry Valley.

Council discussion also stressed trying operational fixes before moving to an expensive, city-owned facility. One alderman said staff should exhaust operational approaches — better intake processes, clearer fee structures and communications — before pursuing property acquisition and facility construction. The city manager agreed that building a city pound should be considered only if other options fail and that any proposal should contain realistic, not volunteer-dependent, cost estimates.