West Valley Humane Society asks Caldwell for $540,000, warns it may end contracts if not funded

Tyler Byers, board treasurer for West Valley Humane Society, told the Caldwell City Council at a May workshop that the nonprofit is seeking major municipal funding increases for fiscal 2026 and warned it may end municipal contracts if partners do not agree to new funding levels.

Byers said West Valley — which he described as “the second largest animal shelter here in the state of Idaho behind only Idaho Humane Society” — has experienced recent financial losses and staffing shortages and now projects an operating budget for fiscal 2026 of about $2.4 million. “They've lost about $600,000 in in a couple months span,” Byers said of the shelter’s recent cash problems. He said the shelter’s board has had outside accounting help and a reviewed financial statement for 2024 and is presenting those materials to municipal partners.

Byers summarized the shelter’s funding request and current support: West Valley is asking Caldwell for $540,000, Nampa for $720,000 and Canyon County for $240,000, for roughly $1.5 million in total municipal funding; the shelter’s total budget is $2.4 million, and the organization projects roughly $950,000 in revenue from donations and adoptions. He said Canyon County also provides the shelter facility under a dollar-per-year lease and contributes roughly $100,000 in maintenance funds.

Why it matters: The shelter told council members its live outcome rate remains at or above 90%, a benchmark often associated with “no-kill” status, and that continuing operations depend on larger municipal contributions.…