Commissioners direct $5,000 spay-and-neuter grant pool for FY25, set application guidance

Deschutes County commissioners directed staff to open a spay-and-neuter grant cycle for fiscal year 2025 with a $5,000 grant pool and suggested guidance of up to $2,000 per application.

Jen Patterson, strategic initiatives manager, told the board the dog-license contribution fund currently has approximately $4,374 and was budgeted at $5,000 for FY25; historically the county supplemented the pool with general-fund dollars. The county awarded about $10,000 in 2023 when county funds supplemented donations.

Patterson listed organizations that have applied or inquired in past cycles, including Camp Companion Animal Medical Project, Embers, Wildflower Animal Sanctuary and Bunny Rescue, Furry Friends Foundation, and Street Dog Hero and noted continued interest from local animal-welfare groups. Commissioners discussed options: award up to $5,000 now, wait for the fund to grow, or supplement from county dollars (no supplement was budgeted this year). Several commissioners supported opening the cycle at $5,000 without a general-fund subsidy and suggested guidance that applications request between $250 and $2,000; staff said they would publicize the pool amount and suggested ceiling.

Patterson and finance staff noted that the dog-license contribution had fallen from prior years and suggested communications outreach to encourage voluntary donations at licensing. The board asked the communications team to suggest ways to increase donations online.

Ending: Staff will open the FY25 application with a $5,000 pool funded by dog-license contributions and return with applications for board consideration; the board suggested an application maximum of $2,000 and a recommended range of roughly $250–$2,000 per request.