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Animal shelter requests up to $39,000 from legacy fund for search‑and‑rescue gear, second feral‑cat colony and incubators
Summary
Oakland County Animal Shelter director requested board approval to spend up to $39,000 from the shelter’s legacy fund to join the sheriff’s search‑and‑rescue team, create a second outdoor feral‑cat colony on shelter grounds and buy incubators for neonatal animals; no vote on the transfer is recorded in the transcript excerpt.
The director of the Oakland County Animal Shelter asked the Board of Commissioners on April 1 for permission to spend up to $39,000 from the shelter’s legacy fund for three purposes: equipment and uniforms to enable shelter officers to join the county sheriff’s search‑and‑rescue team; creation of a second outdoor feral‑cat colony on shelter property; and purchase of incubators for neonatal animals.
The shelter representative (identified in the record as Bob Cat) told commissioners that the shelter’s live‑release rates in March were 96.3% for dogs and 93.2% for cats and that the legacy fund balance is healthy (the presenter said it was about $1.2 million). He said donors’ contributions to the legacy fund have not been broadly spent in recent years, and described three proposed uses of up to $39,000 total:
• Purchase of uniforms and specialized equipment so two shelter officers can train and operate with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office search‑and‑rescue team, enhancing the shelter’s response to animal‑related incidents; the presenter said lieutenant Burwell (sheriff’s office) provided an equipment list. • Establish a second feral‑cat colony on shelter grounds to house feral cats returned under the trap‑neuter‑return program; the shelter has operated an existing colony successfully and would start the second colony with four cats currently in the building. • Buy incubators to improve survival of neonatal kittens and puppies that require warm, oxygenated environments.
The presenter described existing trap‑neuter‑return work as free to owners and noted the shelter does not generally perform trapping for residents but can lend traps. He said one cat from the initial colony was later adopted and several others remain healthy outdoors.
A lieutenant from the sheriff’s office was present and the presenter said the partnership would professionalize the shelter’s response to animal emergencies. The record shows the item was introduced by motion (moved by Commissioner Spitz, support by Commissioner Erickson Gault), but the excerpt does not include a recorded board vote on the transfer request.
Ending: The board heard the request and asked clarifying questions about feral‑cat handling, costs and shelter operations; no vote on the requested $39,000 transfer appears in the transcript excerpt provided here.
