The Virginia City Council on Oct. 14 declined to approve payment of an outstanding invoice from the Mesabi Humane Society and instead voted to direct city staff to seek alternate animal-control arrangements.

The council considered invoice number 6, dated June 14, 2025, which Mesabi Humane Society submitted for services related to two cat-hoarding properties. The society told the council it would not continue contract negotiations unless the outstanding invoice was paid; it also proposed a three-year contract that started at $85,000 and would rise to $95,000 by the third year. City staff said the invoice is roughly $29,000 and would push total payments to the society to about $100,000 for 2025 if paid.

The payment motion, moved by Councilor Bach Schneider and supported by Councilor Motley, failed on a 4-3 roll call (tally recorded in the meeting as yes: 4, no: 3). The roll call recorded the following responses: Paulson — yes; Oxneider — yes; Reidlieb — no; Duffy — yes; Johnson — no; Motley — yes. After that vote, Councilor Johnson moved and the council approved a separate motion directing staff to pursue internal and cooperative alternatives for animal control within the city to meet Minnesota statutory requirements; that motion passed 5-2.

Why it mattered: Mesabi Humane Society operates as a no-kill shelter and provides veterinary and spay/neuter services that exceed the city’s statutory minimum. City Administrator Brian Lindsey told the council the city’s legal duty is to provide humane holding for impounded animals for five days and maintain records, but not to provide the full suite of veterinary care Mesabi offers. Lindsey said the city had issued a request for proposals for animal-control services and received no responses.

Councilors and residents at the meeting disputed who should carry the added cost when extraordinary incidents occur. Councilor Paulson said about $13,200 of the bill appears to be charges for kittens born at the shelter after animals were in custody, and argued that the budgeted animal-control allocation was not intended to fund medical or long-term care. Councilor Buck Schneider said the city had been slow to finalize a contract earlier in the year and that unpaid invoices have escalated as a result. Councilor Motley emphasized that the invoice came from a county tax-forfeited property and that the city had already invoiced St. Louis County for reimbursement.

City staff said Mesabi had asked for a definitive response within a week after a special meeting held with the shelter; staff had sent a follow-up to St. Louis County seeking reimbursement. Legal staff and the administration warned the council that declining to pay the bill could expose the city to a lawsuit by Mesabi, but several councilors objected to paying the full amount without clearer documentation of services and costs.

The council requested additional financial detail from Mesabi, including the society’s 2024 budget and year-to-date revenues and expenses, and asked staff to continue negotiations with the county. In the meantime the council approved a direction to staff to identify lower-cost options that satisfy the statutory minimum — such as a pound-style arrangement, shared regional facilities, or contracts with adjacent municipalities — and return with recommendations.

Quotes: “The city is kind of stuck — we had to discharge our duty under state law, and the only provider we had was charging $600 per cat,” City Administrator Brian Lindsey said during the discussion. “We did try to put out an RFP and received no responses.”

Ending: The council’s next budget and committee meetings were scheduled in coming weeks; members said they expect Mesabi and county responses and additional financial detail before finalizing a 2026 contract or setting a long-term payment arrangement.