Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Animal Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Supervisors press animal services on city cost-sharing as county fee study advances
Summary
Supervisors and county staff discussed animal services funding, a pending fee study and the discrepancy between the county's cost for shelter operations and the payment from the City of Madera; staff said a city-county fee study by NBS should be ready for board action in fall/winter 2025.
Madera County supervisors on June 9 pressed county staff and the animal services director for answers about how much the county's animal shelter is costing and whether cities that send animals to the shelter pay a fair share.
Administration's budget book lists a recommended animal services appropriation of $2,166,006.51 for FY2025‑26. At the hearing Animal Services Director Amy Toller described service levels and said some cities provide their own animal control while others rely on the county's shelter for intake, medical care and euthanasia.
"As far as the city of Madera, they do not have a shelter. So all of their animals do come to us," Toller said. She told the board that the City of Madera currently pays about $180,000 per year under the existing MOU while bringing roughly 40% of animals to the county facility, and that those volumes and the medical needs of incoming animals make the county's costs higher than the city's payment.
Supervisors called the gap "not equitable" and urged administration and animal services to fast-track the fee study and related accounting work. Supervisor Rogers said the discrepancy could materially affect the county's fiscal shortfall and asked administration to take a "deep dive." Supervisor Warmbo noted the existing six‑month termination clause in the MOU with the City of Madera and said the county should prepare options if the city declines to change terms.
Joel Begay said administration plans to use concepts from a 2018 shelter study alongside the new countywide fee study being conducted by NBS. Jamie Becks of Community and Economic Development said the NBS fee study is expected to be complete in fall or winter 2025 and brought to the board for adoption.
Toller said the county is currently performing a separate internal fee analysis and a companion review to determine the full per‑unit cost of services (intake, medical, euthanasia, TNR, microchipping). She also described program reductions in low‑cost spay/neuter and intake services that were required to meet budget targets.
Why it matters
Animal shelter operations are largely funded through the county general fund and targeted intergovernmental agreements. Supervisors flagged the Madera city-county payment level as potentially contributing to countywide budget pressure and directed staff to return with data and options.
What comes next
County staff said it will update the board with fee‑study results when available and will revisit the MOU and cost‑share arrangements with city officials. The board suggested using the existing 2018 study as a baseline to accelerate analysis.
Attribution
Quotes and figures above are drawn from the June 9 budget hearing and the department budget book entries for animal services (recommended expenditures $2,166,006.51).
