The mayor and New Iberia city council spent significant time discussing the future of animal-control services after the parish signaled it would stop the existing arrangement. The council debated a short-term negotiated contract with the parish and longer-term options including a city-owned shelter.

Mayor said he will meet with the parish president to seek another negotiation and emphasized his preference to try one more time to reach a partnership. “I’m going to see one more time if we can work something out,” the mayor said, adding that his fallback plan would be to borrow roughly $1.5 million to build a municipal shelter and assume ongoing operating costs.

Council members were split on approach but broadly agreed on two points: the council needs “skin in the game” if it continues a contractual relationship, and the city should preserve oversight and input on how animals originating from the city are handled. Several council members urged a partnership model with clearly defined roles for the city (including the possible placement of a city employee or dog-catcher at the parish facility) so the city would have real-time input on care and disposition.

Council members noted operational pressures at the current parish shelter. A councilor reported that the parish facility’s kennels were full when a resident tried to surrender animals, and the group said euthanasia numbers drawn from public records (roughly 300 dogs over two years, per the mayor’s initial review of records) will factor into any negotiation.

If the city were to build its own facility, the mayor said he would prefer a multi-year plan and described borrowing as a last-resort “backup plan” because a new shelter would carry long-term maintenance and operating expenses. Council members emphasized they do not want to be forced to choose between animal-control spending and other capital projects such as drainage or the festival-building work.

Council members asked the mayor and staff to pursue three actions: (1) continue discussions with the parish president and return with proposed contract terms that provide city oversight and staffing input; (2) compile a realistic operating-cost estimate for a new municipal shelter, including an estimate of annual maintenance and staffing; and (3) identify possible nonprofit partners and rescue organizations that could increase adoption placements for city animals.

Ending: The mayor scheduled a meeting next week with the parish president and asked staff to prepare budget scenarios and partnership terms. The council did not adopt a new contract at the meeting; members asked the mayor to seek agreement that preserves the city’s role in decisions about animals surrendered by city residents.