Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Dogwood Contract topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Osage Beach aldermen reject proposed Dogwood Animal Shelter contract after debate over $10,000 flat fee
Summary
On a recorded roll call the board declined to adopt a contract that would have authorized a $10,000 annual flat payment to Dogwood Animal Shelter for city animal intake services. Members debated a flat annual fee versus per-animal billing and the city's legal limits for holding animals beyond five days.
The Board of Aldermen considered and rejected on Oct. 16 a second-reading ordinance (Bill 25-76) authorizing a contract with Dogwood Animal Shelter to accept stray and abandoned animals from the city for a flat fee of $10,000.
Alderman Colin Osteen questioned the flat-fee approach and urged a per-animal rate. "That $10,000 flat fee to me feels like it's more of a community investment or a gift in kind," Osteen said, noting the city submitted six animals to the shelter year-to-date and two the previous year.
Supporters of the contract, including Alderman Jonathan Hoffman, said the city needs a reliable system so police and public works staff are not burdened long-term. Hoffman noted the shelter's intake and medical costs and argued the agreement would prevent ad hoc decisions when pets remain in city custody. "This is a system I really would like us to try," he said, adding staff can revisit the arrangement after a trial period.
City staff said the contract included a 30-day termination clause and an annual review; the contract capped municipal submissions at 33 animals per year in the draft and covered medical care and adoption processing.
The mayor called a roll call vote. The meeting transcript records Alderman Alvin Collins responding "No," Alderman Coleman Rose "Yes," Alderman Colin Osteen "No," Alderman Jonathan Hoffman "Yes," and Alderman Alvin Rucker "Yes," and the mayor announced the bill failed 3 to 2.
City staff had earlier said the flat fee was derived from estimated per-animal costs (including spay/neuter and microchipping) and the administrative burden of holding animals beyond the city's five-day internal limit. Staff also noted that Dogwood and other regional rescues are sometimes at capacity, and that the contract was intended to provide a predictable, monthly billing system rather than ad hoc emergency payments.
No new contract was approved; board members who supported the idea said staff could return with revised terms or a different pricing model for the board to consider.
