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Council asks for detailed accounting of APA contract and county animal‑care costs
Summary
Council members asked Department of Public Health officials for a historical comparison of the private APA contract and the county’s current cost to operate animal care and control, including a breakdown of field services and shelter operating costs.
Council members used the Department of Public Health budget briefing to press for detailed accounting of the county’s animal‑care costs after the APA (Animal Protective Association) contract ended.
Councilman Hancock asked how prior APA contract payments compared with current county costs for operating the animal care center and field services. Dr. Cunningham said the prior APA agreement had an approximately $15 million total payment over five years and that county‑run operations now account for roughly $6 million a year for shelter and field services combined. She told council members the figure reflected both running field services and the shelter together, and she offered to provide a side‑by‑side comparison of what the county spent while APA was the contractor versus the county’s current expenses for the same services.
Why this matters: council members said they need to understand whether the county is duplicating costs or paying for services twice (contract plus county staff) and whether lines in the DPH budget correctly reflect savings or new costs since the contract ended.
Requested follow‑up: Dr. Cunningham agreed to provide the committee with (a) the historical APA contract amounts and payment schedule, (b) the county’s current year‑to‑date and annualized spending on the animal care center (shelter operations), and (c) the field‑services cost separately. Councilman Hancock also asked for line‑item detail where the budget shows two large totals in “horticultural, agricultural and animal care.”
No formal action was taken; the committee requested the documentation in writing and asked that the materials be shared with all council members.
