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Volunteers propose to run Macon County animal shelter, ask that animal control return to sheriff’s office
Summary
Positive Shelter Volunteers presented a plan to run the county animal shelter as a 501(c)(3), seek grants and donations for renovations and staffing, and asked that animal-control enforcement be placed under the sheriff’s office before the nonprofit assumes shelter operations.
Positive Shelter Volunteers asked the Macon County Board of Commissioners on Thursday to let the nonprofit operate the county animal shelter and to shift animal-control enforcement to the sheriff’s office as a precondition for the transfer.
Meg Kramer, who led the proposal, said the group has daily volunteer experience in the shelter and would use its nonprofit status to pursue grants and private donations for kennel repairs, play yards and staffing. "We can reach out for grants," Kramer said, explaining that the 501(c)(3) status would let the organization fund renovations and programs that the county budget cannot cover.
Kramer told commissioners that the plan would separate animal-control enforcement from shelter operations: "We need the animal control to be under the jurisdiction of the sheriff's department. End of story," she said, adding that the sheriff’s office would provide legal backing that officers currently lack.
Kramer and other volunteers described a phased transition: initial short-term supports for existing shelter employees (including exploring COBRA or county-sponsored interim benefits) and a tentative operational target for the nonprofit to begin within roughly 60–90 days from board approval, depending on the final contract and facility changes.
Commissioners voiced support for volunteers’ experience but flagged several conditions the county wanted addressed before approving a transfer. Commissioner Sherrill asked for assurances that county oversight and financial checks would remain in place when taxpayer funds are involved. County staff said a contract would spell out fund flow, staffing protections and transitional arrangements for current shelter employees.
No formal vote to transfer operations occurred at the meeting; commissioners asked staff to draft contract terms and bring the proposal back with those details and a timeline.
Next steps: staff said they will work with Positive Shelter Volunteers to develop contract language, a timeline and a budget/benefit plan for continuing county staff during transition.
