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Animal shelter calls for pay review as staff detail heavy workload; court approves small spay/neuter grant application
Summary
Shelter staff reported May intake and urged pay adjustments and support; magistrates acknowledged workload and approved applying for a small Kentucky Department of Agriculture spay/neuter grant without a local match.
The county's animal shelter reported 49 dog intakes and other activity for May and urged the fiscal court to consider pay adjustments for shelter staff amid heavy workloads and frequent off-hour responses.
The shelter representative (Judy/Tatum referenced in discussion) gave a month-to-date summary: 49 dogs received (30 surrenders), 19 cats, 14 dogs adopted and eight cats adopted, with adoption revenue and small fees recorded. The representative said she frequently covers activities outside normal hours and that much routine purchasing has been paid from her personal funds.
Members acknowledged the shelter's contribution and that the staff member had secured multiple grants (including ARC and other smaller awards) totaling more than $100,000 over the past year. Several magistrates said the current budget is tight and recommended tabling permanent salary increases until end-of-year budget reviews or implementing pay-scale reforms; one magistrate proposed targeted raises for long-serving employees as funds permit.
Separately the court authorized shelter staff to apply for a Kentucky Department of Agriculture grant (maximum listed at $1,266) to support spay/neuter work and discussed whether to provide a local match; the court approved applying without a match.
Next steps: Treasurer/staff will revisit salary requests during budget process; shelter to submit KDA grant application.
