Chilton County commissioners voted to approve a partnership between the county animal control facility and Tuskegee University Veterinary College’s teaching hospital, pending attorney review. Shelter staff described a plan for licensed veterinarians, one licensed veterinary technician and veterinary students to make weekly visits to the shelter to perform exams and coordinate access to the school's teaching-hospital for spays, neuters and other procedures.

Speaker 7, who presented the request, said the arrangement would roughly halve the shelter’s current costs for surgeries and reduce the need to transport animals out of county for care. "Once a week, they'll come in, do all exams," Speaker 7 said, adding the teaching-hospital access would cover spays and neuters and that the shelter would continue to obtain medication via local veterinary partners.

Commission members asked how often the team would visit and where medications would be obtained. Speaker 7 said the visits would be once a week and that local veterinarians (named in the discussion as a consultant partner) would continue to supply medications under the veterinarians’ recommendations. The county attorney will complete a legal review before the agreement is finalized.

The motion to approve the partnership was moved and seconded by commissioners in the meeting and was adopted by unanimous vote.

The agreement is expected to reduce costs, improve on-site medical response for animals on stray holds and provide clinical training opportunities for veterinary students. The county recorded the approval as a formal resolution pending attorney sign-off; no contract amount was specified in the meeting record.