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County officials press City of Madera on animal‑services cost sharing as fee study continues
Summary
Supervisors and county staff flagged growing county costs for animal services, questioned the $180,000 city contribution and urged completion of a fee study to quantify cross‑jurisdictional costs.
Madera County supervisors pressed for clearer cost sharing with the City of Madera and Chowchilla during the budget hearing Tuesday, saying county taxpayers currently shoulder a disproportionate share of animal‑services costs.
Amy Toller, director of Madera County Animal Services, told the board the department had to absorb most intake, medical care and euthanasia costs for animals originating in the city of Madera. “We are unfortunately burdened with the cost of their euthanasia, their intake, their medic‑ medical cases,” Toller said, adding that the city pays about $180,000 a year while bringing an estimated 40% of the animals to the county facility.
Supervisors said that disparity is material to the county’s near‑term budget gap. “That $750,000 deficit before we dip into our fund balance — that could be solved right then and there,” Supervisor Rogers said, urging administration to take a “deep dive” into the city’s share.
Fee study and next steps: County staff confirmed a countywide fee study is under way with consultant NBS, aiming to return to the board in fall or winter for adoption. Jamie Becks of Community and Economic Development said the target is to bring the study to the board in fall or winter 2025. Joel Begay added staff will combine concepts from a 2018 animal‑shelter study with the NBS fee work to produce cost‑share options and metrics so the board can consider adjustments or exercise the six‑month termination clause in the county’s intergovernmental agreement with the city if necessary.
How services differ: Toller told supervisors the City of Chowchilla handles most animal services in‑house and only uses county support for some programs (TNR, vouchers), while the City of Madera does not operate a shelter and relies on county intake, raising county costs. Toller said the department is conducting a fee study to quantify the actual per‑animal cost and help structure equitable agreements.
Why it matters: County officials said the results of the fee study will inform whether the county should seek higher payments from cities, renegotiate terms, or — as one supervisor suggested — allow a city to provide its own comprehensive animal control services and cancel the current agreement with six months’ notice.
Sources: Presentation and remarks by Amy Toller, Joel Begay, Jamie Becks and several supervisors during the June 9, 2025 Madera County budget hearing.
