Kankakee committee presses animal-control contractor for activity reports after $35,000 invoice

KANKAKEE, Ill. ' The Kankakee City Building and Code Safety Committee on Feb. 19 discussed a $35,000 annual contract payment to the city's animal-control provider and raised concerns that the committee no longer receives monthly activity reports that show calls, animal pickups or returns to owners.

The committee heard that the invoice covers the contract period Jan. 1, 2026 to Dec. 31, 2026 and that the city was billed for the full amount. "This billing is for 35,000," said an unidentified meeting facilitator during the director's report.

Several committee members said the city used to receive itemized monthly reports showing dates, addresses and outcomes of animal-control calls and that those reports stopped after the contract was implemented. Unidentified Speaker 2 said a resident contacted the committee after animal control did not return a phone call; "I think we need to owe it to our residents to make sure they're getting the service we're paying for," Alderman O'Brien said during discussion.

Committee members asked that Director Nelson contact the animal-control provider to request the missing January activity report and to return with an explanation and any corrective steps at the committee's next meeting. The committee did not take formal action on the contract during the Feb. 19 meeting.

The committee framed the request as a follow-up item: if the report shows few or no responses, members said it will help them evaluate whether the contracted service meets city needs. Director Nelson was asked to seek the report and provide the provider's response at the March meeting.