City of Jowell compliance manager asks Lea County for $10,000 to support animal shelter upgrades

Levi Hill, a City of Jowell compliance manager who has been overseeing animal control and the town shelter, asked the Lea County Commission during public comment for $10,000 to help expand spay/neuter services and make repairs at an aging shelter.

Hill said the shelter has “gone from a, nearly a 100% kill rate to we’ve saved every dog that we’ve gotten in the last 2 months,” attributing recent gains to partnerships with Best Friends Animal Society and local organizations. He told commissioners the shelter currently has 10 small cages, no outside run, and pressing maintenance needs including lighting, a washer and dryer hookup, and air‑conditioning that sprays water and creates bacterial risks.

Hill described arrangements to lower the cost of spay/neuter surgeries — a verbal agreement for $50 procedures with a Lovington provider — and said the requested $10,000 would support an estimated 130–160 animals in the first year. He also described donated supplies and a transport van partnership that could expand services if volunteers and fuel support are available.

Commissioners asked about capacity and next steps; Hill answered questions about facilities and current partnerships and indicated he would follow up with a more detailed list of needs. No formal county action was taken at the meeting; Hill’s request was recorded in public comment for commission consideration.

The commission did not vote on funding at the meeting. The next procedural step would be staff follow‑up or an item placed on a future agenda for formal consideration.