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Madison County considers higher animal-shelter fees, board keeps select changes and approves part‑time hire
Summary
At a budget work session, Madison County supervisors reviewed proposed increases to shelter and animal-control fees and agreed to several wording clarifications; they also approved unfreezing a second part‑time shelter position to reduce overtime and maintain coverage.
Annette, a shelter staff member, asked the Madison County Board of Supervisors to update the animal-shelter fee schedule to reflect current costs and clearer language. She told the board she wanted to rename “small domestic” to “companion animals,” raise the impoundment (animal control) fee from $12 to $15 and update livestock fees to reflect the cost of feed and care. “That impoundment fee would go from 15 to $25; the boarding would go from 10 to $20 and the adoption fee would go from 45 to a $100,” Annette said.
The board’s administration also proposed removing an ambiguous phrase that allowed prorated boarding charges “for a portion thereof.” Several supervisors said the wording should be simplified to a clear per‑day rate rather than a fractional day charge. One supervisor noted that the county rarely houses horses and cattle at the shelter and that large animals are typically cared for by local farms; staff agreed to add explicit language covering fowl and poultry.
Board members debated whether raising livestock and adoption fees might deter owners from reclaiming animals, but shelter staff said the increases reflect significantly higher feed, bedding and veterinary costs. On the impoundment fee, Annette explained the county waives the charge for owners who bring in a lost animal the same day the shelter is open but charges when animal-control officers respond: “If animal control brings it in and it stays for a couple days, then, of course, they get that impoundment fee and boarding is charged the next day,” she said.
Beyond price changes, the board approved restoring a previously frozen second part‑time position at the shelter. Supervisors said the extra part‑time hire would provide redundancy and ease on‑call and overtime demands; staff estimated the recurring cost at roughly $15,000. The board recorded consensus to remove the fractional‑day language and to adopt the clarified fee schedule for advertisement ahead of required public hearings.
The next steps are for administration to finalize the redlined fee language and advertise the proposed administrative-fee changes, triggering the formal public-comment hearings required by county code. The board’s budget process will return to the shelter item if public feedback or new information requires adjustments.
