Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Animal Control topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Steuben County Council deadlocks on Humane Society allocation after heated debate over service and oversight
Summary
The council split 3–3 on a motion to approve a $44,530 additional appropriation for the Steuben County Humane Society, a proposal that would have brought county support to $62,530 and required the shelter to resume countywide services and submit annual budgets and expenditure accounting; the item will be revisited at the next meeting.
Lisa Caudell and Rita Nedele, representing the Steuben County Humane Society board, asked the Steuben County Council on April 14 to resolve a funding impasse so the shelter would again serve the entire county. Caudell said the Society sought county support to cover operating needs and necessary facility repairs.
"Our mission is to protect animals in this county," Caudell said, urging the council to move past the dispute over the shelter’s budget request. She told the council the Society would not begin construction on a new facility until it could be financially sustained.
Council members pressed for more detailed accounting and clarified what county support would mean. Dan Booher, identified as an animal advocate and concerned citizen, said he supported the shelter’s mission but "questions the recent behavior of the Board" and recommended the county require an accounting of how funds would be spent.
Linda Hansen proposed that the council appropriate $44,530 in additional funds but require the Humane Society to earmark $17,000 for specified projects such as computers, caging and heating/air systems and to provide an annual proposed budget and previous-year expenditure accounting during the county’s budget process. Hansen said earmarking and reporting would make county taxpayers more comfortable with the allocation.
Opposition centered on the appropriate role of government in supporting an independent nonprofit. Council member Kenneth Shelton said, "I’m not interested in operating private enterprises," arguing that the county should pay for specific contracted services rather than subsidize a private operation.
A motion by Council member Jim Getz would have approved an additional appropriation of $44,530 to bring the county’s total allocation to $62,530 (including $18,000 already in the budget), on the condition that the Humane Society immediately resume service to the entire county through Jan. 1, 2016, and that the Society present an annual budget and accounting to justify future requests. Lisa Caudell said she would reinstate countywide services if the funds were approved.
When the council voted, those in favor were Jim Getz, Linda Hansen and Ruth Beer; those opposed were Ken Shelton, Richard Shipe and Wil Howard. The vote was three ayes and three nays, with Council member Dan Caruso absent; the motion therefore did not carry and the issue will be revisited at the next county council meeting.
Sheriff Tim Troyer had earlier described a recent incident in which deputies encountered neglected dogs but the local shelter "refused to accept the animal," forcing the county to arrange out-of-county care; Troyer told the council he is seeking a reliable mechanism and funding to ensure animals can be impounded and cared for when needed.
The council also discussed whether funds should be allocated as a fee-for-service payment or as a nonprofit allocation within the county budget process; members agreed the Humane Society must provide clearer financial details before the council can finalize long-term support.
Next steps: The Humane Society was asked to provide detailed budget line items and previous-year expenditure accounting when it returns to the county budget process; the council will revisit the appropriation at its next meeting.
