Henry and Trimble counties approve amended interlocal animal-shelter agreement; counties will split operations and capital costs 50/50

Henry County Fiscal Court voted to approve an amended and restated interlocal agreement with Trimble County that governs the joint Henry–Trimble County Animal Control and Animal Shelter.

Denise read the full text of the amended agreement at members’ request; the document replaces prior interlocal arrangements and sets governance, budgeting and operational rules. Key provisions include creation of a four-person board made up of the judge executive and one magistrate from each county; a requirement that both counties include specific operating-line items for the shelter in each year’s budget; and a $2,500 threshold above which capital projects must be approved by both fiscal courts.

Operationally, the agreement requires Trimble County to administer budget processing and submit quarterly revenue and expense journals to the board, with Trimble issuing payments and invoicing Henry County monthly. The counties will split utilities and operational expenses 50/50 and reimburse capital expenditures at 50% when approved. The agreement sets an administrative fee of $160 per month paid by Henry County to Trimble County to cover budget administration, subject to adjustment per CPIW. It requires each county to employ one full-time animal-control officer and at least one part-time employee (minimum hours noted in the agreement) and sets default hours of operation (Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m., plus two weekend half-days per month) while allowing the board to amend hours.

The agreement also includes standard provisions on donations (acknowledgment and restricted funds accounting per IRS guidance), insurance and indemnity, workers’ compensation, and a 30-day termination clause. Members discussed how the new board will replace prior ad hoc committees, how Trimble County’s administrative role will function in practice, and how shared fundraising from events would be handled; those operational details were left to the board to manage within the agreement framework.

After discussion, the court moved, seconded and carried a motion to approve the amended interlocal agreement as written.

The court additionally addressed near-term shelter funding: members agreed to add a $1,500 capital improvements line for the shelter in Henry County’s budget, reduce the vehicle line to $10,000, and raise training/conference funds for shelter staff to $1,000. Those budget adjustments passed on voice vote during the first reading.

The agreement text as read references Kentucky statutes in describing authority to enter the interlocal arrangement and the parties’ obligations; the agreement names KRS citations and the Department for Local Government filing identifiers as required for such interlocal contracts.