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Franklin County Humane Society warns it may end animal-control contract without a $110,000 annual increase
Summary
The Humane Society says it has served notice that it will end its service contract with Franklin County unless the court agrees to raise annual funding from roughly $74,000 to $110,000, citing rising costs, staffing needs and the shelter's effort to maintain high care standards.
Carrie Lowry, executive director of the Franklin County Humane Society, told the Fiscal Court on Sept. 11 that the nonprofit served formal notice July 1 of its intention to terminate the county service contract if parties cannot reach a new agreement before an Oct. 1 deadline. "We were going to terminate services unless we could come to a new agreement," Lowry said, and added her board had voted unanimously to serve notice.
Lowry said the Humane Society's request would raise the county's annual payment from about $74,000 to $110,000, an increase she attributed to higher personnel costs, veterinary care and the general cost of operating a modern animal-control facility. She told commissioners the county's share of the shelter's budget accounts for roughly 20 percent of the organization's revenue and that donors and a thrift store now subsidize the rest. "Our donors are currently subsidizing the responsibility the county has for caring for those animals," Lowry said.
Lowry reviewed the shelter's operations: the facility holds stray animals for the statutorily required stray hold, handles bite and quarantine holds, provides court and police holds and operates a veterinary and spay/neuter program. She said the shelter employs eight full-time and three part-time staff, uses contracted veterinarians, and maintains a live-release rate near 95 percent. "We are not simply a clearing house for animals to come in and leave after seven days," she said, describing longer average stays (about 21 days for dogs, 18 for cats) and the added costs that produces.
Court members raised contract history and budget-process questions. Officials noted the signed county contract dates to 2011 with an amendment in 2015 and includes a CPI adjustment; Lowry said applying CPI historically would have placed the contract closer to roughly $66,000. Commissioners proposed forming a small working group to meet with Humane Society representatives and negotiate terms before the contract lapses.
The Humane Society's notice does not automatically end services on Oct. 1; it sets a looming deadline for negotiations. The court did not vote a replacement contract at the Sept. 11 session. Judge and several magistrates urged prompt negotiations given the lack of an immediate county-run alternative for animal control. If the two sides cannot reach terms, the Humane Society indicated it could discontinue providing animal-control services that Franklin County is statutorily required to ensure.
