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Milford City animal shelter commission asks aldermen to restore $25,000 medical line
Summary
The Milford City Animal Shelter Commission asked the Board of Aldermen to restore a department request for $25,000 for medical expenses after donations were exhausted and projected medical spending exceeded the current budget by 6.5%.
Kathy Caymen, chair of the Milford City Animal Shelter Commission, told the Board of Aldermen on April 15 that rising veterinary costs and increased animal abandonment have strained the shelter’s medical fund and urged the board to restore the department’s full request of $25,000.
Caymen said veterinary costs for owners and shelters have risen about 40% since 2020 while the shelter’s medical line item increased only about 15% in the same period. She said the commission has covered medical shortfalls with donations and has already contributed $27,000 this fiscal year; the shelter is projected to go over budget by 6.5%.
Anna Asada, treasurer of the Animal Shelter Commission, reinforced the request and said the proposed city budget’s $15,000 medical allocation is insufficient to cover known and projected costs. The commission asked at minimum that the budget be amended to the full $25,000 to avoid using donations as the primary backstop.
No formal action or vote was taken during the hearing; the board recessed to continue budget deliberations the next day.
