Columbus Humane asks Reynoldsburg council for steady funding to sustain animal cruelty investigations

Columbus Humane told the Reynoldsburg City Council on Sept. 22 that its field‑services team conducts year‑round animal cruelty investigations in Franklin County and needs more reliable funding to maintain staffing and services.

"We are the healthcare workers out there, helping the community," Britney Williams, chief advancement officer for Columbus Humane, said during a 20‑minute presentation. She said the organization operates a cruelty‑investigations program with an annual operating budget of $1,500,000 and that the larger organization has an $8,000,000 operating budget for its shelter and services. Williams said roughly 70% of the nonprofit’s overall revenue comes from donations, about 20% from fees for service, and about 5% from government funding tied to cruelty investigations.

Williams described the services Columbus Humane provides in Reynoldsburg and the region — from hotline intake and mobile crisis responses to warrants and field investigations — and said the group enforces portions of the Ohio Revised Code relevant to animal control and cruelty investigations. She said the agency fields more than 16,000 calls and conducts more than 6,000 cruelty investigations in Franklin County each year, and asked local leaders to consider more stable municipal support to help sustain that level of work.

The presentation noted specific funding pressures: Columbus Humane said it must raise roughly $1,000,000 every year just to sustain cruelty investigations at current levels, and that government funding currently covers a small share of those costs. Williams listed partnering organizations operating in the region, including Mary Haven, Buckeye Ranch, Children's Hospital and others, and described coordination with local police departments.

Council members asked clarifying questions about Reynoldsburg‑specific case counts and ZIP‑code reporting; Williams confirmed the organization reports investigations by ZIP code and identified 43068 as the primary Reynoldsburg ZIP code for their data. The council did not vote on funding; the item was a presentation and information item only.

The city did not take immediate action on funding. Council members thanked Columbus Humane for the presentation and said they would keep the information in mind during future budget and intergovernmental funding conversations.