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Public commenters urge county review after High Country Humane assumes Coconino Humane operations
Summary
Several Flagstaff rescues told the board they view the High Country Humane takeover of Coconino Humane Association as a hostile transaction that left CHA staff laid off and reduced intake capacity; the chair asked county administration to contact both organizations for a response.
Multiple residents and animal‑welfare volunteers used Call to the Public at the May 19 meeting to press the board to investigate recent organizational changes at the local shelter system and to urge enforcement of contract expectations.
Kenzie Catroni of Arc Cat Sanctuary described the transaction as "a hostile takeover" and said Coconino Humane staff were fired and services to remote parts of the county were disrupted. "If you care about the welfare of animals in our community, that merger would not have happened," Catroni said.
Susan Maru, founder of the Arc Cat Sanctuary, said Coconino Humane previously operated as an open‑admission shelter taking about 5,000 animals a year and that High Country Humane operates as managed admission with an annual intake closer to 3,000 and an annual stated capacity of 2,500. Maru told the board she believed High Country took CHA’s facility and its roughly $5,000 bank balance and closed the clinic CHA had established in 2024, laying off staff with emergency‑sheltering expertise.
Elaine Hughes, a long‑time cat foster, told the board she also read the transaction as a takeover and criticized CHA leadership for not involving staff before finalizing the change.
Chair Patrice Horstman acknowledged the comments but said the board could not respond substantively during Call to the Public; she asked county administration to contact both High Country Humane and the Coconino Humane Association and request a response for the community. The county manager said, "Duly noted, will do."
