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Muscatine council approves short-term PAWS and More agreement for animal-control services
Summary
The City of Muscatine approved a short-term agreement with PAWS and More (Washington) to support animal-control services after It Takes a Village closed; city staff said 45 dogs were reunited with owners and described ongoing TNR options, facility capacity and transport procedures.
The Muscatine City Council on June 9 approved a short-term agreement with PAWS and More Animal Shelter of Washington to support the city’s animal-control services after the closure of It Takes a Village.
Captain York told the council that since the city resumed operation of the pound earlier this year it has reunited about 45 dogs with their owners “at no cost to the taxpayer,” and has impounded about 14 dogs that were previously transported under the old contract. “We have had 45 dogs taken in, of which we have reunited with home owners at no cost to the taxpayer,” York said.
City staff said the $140 fee discussed in the meeting applies only to dogs transported to PAWS and More in Washington and clarified past transports under the previous arrangement were charged at $100 per animal. Staff said transportation responsibilities will fall to the city’s animal control function using the department’s vehicle; the city described the current agreement as roughly 30 days in duration and open to replacement by any local agency that can provide equal or better service at equal or lesser cost.
Council and members of the public asked about trap-neuter-return (TNR) services for feral cats, facility capacity and leash-law enforcement. Staff said Muscatine adopted an ordinance for TNR last fall and that several programs exist to provide the service, and that the city’s impound facility is city-owned, climate-controlled to an operational standard and state-inspected. When asked about capacity, staff estimated the facility can house roughly 10–15 dogs depending on size and said it has not approached capacity during recent months.
Resident Maureen Kelly asked whether PAWS and More could assist with TNR services; staff responded the TNR program continues despite It Takes a Village’s closure and other local programs remain available. Resident Lisa Mathis raised concerns about loose dogs and leash-law enforcement; staff said officers generate incident reports for incoming calls and that enforcement is handled at the department’s discretion.
The council approved the agreement by voice vote and invited other agencies to propose alternative arrangements if they could match or improve the price and service.
The agreement is short-term and set to continue until the council or staff identify a different long-term option; staff said the city is open to proposals that could save taxpayer dollars while maintaining or improving services.
