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Friends of Chautauqua County Animal Shelter asks Sedan for $1,400 increase and written agreement on animal-control pens
Summary
FOCCAS president Marlene Wells asked the council for an extra $1,400 to raise the city's annual contribution to $5,000 and urged a written contract clarifying responsibilities for stray animals and pen use; staff said no formal contract was located.
Marlene Wells, president of the Friends of Chautauqua County Animal Shelter (FOCCAS), asked the Sedan City Council on Aug. 6 for an additional $1,400 to raise the annual city allotment from $3,600 to $5,000.
Wells outlined shelter operations for 2023, reporting 21 stray intakes with 11 reclaimed, and described routine medical expenses when animals arrive with injuries. She cited a recent case where an animal-control pickup cost about $800 in veterinary care and said that unreclaimed animals become shelter dogs and require vaccines, spay/neuter, and ongoing care funded by FOCCAS. "I am humbly requesting an additional $1,400.00 for a yearly budget of a total of $5,000.00," Wells told the council.
Council members asked whether the county provides funds; Wells said FOCCAS receives $5,800 from the county and the rest comes from donations. City Clerk Lana Robinson said she did not find a written contract between the city and FOCCAS and council members, including Mayor Bryan Blankinship, said they would include the city attorney or county representatives (John Chase and Chief Kirk Richardson were mentioned) when drafting a formal agreement to clarify who pays for what.
Why it matters: FOCCAS provides daily care for strays and relies on small municipal allotments plus donations; the lack of a written contract creates ambiguity about responsibilities and costs when animals are reclaimed or become shelter dogs.
Next steps: council did not record an immediate vote on increasing the allotment at this meeting but directed staff to pursue a written agreement and consider funding options; FOCCAS plans to hire an additional part-time staff member to ease workload.
