Council discusses anonymous donor land offer for animal shelter; asks staff to coordinate with county

A member of the public told the council an anonymous donor offered to give 10 acres on a major thoroughfare for a second animal shelter and pressed the city to meet jointly with the county to clarify commitments. "This is a major, major offer in the millions of dollars and we can't seem to answer the question about having a joint meeting," Cameron Orr said, asking for prompt city-county coordination.

City staff responded that they had honored the donor's request for anonymity, reached out following a June 21 written request, and were scheduling meetings; the city manager told council he had a meeting scheduled that afternoon with the interim county administrator to discuss the topic. Several council members said they support allowing staff to investigate funding options, including matching appropriations from fund balance to capitalize on the state appropriations and the donated land. Council also discussed the Flagler Humane Society contract: staff indicated the humane society has asked for a fee increase and the city is reviewing its filings and negotiating, with some council members proposing a 10% increase to the current allocation rather than the organization's full request.