Resident demands audit after alleging withheld medication and retaliation at municipal animal services partner

Kim Decker told the council she filed a written complaint after PAWS staff allegedly refused to provide a veterinarian‑prescribed medication, then responded to her complaint directly rather than escalating to a supervisor or board. Decker said a non‑veterinary administrative employee refused to hand over the prescription and told her to take the pet elsewhere; she said she paid in full and described the incident as "systemic abuse of power."

Decker asked the council and the internal auditor to immediately review PAWS’s use of municipal funds and to determine whether city dollars are subsidizing private operational misconduct. She cited a municipal contract figure of $3,200,000 managed by the nonprofit's executive director and alleged the operational boundaries between the city contract and the private clinic are blurred.

A councilor followed up with a brief question about the reason for denying the prescription; Decker said staff told her the veterinarian "was in the process of euthanizing a dog," then she was later emailed and told to take her pet elsewhere. The council did not announce an immediate audit response at the meeting; Decker said she had provided a packet of supporting materials to the clerk and expected further review.