Negotiations between Clark County and the Humane Society continue, however the Humane Society has agreed to accept dogs from Clark County until the agreement is accepted by both parties. The contract with Montgomery County is still in place, but not currently being used.
Jennifer Hutchinson, Clark County Administrator reported in an e-mail that the county has offered the Humane Society $80,000 per year to be paid in monthly installments. In the latest draft of the agreement, the county will receive reconciliation at the end of the year which will correctly identify the pet dog costs. If the County overpaid, they will be able to recover those funds from the Humane Society.
One of the major stumbling blocks for the Humane Society with the county was a need on their part to have a consistent monthly income.
Humane Society board members and the Shelter Director noted in a previous conversation that they felt they could not run the shelter on $70,000 per year. Following the breakdown in communications with the county, the shelter closed its doors curing the week to only have hours Thursday – Saturday.
When the Dog Warden’s were moved out of the Humane Society last year, the organization no longer received monies for the Dog Warden’s office. Hutchinson explained that the 2017 amount budgeted for the Dog Warden’s salaries and benefits are $317,094. In addition to personnel costs, the county is now the owners of the equipment and vehicles used by the Wardens. That budget for 2017 is $710,255.
A joint press release was to be made by the County and Humane Society, but to date that has not been worked out and the contract is still in negotiations.
At an average of 10 dogs per week, are brought to the shelter by the Wardens. The $80 per dog offered by the county previously would have cost the county $41,000 per year. The Humane Society appears to be coming out ahead with the offer of $80,000 from the county for the services this year.
The Humane Society has not released any information on fundraising to date to help cover the needs of the shelter. Current Director Roger Ganley was hired by the previous board of directors for his knowledge regarding fundraising for shelters in his previous job.
