The City of Athens is expected to approve its new budget during the City Council’s regular meeting Monday, Sept. 22, and the Henderson County Humane Society not happy how things have worked out.
The Humane Society is asking the city to take on 25 percent of the cost for running the shelter, which amounts to $62,000. They are also asking the county to provide 25 percent while it provides 50 percent. Humane Society officials say they just can’t continue to operate their animal shelter at current funding levels. Last year, they say it took $247,000 to run the shelter.
The City Council has set aside $52,000 for the Humane Society in the new budget. City officials say this is an increase of $21,000.
During a City Council meeting earlier this month, the Human Society warned the Athens City Council that it will give 90-day notice of the cancellation of its contract with the city if its funding request was not approved.
The city released a statement on the issue Wednesday night following a City Council special meeting in advance of Monday’s session. The Humane Society agreement was on Wednesday’s agenda, but only to remind council members that any change in funding would require an amendment to the contract.
The city’s statement points out that it is being asked to pay more on a per animal basis. The city says the shelter housed 814 animals for the city last year, while taking care of 2,487 animals from outside the city limits.
According to the City’s statement:
The City like all organizations has limited funding sources, but in light of the shelter needs the City proposed to increase support of the Shelter and voted to provide a $21,000 increase in funding from the current $31,000 annual contribution to $52,000. According to figures provided by H.C.H.S. the shelter housed 814 animals from the corporate limits of Athens. Based on the proposed funding the City would be paying approximately $63 per animal for shelter services. This is in addition to free water and sewer services which is approximately $3,000 annually in lost revenue to the City.
By contributing $52,000 annually the City will be paying $38 more per animal for shelter than Henderson County is requested to pay.
Monday’s City Council meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the City Hall Annex.
The complete text of the City’s statement follows:
The City of Athens has been working with the Henderson County Humane Society since 1989. In 1996, the City entered into a partnership with the Humane Society to help provide a new shelter facility which would be used to shelter animals in the City of Athens. The facility was built on City property at no cost to H.C.H.S. In addition to providing land for the new shelter the City authorized insurance proceeds received when the older City-owned shelter burned; the funds were expressly dedicated for building of the new shelter.
The City has enjoyed a good working relationship with the Humane Society by not only providing annual funding but also providing staff support when needed by the City’s animal control officer.
In August 2014, representatives from Henderson County Humane Society appeared before the Athens City Council during budget meetings to request additional funding for the operation of the Henderson County Humane Society Shelter. A request was made for the City to increase funding to $62,000. The H.C.H.S. stated that amount would be approximately 25% of the operating budget.
The Humane Society stated at that time that they had also requested that Henderson County increase funding to the shelter in the amount $62,000, which would be 25% of their operating budget. According to figures provided by H.C.H.S., there were 2,487 animals taken care of that came from outside the Athens city limits, that averages approximately $25 per animal. If Henderson County makes no change in the current funding amount of $39,000, the average cost per animal is $15.
On September 8, 2014 the H.C.H.S. gave the City notice of their intent to close the shelter if the City did not provide the additional funding as requested. In a letter presented to the Council the following statement was made: “The monies in the City of Athens budget for 2015 for the Henderson County Humane Society is inadequate and unacceptable.”
The City like all organizations has limited funding sources, but in light of the shelter needs the City proposed to increase support of the Shelter and voted to provide a $21,000 increase in funding from the current $31,000 annual contribution to $52,000. According to figures provided by H.C.H.S. the shelter housed 814 animals from the corporate limits of Athens. Based on the proposed funding the City would be paying approximately $63 per animal for shelter services. This is in addition to free water and sewer services which is approximately $3,000 annually in lost revenue to the City.
By contributing $52,000 annually the City will be paying $38 more per animal for shelter than Henderson County is requested to pay.
For clarification, it is my understanding the city has been paying the electric bill for the shelter and with the funding increase, the shelter will have to begin paying their own electric, thus reducing the funding to a very small increase. I would appreciate your checking this out.
I am told is true that the city paid for the electric in the past and will not pay for it under the new budget. The way I understand it, however, is that the electric was figured in when the city listed its last year contribution at $31,000. The city is still giving that money to the Humane Society, but letting the shelter pay the bill instead of the city … So even when you take the electric into consideration, the increase is still $21,000.