Published: October 11, 2008 11:45 pm      

Animal shelter an issue in council race

Candidates differ on county’s financial responsibility for new facility.

The 2009 budget passed last month by the Cass County Council made no additional provisions for the funding of a new county animal shelter.

Though the shelter director was approved for the same 2 percent salary increase as most other county employees, budget cuts across the board at the county level meant the operating budget for the current shelter was approved at the same rate as in 2008.

The budget figures come as no surprise as the current council voted 3-2 in March to continue funding the existing shelter. And though it did suggest some improvements could be made, the budget that was approved for 2009 doesn’t suggest upgrades are likely to happen any time soon.

Many current council members have said they would vote against any plan that utilizes tax dollars to build a new shelter.

However, the opinions of several candidates seeking positions on next year’s council might offer new hope for those in favor of building a new shelter.

Each of the five county council members seeking at-large positions said they feel Cass County needs a new animal shelter.

“I think we need one, but I think we could do it for a lot less money,” said Republican Jeff LeDonne, referring to a proposal made by an ad hoc committee last spring that the county build an 8,000 square-foot at the cost of $1.4 million.

LeDonne suggested the county make upgrades to the existing facility until a different shelter structure becomes available. Like many of the other candidates, he said he feels the county would need help to operate a new facility, as the shelter’s current $40,000 operating budget would likely be all Cass County could afford.

Many of the council candidates felt the county should be at least partially responsible for funding the construction of a new shelter.

Democrat Julian Pugh said during last week’s candidate forum he had visited the Cass County’s shelter as well as others to help him assess the county’s needs. He said the shelter, which he pointed out was intended as a temporary solution when it opened in 2002, is “not in the greatest shape.”

“I’ve visited the animal shelter in Wabash, Indiana, and I hate to say this, but Cass County has fallen way behind on that,” said Pugh. “I think a lot of it has to do with leadership.”

Two of Pugh’s opponents, Republican incumbents Ralph Anderson and Chod Gibson, were the only ones to vote against the measure that passed in March and limited the county’s focus solely to the current shelter.

Still, Pugh indicated that government officials should do more to unify the efforts of the Cass County Humane Society and A Cause for Paws to help build a new shelter.

“We need someone to pull everything together so that we can save as many pets as we possibly can,” he said.

Fellow Democrat Gordon Southern said he believes an adequate shelter could be built in Cass County for around $350,000 — just a quarter of the $1.4 million price tag suggested by a special study committee this spring. He based his figure off the shelter in Wabash.

Southern suggested implementing a pet tax to help raise money to support a new shelter. Similar to a dog tax that was eliminated several years ago, Southern suggested that dog owners pay a fee in exchange for a pet tag with the money collected going to fund a shelter.

“Basically, my view on the animal shelter is that we’ve been dragging our feet for a long time and we need to get off our butts and do something,” he said at the forum.

During last week’s forum, Gibson and Anderson both reiterated statements they’ve made previously and said the county needs to partner with outside organizations if the vision of a new shelter is to become a reality.

Rather than building an inexpensive shelter that might need to be replaced eventually, Anderson said he favored a plan that would have multiple organizations funding a larger shelter.

“If you build a shelter, you build it to last. You don’t build it so you rebuild in 10 years, and rebuild in 10 years, and rebuild in 10 years,” he said. “That takes a financial investment. If 60 to 70 percent of the use of a shelter comes from the county, comes from animal control, then 60 to 70 percent of the total structure should come from the county. There’s enough money within the Humane Society and within the county that that could be met. But we are not responsible for more than control.”

Gibson also favored a partnership with outside organizations, and said she feels groups like the Humane Society and A Cause for Paws should take the lead in building a new shelter rather than having them subsidize a county-run facility.

“I have a problem with that because maybe we won’t have Cause for Paws in 10 years,” she said. “Who’s going to have to pick up that expense? And maybe one of them will get miffed and say ‘We don’t like what you’re doing and we’re not going to support you anymore.’ Then the burden is all on the county taxpayers. My position is I think it would be wise for the Humane Society to build a shelter and the county would commit that we’re going to provide X number of dollars every year. You know the county is going to be here and you know their word is good.”

Carla Knapp can be contacted at (574) 732-5150 or via e-mail at carla.knapp@pharostribune.com