Whatcom County approves animal control contract despite cost concerns

SAM TAYLOR - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

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In a reversal of course, Whatcom County Council members unanimously approved a new animal control contract of $453,309 with the Whatcom Humane Society.

A majority of council members earlier Tuesday, Nov. 24, had signaled they wouldn�t vote for the 2010 contract, raising concerns about what they said were high costs.

Councilman Bob Kelly even advocated for perhaps doing away with animal control, though that�s a violation of the law and the county must have such a service.

Councilman Sam Crawford said during an evening meeting that he was changing his mind and voting for the contract, because it was too late in the year to not have a contract in place for next year.

�But I�m going to tell all of you that are concerned about good, quality animal care, because truly I do share this concern, that this is an area for 2011 that the administration needs to take a long, hard look on alternatives,� Crawford said.

The contract for 2010 is about $51,000 less than this year�s contract, based on an expenditure cut of about $31,000 and $20,000 in increased fees. Those increased fees, however, are contingent on an adoption fee increase of $20 to $115 as well as the repealing of a county kennel license law.

Both changes could net $10,000 each, according to Humane Society Executive Director Laura Clark.

Council members Barbara Brenner and Ward Nelson also raised concerns about costs.

The other council members � Seth Fleetwood, Carl Weimer and Laurie Caskey-Schreiber � argued the Humane Society had provided top-notch service for the county and that volunteers and donors to the organization help subsidize costs that the county pays.

Crawford countered that the county also subsidizes the society because it owns the building used for animal control.

During the public comment period, council members heard from a handful of people supportive of the Humane Society�s work and renewing the contract. Several came after a plea from County Councilman-elect Ken Mann via e-mail and Facebook asking supporters to let the council know how they feel about the issue. Mann also showed up to speak in favor of the contract.

Several others e-mailed council members prior to the night meeting. Sue Brown came to the meeting and told the council she volunteered at the shelter.

�These animals need our protection. They didn�t choose to be born, they didn�t choose to be abandoned, but they�re out there and they need to be taken care of,� she said, adding that she�d rather have the Humane Society doing the work than the Sheriff�s Office being burdened with more work it couldn�t afford to do.