The new year promises to bring another challenging financial issue for cities – animal shelter and control.
The King County Council passed legislation Nov. 9 directing Executive Dow Constantine to end animal sheltering services by Jan. 31 and animal control services to cities by June 30.
Cities can continue to receive animal control services from the county, but must pay the full cost for the service.
According to figures provided by the County, Maple Valley could be on the hook for about $30,000, Black Diamond about $20,000 and Covington rings in at $105,000.
These figures are after the animal license revenues are subtracted from the total. For Black Diamond the animal license revenues are about $13,000, Maple Valley $68,000 and Covington $69,000.
Other cities around the south King County are not faring any better with Enumclaw looking at a payment of $53,000, Auburn $282,000 and Kent $428,000.
The payments are for total care and control of animals in the city limits, and the real cost could be different depending on services picked up by private entities.
Covington City Manager Derek Matheson said Police Chief Kevin Klason has been working with a “countywide work group and a south county subgroup” trying to come up with regional solutions for the animal shelter and control.
Matheson said he did not know what Covington will do in 2010.
“Everything is on the table,” Matheson said. “We have a very short fuse for a very complicated issue with a lot of stake holders.”
According to Matheson, none of the south King County cities have had adequate time to budget for increase costs.
Maple Valley City Manager David Johnston said the cities are facing a “very short time frame. Earlier in the county process we were told we would have 2010 to deal with this. It was about a month ago we heard (the deadlines).”
Johnston said Constantine met with members from the Suburban Cities Organization and the executive pledged to work with the cities concerning the issue of the shelter and control services ending so quickly.
“What we hope comes out of this will be improved government relations,” Johnston said. “So something like this never happens again.”
The county has been providing shelter and control for 32 cities and unincorporated King County. The County has collected pet license fees and other fees to cover the cost of the services. According to a county staff report, the shortfall between the fees collected and services provided was about $2 million each year.
The staff document stated on April 1 cities will “enter into full- cost recovery contracts with King County for the provision of animal control services.”
The document noted the state “does not mandate animal control services for cities and counties.”
The county will collect pet license fees for unincorporated King County and end shelter services “as soon as possible.”
Jan White, veterinarian and owner of Lake Sawyer Veterinary Hospital, said one solution is “to take it all out and put it into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit for control and shelter. It will cost people a little more money, but it will help pay for the services. We can’t expect taxpayers to underwrite these services. It would have to be a pay as you go. Users would pay for it. I know it would work.”
