FAYETTEVILLE — Washington County and several smaller cities have a little more than a year to find a place for the animals they pick up and they’re looking at partnering to build a county-run shelter.
The county and several of the small cities contracted with Fayetteville in years past to use the city’s shelter. Fayetteville officials recently said because of space concerns, that arrangement will no longer work after 2011.
Justice of the Peace Candy Clark said it’s her opinion the county has to do something to address the issue.
“As far as I’m concerned, if we don’t have a shelter, a place where our animal control officers can work out of, we don’t have animal control,” Clark said. “And, if we don’t have animal control, the citizens of this county will be losing a service that I think is vital to health and safety. To me, it’s kind of logical that we have to have it.”
Dan Short, Washington County chief of staff, said it appears the county has no choice but to look at it’s own shelter.
“It looks to me like the county is going to be faced with building an animal shelter of some shape, form or fashion and running that shelter or not having any place at all to put our animals,” Short said. “Now how big we’re going to build that and what the design is going to be and all that hasn’t been worked out yet.”
The county has property available at the south campus but the bigger issue is how much a facility will cost and where to find the money.
“We’ve got about year to get the money appropriated and get a design and get the building constructed,” Short said. “Getting the money together to build it in a down-turned economy is something that may not be easy for the 13 people to agree upon.”
The Quorum Court should have some answers by Nov. 9. That’s when the Animal Concerns Advisory Board is expected to make a presentation to the budget committee.
The committee is charged with doing a study on what it would cost to build an animal shelter and try to come up with some numbers as to what it would cost, said Claudette Cardwell, who chairs the committee.
Ironically, the county is looking to Fayetteville as a possible partner in a countywide shelter. Fayetteville’s City Council is to consider a resolution that, if approved, would allow the city to explore whether to get involved with a county shelter on a shelter or not.
“Fayetteville is the biggest key to that puzzle because if we have their business, then there’s probably $250,000 or so that they would be paying us annually to take care of their animals,” Short said. “That would help us in the operational costs tremendously.”
Fayetteville Chief of Staff Don Marr said the city’s decision to end it’s contracts with the county and smaller towns generated a discussion about the future of animal services in Washington County.
“We’ve got to look at it in terms of whether it would save us costs if it were consolidated and the services provided for the entire county,” Marr said.
Springdale officials have said they’re not interested in participating now, but won’t rule it out in the future.
“I applaud the county trying to look at all these options and I can see where with a lot of municipalities it would be a big benefit,” Mayor Doug Sprouse said. “Right now our shelter, it’s well run and we’re pleased with the way it’s going and it is convenient to our citizens. I just don’t know that a county-wide shelter, probably located on the south side of Fayetteville, is going to be something that we’re going to be real enthusiastic about being a part of right now.”
The county is approaching the small cities that contracted with Fayetteville for animal shelter services to see if they’re on board with a county facility. Most have few other options available.
“The more people that participate the better off we’re going to be financially because with their participation comes dollars and that’s dollars we don’t have to go out an look for,” Short said.
Farmington Mayor Ernie Penn said his city council has not yet formally discussed the issue but the city will likely join the countywide effort.
“We’re going to have to have a place to take our animals, that’s going to be a necessary thing for us,” Penn said. “It’s something the county’s going to have to address and cities are going to have to pay for in conjunction with the county.”