I was just forwarded this e-mail from Whatcom Humane Society Executive Director Laura Clark (she hasn’t returned a phone call from me seeking comment earlier today) that is apparently circulating to many people. County Councilman-elect Ken Mann is also forwarding it around and I believe he blind copied it to numerous people (because someone replied to his e-mail that didn’t show up in the address bar).
Anyway, it appears that Clark is trying to mobilize supporters to also come to tonight’s County Council meeting, where there’s potential that the council may kill the animal control contract with the society. According to Clark, Councilman Bob Kelly specifically advocated for doing away with animal control all together, while Whatcom County Sheriff Bill Elfo said that the county is legally-required to have such a service.
Here’s the letter:
November 24, 2009
Dear WHS members, supporters, volunteers, animal lovers,
Please read this email and forward to anyone you know living in Whatcom County that cares about animals.
Early today, I attended the Whatcom County Council Finance Committee Meeting. On the agenda was discussion about the proposed 2010 animal control contract between WHS and Whatcom County.
The contract WHS proposed included $51,000 in cost reduction to the county, with no reduction in services.
This morning, the finance committee engaged in a lengthy discussion regarding the cost of the contract. Several council members expressed concerns about the cost.
One Councilmember Bob Kelly stated on several occasions that he was in favor of completely doing away with animal control entirely.
Councilmember Barbara Brenner and Sam Crawford also expressed that they did not want to continue to pay WHS to provide animal control services and think that the county should look elsewhere for cheaper alternatives. Councilmember Ward Nelson also expressed his concern about the cost of the contract and his unwillingness to continue to pay for animal control services.
Both Sheriff Bill Elfo and I spoke to the council committee. Sheriff Elfo stated that by law, Whatcom County must provide basic animal control services and if the county decided to “abolish” the animal control program, the service would fall back on the Sheriff Department, something Sheriff Elfo is not in favor of doing.
I spoke at length to the council committee addressing questions regarding the cost of the contract and explaining the quality and
life-saving services WHS provides.
Bottom line – the full County Council will be discussing this issue at the County Council meeting tonight – 7pm in the County Council Chambers. It is quite possible that they could do one of the following:
1: vote to not approve the 2010 budget WHS proposed;
2: vote to put the animal control budget out for bid;
3: vote to discontinue providing animal control services and force the Sheriff to handle the problem;
4: approve the 2010 budget WHS proposed.
The animals need your help. If WHS does not provide these services, the consequences would be disastrous, not to mention several dedicated employees would lose their jobs.
Please take the time to do one or more of the following ASAP.
Call or email the County Council and let them know you want and expect quality animal control services. Make sure you let them know you are a tax payer and registered voter.
Attend the Council meeting tonight and speak during the Public Comment portion of the meeting (at the beginning of the meeting – 7pm sharp!). Each member of the public has 3 minutes to speak. Again, make sure the Council knows that Whatcom County deserves quality services for the animals in our community. The animals don’t vote – but you do!
I have attached the proposal I submitted to the County Executive Office in October. It outlines our services, the reduction in cost and increase in revenue, as well as the proposed 2010 animal control budget. Please review it. All Councilmember’s were sent copies earlier this week.
On behalf of everyone at WHS, thank you for taking the time to help.
Laura Clark
Executive Director
733-2080, ext # 3026
director@whatcomhumane.orgCONTACT THESE PEOPLE – ALL ELECTED OFFICIALS!
WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
County Office Phone: 676-6690
County email council@co.whatcom.wa.us
NOTE: MAKE SURE YOU SEND A COPY OF ANY EMAILS TO EACH COUNCILMEMBER INDIVIDUALLY AS WELL AS TO THE COUNCIL EMAIL ADDRESS.
Seth Fleetwood 671-5599
sfleetwo@co.whatcom.wa.us
Ward Nelson 671-8145
lordward@aol.com
Bob Kelly 715-1168
rkelly@co.wa.whatcom.wa.us
Laurie Caskey-Schreiber 354-3225
lcaskeys@co.whatcom.wa.us
Sam Crawford 671-7262
campfam@comcast.net
scrawfor@co.whatcom.wa.us
Carl Weimer 384-5919
cweimer@co.whatcom.wa.us
Barbara Brenner 384-2762
bbrenner@co.whatcom.wa.us
SEE BELOW FOR A COPY OF THE PROPOSAL AND BUDGET NARRATIVE WHS SENT TO THE COUNTY FOR APPROVAL. THANK YOU!
October 7, 2009
Mr. Dewey Desler
Deputy Administrator
Whatcom County Executive Office
311 Grand Avenue
Bellingham, WA 98225Dear Mr. Desler,
Per the request of your office, below is a proposed outline of a 2010 budget from the Whatcom Humane Society to continue to provide animal control services to Whatcom County.
It has been a pleasure for our organization to serve the residents of Whatcom County the past two years, and we look forward to the opportunity to continue to provide county citizens and animals with quality and professional services in the future.
In conversations and emails with Tawni Helms, I recognize the financial difficulties and decisions facing the County Council. The Whatcom Humane Society understands the economic situation and the need to be fiscally responsible when contracting with the municipalities we serve. We have no intention of taking undue liberties with public funds and take our responsibilities very seriously.
Our current contract budget and staffing levels are based on criteria and standards set forth by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the National Animal Control Association (NACA). These standards are based on the number of animals received, number of animal control complaints received, the geographic area served and human population of area served.
In 2008, we received 2,447 homeless, unwanted and abused animals into our county facility, not including animals received DOA. We estimate that in 2009, we will most likely receive approximately 500 fewer animals into the county facility. This drop in numbers is due to our aggressive spay/neuter campaign/program targeting county animals as well as our ongoing humane education and community outreach programs throughout the county.
In 2008 our county facility was involved with several large-scale animal hoarding/cruelty cases. Each case involved 50+ animals that needed immediate and extensive veterinary care and services as well as additional staffing levels to provide adequate care. It is impossible to estimate how many similar cases we will encounter in the future, yet we must be prepared as an organization to effectively manage them. Our animal control and rescue department responded to 1,238 calls for assistance from county residents in 2008. Based on year-to-date projections, we estimate that our animal control officers will respond to over 1,313 calls in 2009. A detailed break down of the types of calls and geographic locations is available upon request.
As you know, the contract between the Whatcom Humane Society and Whatcom County is a cost reimbursable contract. Whatcom County is billed monthly for actual reimbursable expenditures, less revenue collected by WHS. The current contract of $505,419.49 includes provisions for 24 hour a day animal control & rescue coverage, as well as professional and highly trained staff providing customer service, animal care, veterinary services, animal adoptions, volunteer services and more.
Working with our board of directors, I have carefully considered ways to increase revenue and decrease costs. In the budget narrative attached you will see that our budgeted payroll expenses for 2010 would decrease by over $10,000. Some staffing levels remain necessary regardless of the number of total animals in our care, but due to our estimate of total animals received, the cost per animal would decrease. Our 2010 budget for expenses would be reduced by $31,597.
Projected income for 2010 would include an increase in our dog/cat adoption fees from the current $95.00 to $115.00. This would increase revenue by $10,000.
Additionally, WHS would like to propose the removal of the current “Kennel License” ordinance which allows any county resident owning 5 or more dogs to apply and pay for an annual kennel license costing $65.00. WHS strongly feels that this ordinance is responsible for thousands of dollars in lost income, and the ordinance also enables many residents to own more animals than they can responsibly care for. Our records indicate that some current residents who pay for annual kennel licenses own between 20 - 35 dogs each.
We estimate that by removing the “Kennel License” ordinance and requiring county residents to license each individual animal, as well as embarking on a proactive dog licensing campaign throughout Whatcom County, revenue from dog licensing could increase by approximately $10,000 in 2010.
Monies from the contract pay for the cost of animal control services and staffing levels to provide basic care for the animals during their 72 hour stray holding period and/or quarantine stay at the shelter. Contract monies do not pay for the following services, but the Whatcom Humane Society provides them at no additional cost:
* Veterinary care above what the contract covers - orthopedic surgeries, dental work,
x-rays, medications, grooming, additional treatments
* Outreach & humane education programs
* Media exposure of county animals through monthly tv & radio show and printadvertising
* Low cost-microchip/vaccination/dog licensing programs
* Foster care program
* Farm property upkeep
* Assistance for injured wildlife
* Pick-up and disposal of DOA deer and other large animals on county roadwaysIn 2008, WHS funded programs and staff positions totally $26,464.85 at no additional cost to the County and are continuing to fund these important services at no cost to you again this year.
Please also keep in mind, that the Whatcom Humane Society is privileged to have an active, trained, professional group of volunteers assisting our staff on a daily basis. These dedicated people allow us to augment our services and staffing levels in order to meet the HSUS and NACA standards. In 2008, volunteers at the county facility volunteered 3,247 hours. We estimate that this year, volunteers will spend 4,486 hours assisting in the care and treatment of the shelter animals as well as assist with important and time consuming administrative duties. These volunteer hours do not include the 24 hour in-home care our volunteer foster families provide for “special needs” animals, injured animals and/or unweaned puppies and kittens.
Please contact me if you have any questions regarding the information in this letter or the attached budget narrative you requested. Our non-profit organization looks forward to the opportunity to continue to work with you to provide quality services to Whatcom County.
Best Regards,
Laura Clark
Executive Director
(360)733-2080, extension # 3026
director@whatcomhumane.orgWhatcom Humane Society Budget Narrative
Contract 2009 2010 Wages-Shelter Services 258,257.97 244,150.94 Wages-Animal Control & Licensing 152,737.78 170,744.97 Wages-Administration 76,436.74 61,963.50 Subtotal-Wages 487,432.49 476,859.41 Animal Food 5,000.00 5,350.00 Disposal-Dead Animals 3,900.00 3,900.00 Computer Expense 3,300.00 500.00 Human Resources 2,915.00 2,150.00 Insurance 3,075.00 1,075.00 Insurance-Animal Control & Licensing 6,220.00 6,750.00 Microchips 2,700.00 1,750.00 Postage 2,098.00 2,250.00 Printing 1,350.00 500.00 Professional Services-Shelter Services 8,975.00 8,625.00 Professional Services-Animal Ctrl & Lic 240.00 200.00 Professional Services-Administration 7,914.00 5,375.00 Radio/Pager-Animal Control 2,520.00 1,500.00 Supplies-Medical 23,000.00 15,250.00 Supplies-Shelter Services 18,930.00 11,225.00 Supplies-Animal Control & Licensing 1,000.00 1,000.00 Supplies-Administration 260.00 700.00 Telephone-Animal Control 4,000.00 2,700.00 Telephone-Office 6,600.00 6,600.00 Training/Education 4,625.00 1,000.00 Uniforms 2,625.00 1,250.00 Utilities 15,000.00 15,000.00 Subtotal-Expenses 126,247.00 94,650.00 Total 613,679.49 571,509.41 Income License 32,500.00 License Late Fee 1,750.00 Impound 25,000.00 Board 4,800.00 Owner Release 4,800.00 Dog Adoptions 20,800.00 Cat Adoptions 23,000.00 Microchip 2,500.00 Other Animal Adoption 2,600.00 Trap Rental 450.00 108,260.00 118,200.00 COST 505,419.49 453,309.41
