Animal Welfare League Adoption Center
Charlotte County Government
The Animal Welfare League of Charlotte County and the county have reached a compromise over funding, and commissioners will vote on a new contract at their July 28 meeting.
During the June 17 workshop between county staff and AWL representatives, both sides agreed to an $882,000 contract plus a separate spay and neuter program totaling $40,000, putting the total amount of funding at $922,000, County Administrator Hector Flores said.
Originally, AWL asked for $1.3 million in funding, while the county offered to fund the no-kill shelter at $600,000. The county currently pays the no-kill shelter $337,762.68 annually under a contract that includes a 3% yearly increase.
For a number of weeks, it appeared as if both sides would not budge on the new contract, while the clock was ticking as the funding agreement with the county was due to expire Nov. 1. After both sides agreed to a compromise, the contract expiration was moved to the end of the year, but a final contract is expected to be approved July 28. Flores said both sides agreed to a three-year contract with two, one-year renewal options and that there is no escalation factor.
AWL’s operating costs have risen substantially, particularly employee salaries and administrative expenses, said Gordon Burger, the county’s director of budget and administrative services, who reviewed the organization’s financial statements.
Charlotte County Administrator Hector Flores
Charlotte County Government
Noting that no-kill shelters typically experience longer animal stays, Burger said animals remain at AWL an average of 45 days, compared with the county’s required 10-day holding period. Animal Control accounts for 22.2% of the animals housed at the shelter, the latest figures show.
Flores said the new contract terms are “built around the scope of services which is where our team wanted to start with from the beginning, rather than a dollar figure.”
The scope of services includes fee collection, sheltering, veterinary, crematory, euthanasia, disaster support and the sale of pet tags with adoptions. The new three-year contract would give “both sides some certainty over the next few years,” but that the “big discussion” is the property tax reform referendum, Flores said. Should voters approve the measure, municipalities and counties would lose a large portion of ad valorem revenue that is used for a variety of funding local services.
Commissioner Ken Doherty
Charlotte County Government
Commissioner Ken Doherty said the county will be able to fund the AWL now, “but two years from now it might be a whole different story.”
Funding for sheltering animals brought in by the county’s Animal Control would be 100% for up to seven days, 70% for eight to 10 days, and funding would decrease by 10% every five-day interval after that. After an animal is sheltered beyond 40 days, the county would have no financial obligation and AWL would provide funding at 100%. An audit would be required, and the county would have access to the AWL audit data, Flores said.
AWL Board President Melissa Lockhart said she was glad the issue has been resolved, while Commissioner Stephen R. Deutsch noted that not everyone gets what they want in a compromise, but that he was optimistic that both sides were able to “sit together in good faith.”
The July 28 meeting will begin at 9 a.m. at 18500 Murdock Circle in Port Charlotte.