Mary Hansen
The State Journal-Register
While Sangamon County covers most of the cost to shelter stray and lost animals in the city of Springfield, one alderman wants to be sure the city is getting services it’s paying for after the cost to the city has risen 30 percent in the last three years.
The amount the city pays for animal control has been climbing in part because of increases to the rate the county charges for boarding animals. Officials from Springfield and the other towns and villages that use the county services agreed to the rate hike, from $20 per night to $59, in 2014.
Aldermen are set to approve a $354,000 payment to the county for animal control services on Tuesday. Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin said he’s heard some complaints from residents about a lack of response by animal control officers.
“The city of Springfield contributes to animal control financially much more than any other jurisdiction in Sangamon County,” McMenamin said. “We want to make sure the services we receive meet the needs of our residents.”
County health department director Jim Stone said the county covers much of the cost for the shelter and other services. Of the division’s $1 million budget, about 80 percent of the expenses are for services to the city, Stone said, while city payments cover about 30 percent of costs.
The county charges the city for up to three nights for boarding a stray cat or dog and up to seven nights for a cat or dog with an owner. Those are the minimums required by state law before a shelter can euthanize an animal. But the shelter usually keeps them longer to ensure an owner or new home is found. In that case, the city isn’t charged for additional nights.
Last year, the county counted a total of more than 10,000 nights it looked after animals from the city, but charged for around 1,900.
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City payments for animal control
FY2011: $211,335.16
FY2012: $254,053.85
FY2013: $303,726.00
FY2014: $274,477.00
FY2015: $303,927.00
FY2016: $355,555.94
FY2017: $354,537.37
Animals boarded
Nights boarded (March 1, 2015 – Feb 29, 2016): 10,593; nights charged to the city: 1,967
Nights boarded (March 1, 2014 – Feb 28, 2015): 8,973; nights charged to the city: 2,042
Joe McMenamin for Ward 7 