Donations sought for animal fund
Union County taxpayers given option to give money with tax bill
Union County tax payers have until Oct. 15 to opt into an “Animal Population Control Fund” when they pay property taxes this year.
All Union County residents with real or personal property have the opportunity to contribute $10 to help fund animal population control services in the county thanks to an ordinance passed by the county Quorum Court establishing the fund. The donation option can be found on residents’ tax bills.
“It doesn’t have to be $10, it can be less. It’s voluntary; you can put as much or as little as you want and it’s to help control this animal population problem we have in Union County,” Union County Animal Protection Society (UCAPS) Board Member Phena Loftin said.
Donations collected through the program will be given to UCAPS in the form of low-cost spay and neuter vouchers. Pet owners will be able to get the vouchers from UCAPS when they adopt a pet or if they need to have a pet spayed or neutered.
The vouchers given out will not pay the total costs associated with being spayed or neutered but will pay a significant portion of the procedure.
“It starts by spay and neutering as many pets as possible. There are new puppies at the Adoption
Center; if we can get enough money to get them all fixed, maybe we can start on the problem,” Loftin said.
According to UCAPS, they manage anywhere between 280-300 animals in custody. This year alone, they have transported over 200 animals to northern states to be adopted. They have also, through a grant, been able to sell 125 spay and neuter vouchers and still these efforts are not enough.
“Even with transporting all those animals and the vouchers we’ve sold, it is not even making a dent. We are still out of control,” Terra Walker UCAPS Board President said.
Having an “Animal Population Control Fund,” UCAPS can utilize to combat animal overpopulation means a great deal,” Walker said.
“We can’t sustain at the rate that we’re going. UCAPS provides a service for the community and we are running full tilt with volunteers to do everything we can to transport animals to Little Rock once a month for low-cost spay and neuter clinics. And we apply to grants so we can issue these vouchers,” Walker explained.
“It is kind of an exhausting effort but we do this for the community. So we need community support to make this a success.”