County rethinks animal control

Justices of the peace gave preliminary approval Monday night for the county to continue contracting with Hot Springs for animal control, putting aside earlier discussions about the county striking out on its own.

A special joint meeting of the Garland County Quorum Court Environmental Services, Public Works and Buildings Committee, Public Health, Welfare and Safety Committee, and Finance Committee decided County Judge Rick Davis should continue working with the city on

an agreement for next year.

The county has contracted the city for animal control since 1999.

“If we duplicate services, it’s not good for taxpayers of this community,” Davis told JPs. “Let’s get to where we’re working together, unified at something that services this community the best way for taxpayers.”

The county had considered assuming responsibility for animal control in the unincorporated area after the city informed it in June that it was raising the contract amount by more than 50 percent. The $325,000 cost reflected the level of service the city provides the county, city officials said, citing figures that show animals from outside the corporate limits accounted for 52 percent of the intake at the city animal shelter last year.

Information presented Monday night calls for the city and county to share equally in the

$682,910 projected for 2018 operational and capital expenses, with both parties receiving the same level of service and having equal input in a budget process that would include all of the revenues generated by animal control and all of the proceeds from the voluntary tax, or donation, for animal services listed on real and personal property tax bills.

The voluntary tax the quorum court established last year is projected to raise $125,000 a year. The county said proceeds from voluntary taxes paid with 2016 tax bills had produced more than

$100,000 through August. That money would combine with animal control fees, adoption fees, donations and district court fines to generate a projected $233,000 a year in revenue, reducing the city and county’s net annual expense to $224,955 each.

Animal control revenues currently go into the city’s General Fund. Under the two governments’ current agreement, the county pays the city $211,000 a year for animal control. The city budgeted

$685,000 for animal control in 2017. “The city has offered equal service, and we’re going to do equal funding,” said District 12 JP Darryl Mahoney, who helped Davis negotiate the preliminary agreement with the city. “The city has a revenue stream that they’re putting into this. The adoption fees and licensing, all of that goes into this.”

A $1 million animal shelter on the grounds of the Garland County Detention Center was at the center of the county’s plan to take over animal control outside the corporate limits. It hired Cromwell Architects & Engineers, the Little Rock firm awarded the $2.3 million contract to design the jail, to prepare a conceptual design for a shelter.

The $10,000 the quorum court appropriated from its General Fund last year for the development and design of a shelter will go toward Cromwell’s fee. The county said Tuesday that Cromwell had yet to submit an invoice for its work, which includes the presentation it gave the quorum court earlier this month.

Davis told JPs a new animal shelter supplementing the city’s may be needed in the future. City Animal Services Director Dan Bugg confirmed as much, telling JPs Monday night that the area surrounding the Davidson Drive location limits options for expanding the 42-kennel facility.

He said some dogs will have to be euthanized to make room for 12 impounded Monday. Bugg told JPs the dogs have been running loose since their owner has been in jail.

“The next step would be to plan for another facility,” Davis said. “That would be at the detention center where we could cut costs. I see a new facility coming in the future.”

Davis said he hopes a final agreement will be ready for the quorum court to consider before the county begins its 2018 budget process. He said the agreement would be subject to annual review, with revenue and expenditure reports provided to the quorum court and Hot Springs Board of Directors biannually.