Humane Society may cap number of animals accepted from Cape if city doesn't increase funding

The Humane Society of Southeast Missouri may limit the number of animals it accepts if the city of Cape Girardeau does not provide more funding, the group's president said Wednesday.

Humane Society board president Charlotte Craig said any such cap would apply to animals received from Cape Girardeau residents and the city's animal-control officers.

At issue is a Humane Society request the city pay $82,500 in fiscal 2017, about $23,000 more than it currently is providing to the animal shelter.

Craig said the request is based on how many animals were received from Cape Girardeau in the previous year and the per-animal cost of caring for them.

The Humane Society has been operating under a "fair share" formula in which local governments pay 50 percent of the cost of caring for their animals at the Cape Girardeau shelter, Craig said.

Stephanie Clifton plays with a cat, Mellie, on Wednesday at the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri. Clifton, a volunteer with two cats of her own, frequently spends time with the adoptable felines.Fred Lynch

The Humane Society picks up the remainder of the cost through fundraisers and donations, she said.

The group notified Cape Girardeau city staff in January it would seek more financial help from local governments with which it has contracts for services, including Cape Girardeau and Jackson.

Craig said the group is asking local governments to pay 60 percent of the shelter's cost of handling their animals because of higher operating costs.

Craig made her request directly to the Cape Girardeau City Council at a May 15 study session.

Cape Girardeau city officials said there are no plans to boost their city's funding for the animal shelter.

Kenny Speakman distributes toys Wednesday to the dogs at the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri in Cape Girardeau.Fred Lynch

Jackson city administrator James Roach said his city has not received such a funding request. The city of Jackson pays about $22,000 a year to the Humane Society for animal services, Roach said.

Cape Girardeau city manager Scott Meyer said the proposed budget for the new fiscal year that begins July 1 contains no increase in funding for the shelter. The council is scheduled to hold a hearing on the budget next month.

Meyer said the Humane Society is a "great organization and does a great job." But he said the city is operating on a tight budget.

The City Council and city staff have asked the Humane Society to provide a financial audit of the shelter as spelled out in last year's agreement, including documentation of the support received from other local governments and the number of animals received from each jurisdiction.

"Accountability and a tight budget" are key factors in the city staff's decision to keep city funding of the shelter at the current level, Meyer said.

Franco the dog greets a visitor Wednesday at the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri.Fred Lynch

The city council could increase funding, but Meyer said council members have not expressed a desire to do so.

Mayor Harry Rediger said the city cannot afford to budget more money for animal-shelter services at this time.

Ward 4 Councilman Robbie Guard said, "There is no way I would increase funding until they live up to their end of the bargain."

Guard said that means providing the city staff and council with a detailed, financial audit and not just a "one-page budget."

Craig said her organization, which operates on a calendar year, is proceeding with an audit. The audit will cover July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2017, which is the city's fiscal year, she said.

The City Council last year agreed to provide $59,298 to the shelter, an increase of $1,800 over the previous year's budget but less than the $2,502 requested.

The animal shelter received 3,134 animals in the 2016 calendar year.

Nearly a third of them, or 1,100, came from Cape Girardeau, Craig said. Of those, residents brought in 768 animals; animal-control officers turned in 332 animals, she said.

Operational costs totaled $392,000 in 2016, or $125 per animal, Craig said. The per-animal cost was $25 higher than in 2015, she added.

Craig said the cost of everything from animal feed to utilities has gone up.

"This is just the cost of business," she said.

The latest funding request calls for the city to pay $75 per Cape Girardeau animal brought to the shelter, she said.

The Humane Society still would pay a significant part of the animal-service costs, which "is a steal" for local governments, she said.

"They are really getting a bargain," Craig said.

The Humane Society has contracts with about 10 governments in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois, Craig said. Some of them are small towns, which pay little but account for only a small number of the animals, she said.

Combined, the local jurisdictions contribute about $126,000 annually to the shelter, which amounts to a little more than a third of the Humane Society's income, Craig said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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