A program to spay and neuter pets, and to educate the public on the value of the surgeries, is facing a financial crunch.
Reserve funds to keep the program afloat could be depleted within three years — unless new revenues are found, and some expenses cut.
(File Photos)
Pasco County commissioners got a preview of recommendations to add money to the coffers of Pasco County Animal Services at a March 15 workshop.
Those recommendations include a mandatory $5 fee for a cat license, an increase in an unaltered dog license from $35 to $40, and adoption fees of $85 for small breed dogs and puppies. Kittens younger than four months could cost $55.
Other adoption fees would be unchanged, with dogs costing $70 and cats, $40.
No fee increases are anticipated for the county’s low-income program for reduced-cost sterilizations for qualified applicants. Those rates are $10 for cats and $20 for dogs.
No decisions were made.
Pasco County staff members are expected to bring the issue back to commissioners later.
In some ways, Animal Services is suffering from too much success.
Since 2012, more than 10,000 dogs and cats have been sterilized.
“That’s pretty significant,” said Mike Shumate, the county’s animal services manager.
The county currently contracts with the nonprofit Spay Pasco to manage the spay and education program, as well as the trap-neuter-return program to sterilize feral cats.
That contract expires in February 2017.
Animal services is recommending that the county takes over the programs, estimating potential savings of $18,000 annually.
Over the years, the growing demands for sterilization, and for educational presentations at schools and elsewhere, have strained finances, and drained reserve funds.
Deficit spending for the program is ongoing annually, and the coffers could be empty by 2019.
As an example, the trap-neuter-return program cost about $48,000 in 2013, but two years later cost more than $136,000.
One solution would be to renegotiate contracts Pasco has with area cities, and increase fees for the surgeries.
The current contracts are with Dade City, Zephyrhills, New Port Richey, Port Richey, San Antonio, the town of Saint Leo and Safety Harbor.
Animal services also is recommending that the county adopt an ordinance to codify rules for trap-neuter-return programs.
“We want to make sure people participating in community cat programs have some standards,” Shumate said.
The cat licenses could add about $68,000 to the department’s revenues, based on an estimate of cat-owner households of more than 13,600.
Cat owners can get a license currently, but it is offered by local veterinarians to clients on a voluntary basis.
“We’ve always had the voluntary cat license program,” said Shumate. “It just really hasn’t taken off.”
Pasco is one of only a few counties that doesn’t have mandatory cat licenses.
Pasco County Commissioner Ted Schrader wondered how the license would be enforced.
Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano said raising fees too much could have consequences.
“If you do this, are people going to get rid of the cats?” he asked.
It would be a gamble, Shumate said. But, he added, “We’re really asking those of us who can afford it to give the $5.”
Published March 23, 2016
