Reluctant Towns Resolve Cost Concerns, Agree to Rejoin County Animal Shelter

COURT HOUSE – County Animal Shelter Director Judith Davies-Dunhour reports that all of the participating municipalities, including Middle Township, have agreed to the new five year interlocal agreement for animal shelter services.   
A change to the funding formula moved additional costs to certain municipalities that make the most use of the shelter. This change led to months of discussion and negotiation between the county and three municipalities: Middle Township, Dennis Township and Woodbine. The three were all facing increases in their costs.
In the case of Middle Township that increase was around $50,000 per year. The disagreements led to a brief period when the shelter was closed to animals from the municipalities. Middle recently approved going into the county shelter agreement, but confusion on which rates would apply for the first part of the year when no agreement was in place caused another impasse.
At its Aug. 15 meeting, Middle Township Committee went into closed session concerning potential litigation regarding the animal shelter agreement. Committee member Timothy Donohue said no action was taken as a result of the closed session. Donohue added that an agreement was reached on Tuesday morning, the day after the committee meeting.
Formal action will not take place until the next meeting of the township committee, Aug. 29, but a good faith notice to the county has resolved the immediate problem of Middle’s use of the shelter. Donohue said that “even with the increased costs, the County Shelter still offers us the best value for our dollars.”
Dennis Township passed a resolution entering into the agreement with the shelter at its meeting Aug. 16. Woodbine is expected to do the same at its Aug. 18 meeting.
Funding for the shelter is paid 40 percent by the county and 60 percent by the participating municipalities based on usage.
Middle Township Committee has expressed its desire to have the county move in the future to a procedure whereby it funds the shelter strictly through county tax dollars as it does for the county corrections center and the library system.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.