BMHA, county reach a deal

Published 7:30 am Saturday, December 24, 2016

The situation between the Blue Mountain Humane Association and Union County that one commissioner termed as an “impasse” turned into a seemingly successful resolution when both parties signed a six-month contract for services Wednesday.

But it wasn’t without opposition.

During the general public comment period at Wednesday’s Union County Commissioner’s meeting, a group of community members voiced their dislike for the new agreement concerning the animal shelter’s role in the county’s animal control.

The contract states the county will pay $50,000 per year to the animal shelter for taking in all of the dogs Union County Animal Control collects. The Union County Sheriff’s Office will take on the responsibility of licensing the animals, but all of the revenue generated from licenses and fees will be given to the shelter. The shelter will also collect $27 per day for five days from the owners of pets that were impounded or a public nuisance.

The shelter will have an after-hours drop-off procedure for animal control and will increase the hours of operation, among other agreements.

It’s not enough for some, though.

Susan Gerry said an audit should be required if the shelter is going to receive $50,000. She said that’s a significant amount of money to give without that extra step being taken.

Union County Administrative Office Shelley Burgess later said in the meeting that the county will have the opportunity to audit the shelter every year. And the shelter will be monitored to ensure the county is receiving the services per the contract.

Another concerned community member said the county needs to make sure the agreed-upon services are actually provided.

Commissioner Steve McClure, who has been meeting with the animal shelter’s director, John Brinlee, and BMHA Board President John Rinehart about the contract, said this issue has been figured out.

“We did figure this out,” McClure said. “This used to be a high-kill shelter and now it’s not. It costs a lot of money to do this. If (having a high-kill shelter) is what the county wants, then we can do that. But I don’t think that’s where the community wants to go.”

McClure said he feels this is a good agreement, and the shelter has said it will work on its communication with the public.

Animal shelter staff member Donna Brownlee said the shelter only has so many people working and volunteering their time to help. It’s a difficult situation to be in when there’s not enough money to have the shelter open all the time, but volunteers are hard to come by.

The shelter could get grants to help them with funding, but the organization doesn’t have a grant writer and there aren’t any volunteers for that position.

Commissioner Jack Howard replied that he’s willing to fill in that role in his spare time to help.

The commissioners unanimously agreed to pass the six-month contract, which can be extended up to five years if both parties agree, to ensure that this agreement will be successful. The contract goes into effect Jan. 1. The sheriff’s office will also begin licensing dogs Jan. 1.

Also during Wednesday’s meeting, a hot-button item from the Dec. 7 meeting came up again. The county’s legal representation, Wyatt Baum, said the commissioners will have to hold another public hearing regarding Dr. Joel Rice’s request to annex his property into non-grazing land.

The commissioners had tentatively denied Rice’s request at the early December meeting, but Baum said they may not have discretion to deny Rice’s request.

Baum suggested the commissioners withdraw their motion and hold another public hearing at their Jan. 4 meeting regarding the annexation.

That meeting will also be the last for County Commissioner Mark Davidson, who will step down after eight years in the position. Donna Beverage will be taking his place.

McClure said he wanted to publicly state how much he has enjoyed working with Davidson throughout the years.

“I appreciate your efforts and wish you success in your next endeavor,” McClure said.

Davidson thanked McClure.

“I’ve had a good run and been a part of some significant projects, and I’m proud of my tenure,” Davidson said.

Contact Cherise Kaechele at 541-786-4234 or ckaechele@lagrandeobserver.com. Follow Cherise on Twitter @lgoKaechele.