County Drops Animal Control Shelter
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Animal control services will no longer be a headache for Kosciusko County government.
On Tuesday, the county commissioners decided to let the Animal Welfare League of Kosciusko County take control of the animal shelter as of Nov. 1.
"There was a desire to return the shelter to a voluntary organization control and save the county some money and still support the shelter," Commissioner Eddie Creighton said.
The Animal Welfare League will pay the county $1 a year to lease the animal shelter. The county, in return, will pay the AWLKC $30,000 a year for expenses. The county also will pay the salary of the animal control officer.
Employees of the current Kosciusko County Animal Shelter have been offered other jobs within county government. All but two of the current employees are part-time.
Kay Amsden, operations manager, found out about the change Monday. She said she was offered a job in the housekeeping department once the change of hands of the shelter takes place. She turned down the position.
A year ago, Amsden said she was offered a $40,000 a year job elsewhere. She turned it down, expecting to be at the shelter for some time.
"Have you ever heard of a little thing called loyalty?" she said.
"There are very few places that I have been where I have loved the place, the people, the job.
"There's no comparison to this job."
Amsden said she was not bitter, however, about losing her job. It was a shock, but she understands how county government works. If people in the community think that she or her staff are bitter, it would be a misconception, she said.
"We've enjoyed it here. You can only look towards the future. Things will be OK," she said.
Previous budget for the animal shelter was between $112,000 to $129,000 a year. Actual expenses were not available at the meeting because some expenses were absorbed by county maintenance. Human Resource Director Ron Robinson said the savings would be about $50,000 to $60,000 a year.
Equipment and truck expenses will be absorbed by the sheriff's department, but should not cause any financial hardships to the sheriff's budget.
The AWLKC will cover the animal control services for the entire county.
No members of the public were at the commissioners' meeting. [[In-content Ad]]
Latest News
E-Editions
Animal control services will no longer be a headache for Kosciusko County government.
On Tuesday, the county commissioners decided to let the Animal Welfare League of Kosciusko County take control of the animal shelter as of Nov. 1.
"There was a desire to return the shelter to a voluntary organization control and save the county some money and still support the shelter," Commissioner Eddie Creighton said.
The Animal Welfare League will pay the county $1 a year to lease the animal shelter. The county, in return, will pay the AWLKC $30,000 a year for expenses. The county also will pay the salary of the animal control officer.
Employees of the current Kosciusko County Animal Shelter have been offered other jobs within county government. All but two of the current employees are part-time.
Kay Amsden, operations manager, found out about the change Monday. She said she was offered a job in the housekeeping department once the change of hands of the shelter takes place. She turned down the position.
A year ago, Amsden said she was offered a $40,000 a year job elsewhere. She turned it down, expecting to be at the shelter for some time.
"Have you ever heard of a little thing called loyalty?" she said.
"There are very few places that I have been where I have loved the place, the people, the job.
"There's no comparison to this job."
Amsden said she was not bitter, however, about losing her job. It was a shock, but she understands how county government works. If people in the community think that she or her staff are bitter, it would be a misconception, she said.
"We've enjoyed it here. You can only look towards the future. Things will be OK," she said.
Previous budget for the animal shelter was between $112,000 to $129,000 a year. Actual expenses were not available at the meeting because some expenses were absorbed by county maintenance. Human Resource Director Ron Robinson said the savings would be about $50,000 to $60,000 a year.
Equipment and truck expenses will be absorbed by the sheriff's department, but should not cause any financial hardships to the sheriff's budget.
The AWLKC will cover the animal control services for the entire county.
No members of the public were at the commissioners' meeting. [[In-content Ad]]