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Barron County comes to aid of humane society
(The Leader-Telegram (Eau Claire, Wis.) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Jan. 16--Barron County taxpayers will contribute about $49,000 this year to the Humane Society of Barron County and the county will loan $200,000 to upgrade fair buildings, as a result of actions taken this week.
The nonprofit humane society will receive $1.05 for every county resident, Barron County Administrator Duane Hebert said. The County Board approved the plan Monday on a 26-2 vote. The county has a population of 46,540 people.
The society has a small building that can hold 30 to 40 cats and 15 to 20 dogs, shelter director Dorothy Quinn said. "It's a relatively small shelter," she said.
The shelter has become more cramped since June 1, when the humane society became the official impound center for the county, co-president Dave Armstrong said.
Rather than look at building a larger facility, Armstrong said, the humane society needed a contract with the county to help with costs.
From January through May last year, the shelter in Barron took in 98 animals. However, after becoming the impound center, the facility took in 1,173 animals between June and December, Quinn said.
"The animal shelter wasn't set up to take in the numbers we take in now," Quinn said.
Expenses rose $4,000 to $5,000 a month, Armstrong said.
In the past, the society would charge people to drop off animals, but that fee was eliminated to encourage people to turn in strays or unwanted pets, Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said.
"They came to me and said they were worried about funding and might have to close their doors," Fitzgerald said. "We needed to come to some agreement where we could bring our animals to their facility."
Armstrong said the county and shelter began working in December on a one-year contract.
To get a handle on the growing problem of stray dogs and cats, Barron County created an animal control officer position in early 2008, Fitzgerald said. Deputy Mark Olson spends about half his time working on animal control issues.
The humane society is a "low-kill" facility, Armstrong said. He hates to see animals euthanized, but many of the feral cats brought in are in poor shape, he said.
Fair loan
The County Board approved a $200,000 zero-interest loan to the Commission on Agriculture.
The organization plans to raze two buildings at the county fairground in Rice Lake and replace them before the fair in July.
"They just aren't very functional nowadays," Hebert said of the outdated barns. "It's time for an upgrade."
The new buildings will include a covered show arena, which will help on hot summer days, he said.
Construction should begin this spring.
The loan is for 20 years with no repayment the first two years, Hebert said. He added that the money for the loan does not come from the general fund or property taxes.
Vetter can be reached at 723-0303 or chris. vetter@ecpc.com.
To see more of The Leader-Telegram or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.leadertelegram.com.
Copyright (c) 2009, The Leader-Telegram, Eau Claire, Wis.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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