Pratt Tribune Article 1/9/2012
By Conrad Easterday
The Pratt Tribune
Pratt, Kan. —
Mayor Jeff Taylor was unhappy to see his prediction about the Pratt Area Humane Society come true Monday night at the City Commission’s regular meeting.
“I warned the last time they got a $500 increase they would be back,” he said.
The commissioners — with the exception of Karen Detwiler who is a PAHS volunteer — had presumed they would pass unchanged an annual contract with the organization for the boarding of strays picked up by Animal Control.
But PAHS board member Jackie Hogan shocked most of the commissioners by asking the city to increase its payment for the boarding service from $1,500 per month to $3,400 even though the organization broke even last year.
The problem, Hogan explained, is that every dollar contributed by private donors and city and county tax dollars goes to the operation of the current facility, which opened new in 2006 with its plans for a modular kennel system unfinished. They have been unable to set aside any money for a safer, quieter and more sanitary system.
The same chainlink fencing used at the previous shelter was installed as a stopgap measure.
Now the same state inspectors who objected to the old kennel system have run out of patience with the mixture of old and new at the current facility. If PAHS doesn’t find a solution soon, the facility could be shut down.
Taylor was unmoved by the organization’s plight. PAHS should be run as a business and not as a welfare agency, he said.
If PAHS does not find the necessary funds for the improvements the Kansas Department of Health and Environment demands, the city will have to build its own facility and face the same inspectors, Hogan said.
City Manager Dave Howard said one options would be boarding animals with local veterinarians, who already meet all of the necessary regulations.
A city pound would presumably be less expensive because animals would be euthanized as soon as possible, but the benefits city employees are provided might cut into those savings, and there could be a host of hidden costs, he said.
“There’s nothing you (can) do today that doesn’t cost you money,” he told the Commission. “They (PAHS) are operating this pretty cheap, I think.”
Commissioner Gary Skaggs proposed an additional $1,000 per month for the organization rather than the $1,900 increasing it was seeking. If the board use that money for improvements, they can demonstrate progress and negotiate with regulators to avoid a shutdown, he said.
The Commission voted 4-1 in favor of the motion with Taylor opposed.
Commissioner Bill Hlavachick, who was unhappy with PAHS’ surprise request, cautioned Hogan and the other board members to be better prepared if they ever return to the Commission.
In other business, the Commission:
• Approved $50,000 and delivery expenses to be used at the discretion of Fire Chief David Kramer for the purchase of a used pumper truck. Skaggs and Hlavachick had urged the Commission to stop dragging out the purchase process and allow Kramer to decide what the department needed within the budget it had set for him.
• Approved a plat for the Sandy Creek Addition to the city. The plat describes the streets and lots for a residential development around the newly constructed Maple Street extension. Still to be decided is whether the city or private developers should take charge of selling lots. Also, the city must and probably can find a way to build streets and install utilities for less than the $4.1 million of a 2008 estimate.
