Council to consider humane society’s $42,000 budget request
By JIM FAILE
DARLINGTON - Darlington County Council postponed final action on a $24.7 million general fund budget Monday to allow time to look for possible sources of additional funding for the Darlington County Humane Society Animal Shelter.
Council will hold a budget work session on Monday at 7 p.m. to discuss the humane society’s request for an additional nearly $42,000 to help pay for shelter operations.
Several humane society representatives addressed council in support of the request. The humane society operates the shelter for the county under a contract with council.
“We really need to look at some additional funding,” said the humane society’s Michelle Hoffman. “We need to look for creative ways to hold people accountable for their pets.”
“Lots of citizens are working really hard to provide services that I feel like are a county responsibility,” said Kathy McDonald, a shelter volunteer and a member of the humane society’s Board of Directors. She said the society is asking for a minimum increase in county funding of $41,900 to cover operating expenses, including payroll for shelter staff.
The proposed general fund budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which starts July 1, includes $57,270 for the shelter. County funding for the shelter has not increased since the county first entered the contract with the humane society to operate the shelter in 1997 except for the current budget year when an additional one-time appropriation of $25,000 was added to the budget for the shelter.
According to McDonald, over the years, county funding has in fact gone down by about $3,000, while operating costs have continued to rise and the county budget has gone up over those same years.
Hoffman asked council to consider adopting some sort of licensing fee system that would involve charging a fee per animal based on an estimated number of dogs and cats in the county. She estimated, based on national statistics, that Darlington County households have about 16,000 dogs and 18,000 cats. A $5 per animal fee, based on those estimates, could generate $172,000 annually, she said. Cutting the fee in half would still produce about $86,000, she said.
Payroll alone for the seven part-time employees who work at the shelter totals $80,000 a year, Hoffman said.
Those employees process about 4,000 animals a year, from intake at the shelter, to rescue, adoption, which includes spaying and neutering, or euthanasia when that is necessary, McDonald said.
“We’re asking council to fully fund payroll,” McDonald said.
Another $14,000 of the county’s funding goes to cover utilities and sanitation services, according to McDonald.
The remaining funding for the shelter comes from private funds the humane society is able to raise on its own.
Shelter volunteer Susan Rogers suggested a $1 fee for each taxpayer in the county. Speaking as a volunteer, she said, she and others give a lot to the shelter. But speaking as a taxpayer, she added, “We don’t.”
Councilman Dannie Douglas of Society Hill echoed that call and suggested a referendum on the issue.
Councilman Wesley Blackwell of Hartsville said the humane society’s fundraising efforts have brought in about $4 for every $1 the county gives to the shelter. “I think the least this county can do is increase it by $42,000,” he said.
Blackwell said he has been looking through the budget and believes he has found some areas where funds can be shifted to come up with the money.
Councilwoman Anne Warr of Lamar said if any changes are to be made to the budget at this point in the process, council needs to hold a budget work session to discuss them. “I applaud you,” she told the humane society members for their work in operating the shelter. “But we’re at the tail end of the budget process now, and it’s very hard to change things.”
“I think we need to have a workshop to come up with some money from somewhere, I don’t care where it’s coming from,” Councilman Alex “Buz” Shaw of Hartsville said to applause from humane society members. Shaw said the society’s efforts over the years have saved the county countless dollars.
Councilman Le Flowers of Darlington questioned whether a licensing or fee system would be practical or workable. Under state law, implementing such a system would require having someone on staff to administer the system and enforce and collect the fees, Flowers said.
County Attorney Jim Cox agreed and said the cost of administering and enforcement would consume most of the revenue generated by any fees.
Flowers raised the possibility of a special purpose tax district to fund the shelter operations. He said that would guarantee a solid, stable and long-term source of revenue, but he acknowledged setting up such a system would take up to a year to accomplish.
Council gave final approval to the other seven budget ordinances making up the county’s total $32.4 million budget package for the new fiscal year.
Monday’s work session will take place at the Darlington County Courthouse Annex/EMS Building at 1625 Harry Byrd Highway.