LifeLine Animal Project, the nonprofit that runs the Fulton County animal shelter and provides animal control countywide, will continue to do so for at least another year — with a lot more public funding.
County commissioners voted 5-0 Wednesday to approve LifeLine’s contract for 2024, for which LifeLine will be paid just over $9 million. That’s up from $4.9 million this year. The contract includes $3.6 million in base funding plus additional money commissioners approved mid-year.
“This is a pass-through cost,” said Alton Adams, county chief operating officer for Justice, Public Safety & Technology. The county bills its 15 cities for animal services, he said. But the money budgeted for LifeLine hadn’t increased in previous years, so the new contract contains “catch-up cost,” Adams said.
“Have the cities approved to pay this money?” Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr. asked.
City councils haven’t met to ratify paying the county-generated bill, but county staff have briefed the “top five cities” that pay the most, Adams said. Arrington sought to hold the measure but his motion died for lack of a second.
Commissioner Bob Ellis said cities know a bigger bill for animal control is coming. This year the county covered the $1.3 million increase instead of passing it on, he said.
Previously, LifeLine has covered the funding gap through private donations, said Matt Kallmyer, director of county Emergency Management, which oversees animal services.
LifeLine will move into a new, much larger county animal shelter this month, which will cost more to operate and also require more personnel, he said. The $40 million new facility is four times as large as the decades-old current shelter and is designed to promote adoption of animals.
Commissioners also approved $300,000 to pay for moving into the new shelter. The existing shelter and the new one will both be open for some time, which will also cost extra. The money is expected to pay for 22 employees through the end of 2023, plus $30,000 for supplies.
The new shelter contains a full-service veterinary clinic, providing free or inexpensive care in an area where none currently exists, Kallmyer said.
The new contract contains renewal options for the next four years. LifeLine was the only qualified bidder to provide the service, according to a report from a county evaluation committee.
“The Contractor did an incredible job caring for the animals in the Fulton County Animal Shelter while dealing with extremely difficult external stresses and strains,” the committee recommendation said. “While dealing with an aggressive canine influenza outbreak, the team was able to humanely treat the animals in the shelter while still managing the intake of animals.
“There was also a period of time over the Christmas weekend where the team was called upon to care for animals while the facility was dealing with the untimely loss of water, power and heat.”
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