Employee departures at Humane Society shelter come as city contemplates building a new $3 million city shelter; is it time to talk merger?

This week's upheaval at the non-profit Cedar Valley Humane Society's animal shelter comes at a time when the city of Cedar Rapids is considering building a new $3 million animal shelter in conjunction with Kirkwood Community College to replace the city's flood-damaged shelter.

Bernie Lettington, president of the Humane Society's board of directors, on Friday said he was aware of the city of Cedar Rapids' proposal for a new shelter, but Lettington said his board has not discussed the idea - which has circulated at City Hall in the past - of merging the Humane Society shelter with the city's.

“The two organizations serve a little different purpose,” he said. “We have slightly different missions, Cedar Rapids Animal Control having kind of an enforcement kind of mission, and that is a little different from a non-profit Humane Society.”

Nonetheless, Lettington said the Humane Society's shelter, which serves all of Linn County outside of the cities of Cedar Rapids and Marion, and the city's shelter collaborate whenever possible.

Any past perception that the two entities did not have a good relationship is not true today, he said.

Lettington talked on Friday from the Humane Society's shelter, at 7411 Mount Vernon Rd. SE, where the society's board is hustling a bit as it manages the departure this week of the shelter's two co-directors and four other employees. Other paid staff members remain at the shelter and board members and volunteers are helping to get the shelter through what Lettington called “this little transition phase.”

The board president said he couldn't discuss the employees' departures, calling them personnel matters.

Lettington, who became president of the Humane Society's board in March, said he is one of several new members of the board, a board that he said has been in the process of reviewing all of the shelter's practices and procedures with the help of experts from Kirkwood Community College, Iowa State University and elsewhere.

The board announced its intent to hire a new executive director on Aug. 18, he noted.

Lettington said he had heard comments that one concern is that the shelter's new protocol may result in more frequent use of euthanasia at the shelter. He called such comments “a little confusing.” He said the shelter has no time limit beyond which an animal is put to sleep. But he said the shelter does use euthanasia at the advice of veterinarians in certain instances.

On Thursday and Friday, the Humane Society shelter did not put out its “open” sign, but it was answering the door, Lettington said. He said he hoped the shelter would get back to normal hours and have its executive director in place soon.

This is not the only recent upheaval at the shelter. In late March of 2008, the Marion Police Department raided the shelter as it was closing and seized records related to the shelter's billing practices. Since that time, the city of Marion has used the city shelter for its shelter needs and not the Humane Society's shelter.

On Friday, Linn County Attorney Harold Denton said his office reviewed the Marion Police Department's investigative work and decided not to file any charges.

This week's departure of employees had nothing to do with that earlier matter, Lettington said.