Collaborate on animal control

By The Gazette Editorial Board

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Barriers to consolidating animal control services across Linn County are starting to tumble. Officials are talking. Collaborative action, which seemed way off the table only a couple of months ago, is a real possibility.

As it should be.

At Tuesday's Cedar Rapids City Council meeting, council members are expected to approve a site for the city's new animal control shelter, to replace the old, inadequate facility that was damaged in the 2008 flood. But they're holding off on any decision about how large it should be, in part because the amount of federal disaster assistance is still being negotiated.

Another reason: City Manager Jeff Pomeranz said the city is reviewing two options, both of which could lead to countywide animal control:

l City-managed facility - The county would reimburse the city for service to unincorporated areas, and other cities could negotiate fees for service.

l Joint management - The city, county and possibly another entity would create a board to oversee operations. Pomeranz, the West Des Moines city manager before he began duties here in September, said a similar setup involving Clive, Urbandale and West Des Moines worked well.

So, in the second case, who might be that third partner?

In the spring, county Supervisor Brent Oleson proposed that a non-profit take over management of all animal control services in the county. He cited, as example, the Nebraska Humane Society, which handles services for Omaha. The idea didn't fly.

We believe the Cedar Valley Humane Society could play at least some role in a jointly managed facility. The CVHS is certainly in better position to contribute than it was a year ago. Simmering management problems came to ahead in March 2008. Eventually, a reorganized CVHS, led by new Executive Director Zach Melton, upgraded its shelter, adopted new procedures for handling strays and abandoned animals and sharply reduced the prevalence of disease.

Kirkwood Community College veterinary technology professor Anne Duffy, who inspected the facility, verified major operational improvements.

Also noteworthy: The number of volunteers and financial resources are back up substantially.

Melton supports the idea of a countywide agency with his organization involved. Duffy says a healthy CVHS is a vital resource to ensure the entire county is served well.

We say a three-way partnership that maximizes resources, provides reliable countywide service and reduces or levels taxpayer cost should be feasible. The time is ripe. Don't stray from this opportunity.