Funding for the Elizabethton/Carter County Animal Shelter, along with a slew of other items, highlights a busy Thursday agenda for the Elizabethton City Council.
Councilmen will meet inside City Hall at 6 p.m. and discuss the current contract in place between the city and county to operate the animal shelter.
The contract, which was signed February 13, 2012, will end the same date of this year but automatically renew for another five-year period unless the contract is amended by mutual agreement — being approved by City Council and the County Commission.
According to an estimation provided by the county, the anticipated amount to fund the shelter moving forward would be $374,477 with the city and county splitting the cost of operation.
Without having an estimation of revenue for the shelter’s 2016-17 fiscal year, the city speculates, using last year’s offset amount, that an additional $45,000 would be needed for the city’s budget to fund the requested amount.
City Mayor Curt Alexander visited the County Commission during November and addressed concerns by commissioners that the city would not fund an additional amount.
“We have signed a contract to pay 50 percent of the cost and will pay 50 percent of the cost,” Alexander said during the meeting.
The mayor did add the city had questions regarding the facility’s funding but reiterated the city would meet its obligations.
Alexander later told commissioners that the city would look at the possibility of meeting with the city and county attorney to renegotiate the terms of the contract when it comes to funding, adding the city feels it shouldn’t pay 50 percent along with the county when the city only represents 25 percent of the population. City residents pay county taxes, which the mayor added, in essence means residents are already paying for the shelter twice.
The animal shelter is currently undergoing expansion thanks to an estate donation left by the late Glenda Taylor DeLawder. Along with the cat expansion, the county has reported animals being in healthy conditions with record adoptions thanks in part to recent specialized events and work done by the staff on site.
In other business, councilmen will look at considering action on the sale of bonds, contracts for audits with Blackburn, Childers & Steagall, an amendment with the performance bond with the demolition landfill, OK’ing the purchase of property by Harold McCormick for the city schools system, and also considering action on a tank repainting project and an interlocal agreement for emergency communications between the city and county.