Kent County needs a new dog catcher after cutting ties with Safe Haven Animal Sanctuary Tuesday night. Levy Court voted 5-2 at a special business meeting to sever the $900,000 animal control contract it awarded the no-kill shelter starting July 1st.
The decision followed more than two hours of scrutinizing the non-profit’s business model and operating budget at a meeting called to address the shelter's ability to fulfill the contract. Safe Haven announced earlier this month it planned to close at the end of August due to financial issues, only to reverse course last week.
During the meeting, some Levy Court commissioners expressed dismay over Safe Haven’s roughly $200,000 of debt.
David Hughes, a representative for Safe Haven, told commissioners that excessive medical costs, totaling almost $250,000, and off-sight kennel expenses are most responsible for putting Safe Haven on shaky financial footing.
“It’s mostly unfortunate for the animals because, as a no-kill shelter, we’ve saved over 400 animals a year and got them moved to new owners and that’s not going to happen with whoever gets the contract because there’s only one other bidder in the state and they're a high-kill shelter," said Hughes "So, we can stand up and say we saved 400 animals last year and we can be proud of that.”
Safe Haven representatives also attempted to explain recent shake-ups at the non-profit that included parting with nearly half of its staff and half of its board members.
When it came time to vote, 4th District Commissioner Erik Buckson was blunt with the No-Kill shelter’s leadership.
“Your problem is your business model. It doesn’t work; it’s not going to work," said Buckson. "The numbers don’t lie. You’ve heard some of these statements. We sat here and just reviewed them. You have to acknowledge it’s not going to add up. It’s going to constantly be a problem. And you can’t plan a budget around what you hope to have come in.”
One of Safe Haven’s board members says the shelter will likely close without the Kent County contract. The shelter has roughly 180 dogs in its possession currently.
Kent County is likely to turn to the Kent County SPCA in two months when the contract is officially terminated.