Tucson residents could be charged up to $70 to drop an animal off at the Pima Animal Care Center if the city and county can’t agree on a new cost sharing agreement.
The proposed new policy doesn’t specifically reference the city, but Tucson is the only jurisdiction that does not have an agreement in place for the new fiscal year, which starts July 1.
The two governments have been negotiating over a new agreement for months, but have been unable to agree on the cost and what services are covered.
“We thought, what would the world look like if we didn’t have an intergovernmental agreement,” Deputy Pima County Administrator Jan Lesher said.
Lesher said the county has never had this type of fee on the books before. The rationale for attempting to implement the fee now is to have a plan in place to recoup costs for services if a contract with a municipality ends. The proposal does not include fees for other animal control services.
Lesher said the fees were based on a similar structure in place at the Humane Society of Southern Arizona. The county currently doesn’t charge to leave an animal off at PACC.
One point of disagreement has been city leaders say the county tried to charge for an expansion of Pima Animal Care Center, where a large tent structure was built to accommodate more animals.
“That tent was approved to be paid by the county general fund,” said Tucson Budget Director Joyce Garland. “It’s a county asset.”
Garland also said the county has been billing for administrative costs that have no connection to animal services, such as costs associated with the board of supervisors, county administration and finance.
She said administrative costs connected to the county health department, the department PACC falls under, were not disputed.
Lesher said paying the overhead costs were a part of the agreement.
The contract includes reimbursements for administrative costs associated with licensing, spay and neutering and collection of dead animals, among other costs.
City Councilman Steve Kozachik agreed the county has tried to slip unassociated costs into the contract, but also said the city has been unrealistic in its budgeting for animal care services.
“We’re placing them (Pima County) in that position because we’re taking the unrealistic position in our budget that the costs aren’t going to go up,” Kozachik said.
He said animal enforcement costs have increased as well as the costs to care for animals as the county moves closer to a no-kill shelter model, for which the city has an obligation to pay its share.
In addition, county voters approved construction of an expanded PACC facility that will house more animals and ultimately cost more in veterinary care.
“We’re taking a hard-line position in the face of what the voters said they want,” Kozachik said.
In fiscal 2014, the city paid Pima County more than $3.6 million of the more than $4.1 million in animal care service costs incurred.
Tucson has the majority of the dog and cat population in the county and demands the bulk of PACC resources.
County documents show, for instance, 59 percent of all animal impounds for the first three months of the year were of pets that live in the city.
Kozachik said if the city forces the county’s hand in creating the new fees and allows the contract for PACC services to lapse, the instances of abandoned animals would increase.
“We’re going to have more strays in the community or people may just go dump their animals in the riverbed,” he said.
Lesher said the county realizes that could happen and continues to work toward a renewed contract with the city to prevent any negative effects.
She noted the city and county have had active contracts for animal care services since 1963.
The Board of Supervisors and City Council both plan to discuss the proposed fees at their Tuesday meetings.
