Friday, January 28, 2011

A Paw in the Right Direction

Things are going to change a little for the adoption processes at the Jerome Animal Shelter come February 1, 2011.

Presently, the adoption fee for a dog is $5.00. Once the dog is adopted, the new owners are given a coupon for a discounted rate for the spay/neuter. However, we have found that compliance with spaying or neutering a new pet is low. Many adopting families have told the veterinarians that they “just want one litter of puppies” and then they will have their pet altered. Given that one of the purposes of the shelter is to help control the animal population, this is obviously not acceptable. At any given time in a shelter roughly 90% of the population are dogs that are not spayed or neutered.

Another problem with having such a low adoption fee is that the dogs then become disposable items. We worry about dogs being abandoned when the novelty of adopting a puppy has worn off. Most people easily find $5.00 for the adoption. Also, there are significant and real concerns of abuse for dogs that is perceived as being of no financial value.

To correct this problem, the Animal Shelter, along with the help of the local veterinarians, is establishing a $50.00 adoption fee. This new fee will include the cost of the spay/neuter, rabies vaccines, and City license. In addition, the shelter staff and volunteers will then take the dog directly to the veterinarian of choice of the adopting family and, once the spay/neuter is complete, the new family will pick up the new pet from the veterinarian. This will allow us to ensure that the dogs receive all the vaccinations he or she needs and that there will be proper care for the dog after the procedure where the new pet owners will receive some education on proper dog health care, nutrition, and so forth.

Some may say “Will this increased fee decrease the odds of a dog being adopted?” The answer to this is twofold. First, it is true that a $50.00 fee will be more restrictive for some people than a $5.00 fee. However, if someone is unable to afford $50.00, our concern is that they truly cannot afford the all the financial implications of a pet such as food, healthcare, etc.

Also, due to our volunteer program, we have managed to develop wonderful relationships with the Humane Societies and rescue organizations. We are now able to move dogs to other places where they are in demand. That helps us control the population in the shelter so that we can make sure the right dog goes into the right home with the right kind of care.

This endeavor would not be possible without the support and assistance from the veterinarians in the City of Jerome. They are supporting this program and providing the much needed service at a very reasonable rate. The next time you see your veterinarian here in Jerome, thank him or her for assisting the Jerome Animal Shelter in controlling the canine population.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

City of Jerome Finances for 2011




When I was sworn into office as Mayor on January 3rd, 2010, I pledged to do my best to make sure the City would maintain services without raising taxes. I am pleased to report that after one year of office I can say that we have achieved this goal. I wish this could always be the case, but I have also learned that the City does not have unlimited resources to maintain the same levels of service indefinitely. Indeed, I have received many calls and have read many letters, emails and postings on the City’s Facebook page from concerned citizens that are not satisfied with the level of service the City is providing in certain areas. I share their frustration on a number of issues including snow removal, irrigation, community “eye-sores”, loose dogs, feral cats, rough roads, and more. It is quite possible to overcome any of these issues with the right investment of time, labor and equipment. Unfortunately, the City can’t fix these problems without taking away some of our ability to respond to calls for police or fire service or even to maintain the roads the way they are today.

As you can see from the chart to the right, this year’s budget was unusually tight for the City and we have had to make do with less than what our needs are in each department. The Police Department didn’t get a new cruiser in our fleet replacement schedule, the Fire Department will not be getting specialized equipment for confined space rescues and the Streets Department will have to scale back its plans for the road maintenance that was scheduled. Even with these cuts, the city needed to use some of its small reserve balance. These reductions may not amount to anything the public will notice this year, but over the years these needs will outpace our ability to keep up and then the problem will be obvious to everyone. Unfortunately, the reality is that the current level of service is not sustainable, despite the remarkable efforts made by those employed in public service.

During this year’s budgeting process, it became clear to me that the City has fallen behind the curve on staying abreast of the cost of providing services. In an effort to do more with less and stretch the tax dollar to the limit we are now at a point that we can only do less with less. Our equipment is wearing out and we frequently buy replacement equipment used instead of new. We have spent down the city’s reserves (savings) the past two years to maintain services and balance the budget without raising taxes. Without a lot of money in reserves or a new source of revenue, we are going to have to take a hard look at what level of municipal services we are going to maintain in the future. This is going to be a major issue that the City and its citizens must deal with over the next five years or we will begin to see City services decline sharply. Over the next few issues of the City Newsletter I will share my observations on some of the challenges, including the City’s budget process, that we are faced with. And I invite you to share any feedback that you, our reader, would be willing to provide.

Mayor John Shine