Jill Schramm/MDN Laura Garcia, executive director of the Souris Valley Animal Shelter, addresses the Minot City Council on Monday.

Despite its initial shock over the proposed cost, the Minot City Council voted Monday to negotiate terms of a one-year agreement with the Souris Valley Animal Shelter to operate a municipal pound.

SVAS submitted the sole proposal to provide impound services, which the Minot Police Department estimated would cost approximately $189,000 for one year.

The city’s contract with the Minot Veterinary Clinic expires at the end of this year and the clinic is not interested in continuing. Providing pound services for several years, the Minot Veterinary Clinic has charged less than a third of the amount the city plans to pay.

“The Minot Vet Clinic gave us a very good deal. This is well below market value. So we’ve been getting by on the cheap for many years. said Acting Police Chief Capt. Dale Plessas.

Plessas said the city of Grand Forks signed a $198,000 contract, which does not include veterinary services as SVAS’s proposal does. The city of Bismarck has a budget of about $278,000 a year, he said.

He said the city could consider other options over the next year, including creating its own pound.

“Really the question is whether this is really financially viable for us in the future or whether another option would be the way to go,” he said.

The Minot Police Department takes about 800 animals into custody each year, according to information provided to the City Council. Animals are taken to the pound if they are lost, aggressive or dangerous, wild or found in the city in violation of the ordinance.

SVAS offers a $35 per day boarding fee for dogs or cats; $15 to $20 per day for rabbits, snakes, reptiles, rodents and birds other than chickens, depending on their weight; and $85 for livestock, including chickens, contracted to the Minot Veterinary Clinic.

There would also be fees for after-hours, weekend or public holiday procedures as well as euthanasia, although SVAS said it was looking to adopt or work with others organizations to adopt animals rather than euthanize them. The proposal also outlines prices for veterinary services that would be provided at the SVAS clinic or contracted out to another clinic with police authorization.

The proposal includes an administration fee of $1,000 per month.

“We understand that these costs could be higher than what the city has paid in the past for such services. » SVAS stated in the proposal. “However, municipal ordinances establishing impoundment and permit fees have not changed in a long time and do not reflect the true costs of impounding animals.”

Police Capt. Justin Sundheim said currently, about 25 percent of the amount allocated to pound services comes back in fees when people claim their pets.

SVAS is proposing to increase these fees and also require that any animal purchased be licensed and microchipped. SVAS is requesting to be delegated to issue licenses and retain a proposed $5 increase in licensing fees. The licensing fee would be $10 for spayed or neutered dogs and cats and $15 for other dogs or cats.

Plessas said about half of the dogs that come to the pound are picked up by their owners. Of the approximately 400 cats that come to the pound each year, only about 7% are claimed.

Plessas said programs to reduce the number of feral cats and require the use of microchips could reduce pressures on the pound. If the claimed dogs are microchipped, they could be reunited with their owners without going through the pound, he said.

City Manager Harold Stewart said the licensing ordinance is only as effective as it is enforced. Having acquired a dog after arriving in Minot, he discovered there was a breakdown in communication about where to obtain a license, with the veterinary clinic referring him to the police and the police referring him to the veterinary clinic.

“Secondly, I think we probably need to look at our ordinances and update them. » » said Stewart. “With our current order, we are impounded for three days. If the animal is not claimed by prescription, we are expected to get rid of it, which is no longer generally socially or culturally acceptable.

“It is a challenge for us, both financially and culturally as well as for the health and service of our animals. It’s going to take a while to talk about it,” he said, “That’s why I support staff’s recommendation to issue this contract.” We will have to accept the financial consequences that come with this, but we have broader discussions to have over the next 12 months about what services we are going to provide to our community in relation to animals and how we are going to do it. do it in a better, more effective and efficient way.

The board also questioned the financial health of SVAS, which was in dire straits last August and needed $250,000 by the end of this year to continue operations.

SVAS Executive Director Laura Garcia said the shelter has adjusted its budget to survive this year and has received substantial donations to open a new community clinic early next year, which will generate revenue for the shelter .

SVAS also has a boarding agreement with the Ward County Sheriff’s Department for dogs or cats that was extended last month for another year. He reports shipping animals to Minot Air Force Base and the town of Berthold.

The council voted 6-1 to proceed with negotiating a contract, with council member Scott Samuelson casting the lone vote against.