City of Albany, Humane Society reach agreement on $147,800 contract

ALBANY – The city of Albany’s dog housing problem has been solved, fittingly coming in the dog days of summer, and ending an impasse between the city and the Albany Humane Society.

After the Humane Society initially halted intake of animals captured by animal control in March, it allowed a small number of dogs to come in, which allowed the city to bring in a limited number of animals.

That provided housing for dogs deemed dangerous, but the number was not enough to get all strays off the streets.

That left some residents barking, as nuisance animals were not always removed from neighborhoods in a timely manner.

“Honestly, citizens started feeling the reduction in services and I started getting phone calls,” Ward IV City Commission Chad Warbington said. “I am glad it is resolved.”

The contract with the Humane Society expired in June 2020, and the organization requested additional funding, citing the increase in costs over the years. The topic brought much discussion over those years, but no action was taken until after the Humane Society limited the number of dogs it would accept from the city.

In July the City Commission approved a new one-year contract in which it agreed to pay up to $147,800 for services.

“It’s been not one year in the making, but two or three or four years in the making, so I’m glad we finally got an agreement,” Warbington said. “They actually provide a very important service in the community, so while we may have some differences in opinion, they’re very much part of public safety in our community.”

The Humane Society began accepting all of the city’s animals on Aug. 9.

In addition to monetary terms of the contract, the city added three conditions: having a board member on the Humane Society, quarterly financial reports and that the Humane Society follow the city’s protocols on dealing with vicious dogs. The Humane Society agreed to those conditions.

The city’s board member will be the chief of police or his designee, Albany Mayor Bo Dorough said, and the position will be as a voting member of the body.

“We were in a pickle where we had nowhere to take dogs, and that’s not acceptable to the citizens,” Dorough said. “We had some issues with the Humane Society. Hopefully, they’re resolved and we’ll be able to move forward.”

Staff Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]
Staff Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]