PAWS says county declines renewal at higher cost
The Panhandle Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) executive board voted April 30 to end its contract with the county. Service stops on Sept. 22. Animal control is mandatory per state statutes, so the county must have a solution.
The money will come from surtax reserves and can only be spent on capital costs, such as shelter construction, vehicles, kennels and equipment. In county documents, the county’s attorney said animal control is a matter of public safety and can use surtax funding.
Deputy County Administrator Craig Coffey laid out a two-part plan that is still in the works.
“In the north end, we’re working hard with the city of Crestview,” he said. “We hope to continue that partnership.”
Coffey explained that Crestview would provide animal control and sheltering; the county would pay to retrofit an existing building, estimated at anywhere from $750,000 to $1.2 million, tripling its capacity.
In the south, Coffey said the county will hire officers directly and either contract for shelter space or build its own.
In the rejected offer, the county proposed $6.25 per capita for a south county-only contract covering around 40,000 people. It was the same fee that three other cities gave PAWS, plus annual increases, two vehicles worth $25,000 each, inmate labor, county fuel and ordinance changes cutting the mandatory hold from five days to three days.
Commissioner Paul Mixon said the fallout has reached his office.
“I received a lot of correspondence on this. Not very nice correspondence on this. However, I think it needs to be reminded to fold that PAWS terminated their contract,” he said. “They chose to not move forward in business with us.”
Okaloosa County Public Safety Director Patrick Maddox said the county has also scaled back hiring. He noted that it advertised a chief-level position to run the program but said negotiations with a finalist and another possible partner in the south end changed the math.
“We will likely not have a chief over the division at this time,” he said. “We can always scale up if the situation presents itself.”
Looming over future funding is the proposed “Save Our Homes From Excessive Property Taxes” amendment on the November ballot that could reduce the county’s general fund balance by around $35 million if it passes.
Commissioners approved a bare-bones “animal control light” model in June, and Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel pressed on whether they could ever do more in the future.
“We’re all nervous about every aspect of county government because we’re not going to have the money for services that we currently have, let alone beginning new services,” she said.
Maddox noted that the reason they went ahead with the surtax ask rather than using general fund dollars was the timing of the proposal due to PAWS’ decision.
“We didn’t expect the rug to be pulled out on the contract,” Maddox said.
According to county documents, the Infrastructure Surtax Advisory Committee approved the recommendation at its meeting on July 28.
In a statement to the Crestview News Bulletin, Tracey Kinsley, the executive director of PAWS, said that animal control has always been a public safety function that serves the community and that the responsibility of footing the bill falls on government.
“These are governmental responsibilities and should ultimately be operated and funded by a government entity—not by a small nonprofit organization whose primary mission is animal sheltering and lifesaving,” wrote Kinsley. “PAWS has been significantly underfunded for decades while providing a government public safety service.”
Kinsley also responded to allegations from county officials who said during the meeting that they were caught off guard by the decision.
“Mr. Coffey met with me, and we discussed a few options, however, I never received a proposal like he said. Nothing in writing. He did offer prisoners – but we would have to pick them up and return them at the end of the day, all without supervision,” she said. “We already pay them for our fuel costs at the end of the month, so there was no change there, and he said he “might” have a vehicle he could provide.”
PAWS receives $814,000 per year to provide animal control services, taking in about 1,300 animals each year. According to Kinsley, the organization spends $1 million on intake costs for the animals, which include vaccinations, medical evaluations, food, housing and daily care.
What the figure does not include, according to Kinsley, is “substantial operational expenses,” such as vehicle purchases and maintenance, fuel, insurance, administrative support, equipment and other overhead costs.
Kinsley said the shelter accrues $500,000 in losses each year.
“No nonprofit should be expected to jeopardize its own financial stability to subsidize a governmental service indefinitely,” said Kinsley. “Our mission is to save animals’ lives, provide exceptional shelter care, and serve our community—not to jeopardize the future of the organization by continually funding governmental responsibility.”
Kinsley said that in the end, the decision was never about walking away from the community, but rather making sure PAWS could remain financially solvent and “mission focused” as it continues to provide services for animals.
“While our role in providing Animal Control services for unincorporated Okaloosa County is coming to an end, our commitment to the animals and people of this community is not,” Kinsley said.
“This transition allows us to strengthen our organization, invest more deeply in lifesaving programs, expand the services that directly support our mission, and ensure that PAWS continues to be a trusted resource for our community well into the future.”
