Animal shelter to apply for 501(c)(3)
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By BETH ZUMWALT
The oversight committee for the Pike County Animal Shelter is considering creating a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization for donations and memorials dedicated to the animal shelter.
Jeanne Hoover, oversight committee chairman, attended last week’s ag committee meeting of the Pike County Board, with a list of questions she says she gets asked regularly and doesn’t know the correct answer.
The ag committee, consisting of Joe Cobb, Mark Mountain, Mark Sprague and county board chairman, Andy Borrowman, were all in attendance.
“Into what fund or funds are memorials and donations placed that designate the animal shelter or a shelter sponsored program?” was Hoover’s first question to the county board members.”How are distributions of the donated money or memorials monitored, and is there a record kept, showing that all money from a memorial or donations is spent on what the donor specified?”
Heather Hayden, assistant animal warden, said it is the shelter’s preference that donations not be specified, but was adamant all money was spent on animals, the trap-neuter-release program, food, veterinarian costs or other needs.
None of the ag committee members knew if there was subcategories, but Andy Borrowman did say there was line item for donations
Hoover said the group was looking into creating a 501(c)(3) so they could apply for grants and other advantages of not being a government organization.
The committee agreed and said that Walker Filbert, state’s attorney, could advise them on getting the ground work started.
The committee heard from animal control staff that the shelter has collected $20,900 in adoption fees so far this fiscal year.
Also discussed was raising the tax fee to $20 on spayed and neutered dogs. Spayed or neutered dogs would remain $10.
The rural areas are where a lot of our problems come from,” Hayden told the committee. “It’s un-spayed or not neutered animals in the rural areas traveling from farm to farm. A spay/neuter is $110. I know it’s not a big savings financially to do it, but, for the health of the animals and community, it needs to be done.”
Andy Borrowman said the idea has been brought up to the county board before and there was some backlash from the board members.
He indicated he might try it again, saying the board is cautious about introducing any new fees.
But the committee also addressed the idea of having ATV vehicles in rural areas, undergo inspections to make sure they are road safe- headlights, settles, insurance, etc. If such an inspection requirement is passed, the county would most-likely add a $10 fee for the inspection and the sticker that shows the vehicle has been inspected, so new fees are being considered.
