Vicki
Administrator
SPCA says it won't handle animal control in city next year
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 5:42 PM
Updated yesterday at 8:20 PM
NEW ORLEANS – For the first time in more than 60 years, the Louisiana SPCA is taking itself out of the running to handle animal control services for New Orleans.
The SPCA had asked Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s administration for $2.5 million to run animal control for the city. A recent increase from the City Council, in its Dec. 1 budget vote, put the available funding at $1.7 million.
According to the SPCA, the Landrieu administration asked the agency to submit a bid to the city to carry out full animal control services for $1.7 million, saying they were considering another provider.
Instead, on Wednesday, the SPCA board of directors voted not to bid on the contract, saying they can't carry out sufficient services with that level of funding.
The agency’s chief executive says the SPCA has carried out some of its functions through private donor dollars, but cannot continue to absorb the costs of the entire operation.
“We have historically absorbed those costs and we once again can absorb those costs in the short-term,†said Ana Zorrilla, CEO of the Louisiana SPCA. “But the hard costs of animal control: the vaccinations, the veterinary care, the feed, the daily cleaning of every cage, the officers in the field – all of those direct costs have to be covered by the contract.â€
For the past several months, the SPCA has been treating animal emergencies without any city funding.
“We're doing a tremendous amount with very little,†said Zorrilla. “I think that's the harsh reality of our daily operations. We have to be a fiscally responsible agency which means we can only live within the means we have.â€
“We're continuing to care for cruelty cases, bite cases, emergency cases and that's all being done through our private donor dollars because the city ran out of money already,†she said. “So we feel like we're doing a tremendous amount without the resources that really need to be there to deliver these services.â€
A spokesman for Mayor Mitch Landrieu issued the following statement:
“We asked LA/SPCA along with other regional animal control partners to let us know of their interest in providing animal control services for the City, consistent with the City’s $1.7M budget for animal control in 2011. We remain confident that we will be able to execute a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with another animal control provider in the region to secure these critical services for our residents. We are committed to providing good animal control services at a price the City can afford.â€
http://www.wwltv.com/news/local/SPC...l-contract-after-funding-fight-111961839.html
Posted on December 15, 2010 at 5:42 PM
Updated yesterday at 8:20 PM
NEW ORLEANS – For the first time in more than 60 years, the Louisiana SPCA is taking itself out of the running to handle animal control services for New Orleans.
The SPCA had asked Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s administration for $2.5 million to run animal control for the city. A recent increase from the City Council, in its Dec. 1 budget vote, put the available funding at $1.7 million.
According to the SPCA, the Landrieu administration asked the agency to submit a bid to the city to carry out full animal control services for $1.7 million, saying they were considering another provider.
Instead, on Wednesday, the SPCA board of directors voted not to bid on the contract, saying they can't carry out sufficient services with that level of funding.
The agency’s chief executive says the SPCA has carried out some of its functions through private donor dollars, but cannot continue to absorb the costs of the entire operation.
“We have historically absorbed those costs and we once again can absorb those costs in the short-term,†said Ana Zorrilla, CEO of the Louisiana SPCA. “But the hard costs of animal control: the vaccinations, the veterinary care, the feed, the daily cleaning of every cage, the officers in the field – all of those direct costs have to be covered by the contract.â€
For the past several months, the SPCA has been treating animal emergencies without any city funding.
“We're doing a tremendous amount with very little,†said Zorrilla. “I think that's the harsh reality of our daily operations. We have to be a fiscally responsible agency which means we can only live within the means we have.â€
“We're continuing to care for cruelty cases, bite cases, emergency cases and that's all being done through our private donor dollars because the city ran out of money already,†she said. “So we feel like we're doing a tremendous amount without the resources that really need to be there to deliver these services.â€
A spokesman for Mayor Mitch Landrieu issued the following statement:
“We asked LA/SPCA along with other regional animal control partners to let us know of their interest in providing animal control services for the City, consistent with the City’s $1.7M budget for animal control in 2011. We remain confident that we will be able to execute a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with another animal control provider in the region to secure these critical services for our residents. We are committed to providing good animal control services at a price the City can afford.â€
http://www.wwltv.com/news/local/SPC...l-contract-after-funding-fight-111961839.html