False savings in animal control

By Charles Sowell  

APRIL 19, 2012 11:24 a.m. (3)

Spartanburg County’s decision to break ties with the Humane Society and contract animal care services out to Greenville County has resulted in an exploding population of stray and unwanted animals in the county that could threaten public safety, said Jimmy Smith, a former Spartanburg Humane Society board member, in an open letter to the Spartanburg County Council.

“Many fellow citizens, like myself, are concerned about the negative impact that our county’s new animal policies are having on our already serious stray and unwanted animal population,” Smith wrote. “I am especially disappointed with how County Council Chairman Jeff Horton has portrayed this to the public. Leaving over half of our stray animal population to wander and reproduce freely in our county is not saving money. It threatens public safety. Having our Animal Control officers transport Spartanburg animals to Greenville every day is not an efficient use of taxpayer dollars. Discouraging Good Samaritan rescues by telling citizens who have picked up a potentially lost animal that they will have to arrange a pick-up time with Animal Control does not reunite owners with their lost pet. It results in more lost and stray animals.”

Councilman David Britt said the county faces a potentially serious situation as the summer breeding system gets under way. “But I am confident our administrator, Katherine Hubbard, will come up with a solution to the situation,” he said.

Horton said he couldn’t comment on the contents of the letter and report because he had yet to see it as of the Journal deadline this week. However, he did take issue with one of Smith’s allegations that the county had been paying the Spartanburg Humane Society $42 per stray animal for animal care services and is now paying Greenville County’s Animal Care Services $88 per animal.

“That’s not right,” Horton said. “We’re paying Greenville something like $55 per animal.”

Smith’s data shows that in the years leading up to the termination of the contract between the county and SHS, the county sent more than 16,000 animals a year through the Humane Society’s doors. SHS took in 1,049 animals from Spartanburg animal control in January 2009; 967 in January 2010; and 1,041 in January 2011.

In 2012, Spartanburg shipped 580 animals to Greenville County.

Katie Frescman, director of communications for the Spartanburg Humane Society, said the agency has moved on in the wake of its divorce from Spartanburg County. “We’re concentrating on our contract with the City of Spartanburg and with providing the best animal care services possible to the citizens of Spartanburg County.”

In his letter, Smith said his “intent is to provide details (and) factual information through this letter… which I hope makes future policy discussions more productive. County Council always needs accurate, objective information when discussing, formulating and explaining policies. It is in this spirit that I am writing you. … Although I disagree with Jeff on current animal policy and his views regarding SHS, I do respect him as a council member and understand that being chairman is often difficult.”

Smith said in his letter to the council that he finds it ironic that Horton’s praise of Greenville’s animal services department points to one of the ways that Spartanburg could have dealt with its own animal issues.

“Greenville’s animal services have a budget of over $2 million,” said Paula Gucker, assistant Greenville County administrator in charge of the animal services department. “Roughly half of that comes from fees collected at the (new) animal services building (on Furman Hall Road).”

Instead of following Greenville’s example, Smith said, Spartanburg County leaders have chosen to ignore the problem.

Interviewed before leaving on a European trip, Smith told the Journal that he hopes his letter and documentation will be the basis for a dialogue between the county and the Humane Society that could result in better animal care services and a better use of taxpayer dollars.

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John Kelly  - Spokesperson, SC No-Kill Alliance   |2012-04-20 17:56:31 Where are the stats to support the contention that we have an "exploding" population of stray animals? Are we just suppose to trust that this is so? I have seen no evidence of an exploding population. In truth, Nature adjusts the animal population through illness, accidents,and predators - a sad but absolute fact that does not cost the taxpayer anything. I find it interesting that Spartanburg Humane Society (SHS) continues to dance around the fact that the wonderful "service" they want to offer to the citizens of Spartanburg County is IMPOUND AND KILL! Look at the 2010 stats released by SHS. 90% of all cats taken in were KILLED and 69% of dogs were KILLED! Is this the wonderful "service" SHS wants us to accept from them once more? Thanks, but no thanks. Sending our animals to Greenville has resulted in a savings to taxpayers and a chance at life for our animals. Until SHS is willing to get honest abo... Reply

Melinda H. McMillion   |2012-04-23 15:14:39 This article is ludacris! What Mr. Smith is actually saying is that SHS was OVERCHARGING the County by THOUSANDS of dollars each year. We have found out since SHS's "divorce" from the County that the #'s Sptbg Animal Control officers are taking to Greenville are MUCH less than the #'s reported by SHS AND billed to the County as strays. What Mr. Smith also fails to tell us is that SHS HAD a $2 million dollar annual budget before the divorce THEY instigated, yet they STILL managed to KILL 80% of ALL the animals they warehoused. Reply

abby fowler  - animal control/Sptbg.Co.   |2012-05-17 06:24:29 Thank you Mr. Sowell for your balanced and fair series of articles about the animal control issue in Spartanburg County. Please continue in your investigative reporting of this subject. I'm hoping that Spartanburg County quickly restores that frozen position in Animal Control as a first step toward a solution. Abby Fowler Reply

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