City officials are reevaluating the city's handling of stray dogs.
Police Chief Ryan Walker said exponential growth of the number of stray dogs and animal calls within the city prompted him to rewrite the contract governing animal control services.
"We've grown and we need to make sure our policies and procedures are growing with us. We now have an excessive number of dogs at large," Walker said. "We want to provide care for the animals while properly utilizing taxpayers' money."
"The problem has been the city contract," Walker said. "We could have done better. We have received nothing but excellent service from Dr. (Gary) France and his office. Legally, his hands were tied."
The city has contracted with Pea Ridge Veterinary Clinic for about 30 years to receive and house stray dogs, according to Mayor Jackie Crabtree, who has been in office for 21 years.
Walker wrote a bid specification sheet seeking bids for providing animal control services; city officials placed a legal ad in The TIMES that ran May 27 announcing that the city was taking bids. One bid packet was picked up, according to Mayor Jackie Crabtree, but none were returned to the city.
"No one submitted bids," Walker said Monday, when bids were to be opened. Walker said he and the mayor have met with members of the Humane Society of the Ozarks and Spay Arkansas.
"Dr. France has done an extraordinary job; there's no telling how many thousands of dollars he's saved us for what he's done on his own time," the mayor said. "His service to our community is certainly appreciated."
"I'm coming into this brand new. I just want to come in and do it as fairly for the taxpayers and everybody. My thought was to put it out at bid. It seems more official that way," he said.
The Police Department budgeted $6,000 last year for animal control. Walker said that to have a humane society on retainer would be a minimum of $12,000, not including the per animal charge.
"I think we have two very well experienced and well respected veterinary offices locally and our first priority would be to utilize them. Now it's time for us to reevaluate what we need to do," he said.
The issue was on the agenda for the regular City Council meeting set for Tuesday night.
General News on 06/17/2015