J.B. Ogle Animal Shelter board disbands

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April 9, 2012

J.B. Ogle Animal Shelter board disbands

Mayor wants shelter director to control funding, vouchers instead of advisory board

By DAVID A. MANN david.mann@newsandtribune.com The News and Tribune Mon Apr 09, 2012, 02:52 AM EDT

JEFFERSONVILLE — Members of the J.B. Ogle Animal Shelter’s Advisory Board resigned earlier this week, following a dispute about the city’s spay and neuter voucher program.

Board members have long been in charge of distributing vouchers to county residents seeking financial assistance paying to spay and neuter their pets. However, because the voucher program is paid for via a city non-reverting fund, Mayor Mike Moore has opted to put a city employee — shelter director Sarah Green — in charge of the voucher distribution.

“Those funds have to be controlled by the animal shelter director, not a private board,” Moore said in an interview Thursday.

The board only handed out vouchers, never money, said Margaret Morton, former board chairperson. Money from the fund was only handled by the city, via claims approved by the Jeffersonville City Council.

“The committee never handled funds,” Morton said.

“They don’t want us to have any part of it,” said Barbara Wilson, a former board member and former city council person.

The dispute, which also included disagreements about the application process for the vouchers, came to a head at a meeting of the Jeffersonville City Council last week. Board members spoke out against the administration and then submitted their resignations.

“I appreciate the time and hard work that the board did for Clark County,” Moore said. “Their answer was ‘it’s been done that way forever.’ [But] we have to follow the rule of law.”

KEEPING THE PROGRAM

The spay and neuter program is available to all county residents seeking financial aid for the procedure. Despite the recent controversy, Green said she wants to both keep the program and continue to expand it.

“There’s no way this is going away,” she said.

In the past, those seeking vouchers applied, had their application reviewed by the advisory board members, then got a phone call to come pick up a voucher later.

“I want to just go ahead and give it to them,” said Green, adding that they would have to prove they lived in Clark County. “I don’t understand the necessity of having an application process.” Green worried people would not make return trips to the shelter to apply for and then pick up vouchers after a waiting period.

Further, the board had a restriction that only allowed a household to have two vouchers per year. Green said she wants to do away with that restriction as well, because families often have more than two pets.

PAYING FOR IT

Green explained that someone using the program takes their voucher to a participating veterinarian, who in turn performs the procedure and sends the voucher back to the city. When the city receives the voucher, it sends the veterinarian the money to cover costs.

The money to pay those veterinary bills comes from a non-reverting fund established specifically for that purpose. Much of the money in that fund comes from fundraising efforts — an annual golf scramble, a car show and a downtown parking lot rented out for Thunder Over Louisville — spearheaded by the advisory board.

“We made at least $30,000 per year,” Morton said.

Aside from collecting money via those fundraising efforts, she said the board never touched a dollar of the city’s money.

“It was working fine. Leave it alone,” she said.

“I’m thoroughly upset with it,” said Garland Oakes III, another former board member. “This was so successful. [Former shelter director] Harry Wilder helped us out. He was there whenever we needed him.”

Wilson points out that every penny was accounted for during audits. Oakes points out the same system has worked under several different mayoral administrations including those of Dale Orem, Buddy Parker, Rob Waiz and Tom Galligan.

The board was established in a 1991 interlocal agreement between Jeffersonville and other local governments. The agreement, which also defined funding for the animal shelter, gives Jeffersonville, Clarksville, Charlestown and Clark County government a board appointment. The length of those appointments isn’t defined, but the funding aspect of that agreement doesn’t go past 1999. Morton has been on the board since its creation.

MAKING CHANGES

Green said revenue from shelter adoption fees was also going into the non-reverting fund.

“It seemed a little inappropriate to me it wasn’t under city control,” she said.

At this point, city officials are reviewing ordinances and determining what portion of those funds will be going into the voucher program in the future, as Green said the shelter’s general budget also needs a revenue stream.

Green said she still plans to keep the fundraisers including the June golf scramble. Further, she plans to seek grants and charity appropriations to continue funding the spay/neuter program.