Troy opts to contract out animal control to county

The City of Troy will join Libby and Eureka in contracting out animal control to Lincoln County starting in October, a new arrangement that the city council approved during this past Wednesday’s meeting.

“I think it’s going to save us money in the long run,” mayor Jim Hammons said.

The county recommended the change after volunteer-run Kootenai Pets for Life moved from Troy to Libby, leaving the city without an animal shelter.

The county entered into an agreement with KPFL in late May to contract out the housing, medical needs and adoption of all county animals, with exception to those that are deemed vicious or must be quarantined.

If Troy continued managing its own animal control needs, the city would have to either transport the animals to Libby and pay KPFL for its services, or establish and run its own animal shelter.    

With the new agreement, councilmember Larry Coryell said, “We can get rid of a holding facility and get rid of a vehicle.”

The county has in the past paid Troy to cover a two-mile radius outside the city, but Troy will now pay the county a $300 monthly fee to manage animal control within the city.

Councilmember Laura Schrader voted for the measure Wednesday, but had reservations about how coverage would be affected. She wants the county to commit to a certain number of hours, which she said would allow flexibility for an animal control officer to patrol at different times and days each week.

Kathi Hooper, director of county environmental health, which oversees animal control, said in an interview that county animal control already responds one to four times per week to the Troy area that is outside the city’s jurisdiction. In addition, one of the county’s three animal control officers resides in Troy. Eureka and Troy each have a part-time officer, and Libby has a full-time officer.

“Our assistant animal control officer actually lives in Troy,” Hooper said, “so we’re going to put a spare animal control vehicle in Troy so she’ll be able to patrol frequently.”

An attendee asked the council at Wednesday’s meeting what plans the city has for the old shelter that KPFL vacated. Hammons responded that it would most likely be torn down.

In other city news:

• In a 3-1 vote, the council approved the final 2009-10 budget. Schrader, Don Banning and Larry Baker voted aye. Coryell voted nay. The budget grants the five non-union full-time city workers an approximate 3-4 percent raise, retroactive to the beginning of the fiscal year, according to city clerk Sandra Johnson. The remaining six full-time city workers have already received their raises this fiscal year through a union contract, Johnson said.

• Judge John Duehr will retire in January after 20 years as city judge.

• The council unanimously approved a business license for A.W. Phillipy of Eureka, who owns Eureka Vacuum Sales.