Animal pound operators to seek more money from LV council

Monday, Oct. 14, 2002 | 11:04 a.m.

The Animal Foundation of Nevada, facing a growing deficit for operating the city pound, is going to the Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday to ask for $90,600 worth of increases in the city's funding of the organization's Lied Animal Shelter.

It marks the first cost-of-living increase the organization has requested in its seven-year history as the city's contracted animal shelter operator.

And while the animal rights industry locally often can be a dog-eat-dog world, the foundation's chief rival and critic, the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, is supporting the additional funding, saying "the money is needed."

"This amount will help us better care for the animals, but it will not come close to resolving the deficit," said Animal Foundation spokesman Mark Fierro, who will make the presentation to the City Council. "What this additional money will do is maybe save a few more animals' lives."

Fierro said the foundation funds its $1.5 million annual operating budget with $441,000 a year from the city, animal licensing fees it collects and private donations.

"When a badly injured or sick animal comes in, a judgment has to be made (on life or death), and that judgment must be made based on what is in the budget," Fierro said.

The foundation is asking for:

* A one-time 10 percent adjustment of $44,100 for July 1, 2001, to June 30, 2002;

* A retroactive raise in monthly fees to $40,625 from $36,750;

* Annual cost-of-living allowances of 3 percent to 7 percent through 2005 based on the consumer price index.

The Animal Foundation, which has bid for the Clark County and North Las Vegas pound contracts currently held by the Dewey Animal Shelter, has been accused by rival animal groups of violating a policy against killing healthy and friendly animals, which the foundation denies.

Doug Duke, director of the Nevada SPCA and a former Animal Foundation employee -- and one of the foundation's strongest critics -- says the additional money from the city will help the foundation in its humanitarian efforts.

"I am not opposed to the foundation getting this money, and I cannot imagine any (animal rights) group that would be," Duke said. "It will help the foundation do a better job of saving healthy and friendly animals."

Duke, whose organization is aligned with the operators of Dewey and has offices on its grounds, said he opposes the Animal Foundation getting a regional pound contract, because he believes the foundation does not deserve it.

Duke, the SPCA and Dewey were among the parties sued by the foundation, which claims it was defamed during its efforts to compete for the county contract. The nonprofit foundation is chaired by Janie Greenspun Gale, a member of the Greenspun family, which owns the Las Vegas Sun

The reason for the city pound's shortfall dates back to the signing in 1995 of the 10-year contract, which was based on records that the city sheltered 8,000 animals a year. In the first year of the contract the Animal Foundation housed, fed and cared for 18,000 animals. It now impounds about 21,000 dogs and cats each year for the same amount of taxpayer money it got in the mid-1990s, officials said.

Fierro said none of the additional city money would be used to build a regional shelter. The county plans to make a decision on a potential new regional pound for 2005 by the end of the year.