06022015 - News Article - Porter County city and towns asked to pay more for the dog catcher

Porter County city and towns asked to pay more for the dog catcher
NWI Times
June 02, 2015
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/porter-county-city-and-towns-asked-to-pay-more-for/article_18cf0a3e-4531-5c24-9bc6-62a9a7745640.html
VALPARAISO | The city of Valparaiso is facing an increase of more than 200 percent in its annual fee for animal control services provided by the county.

The proposed increase from $20,150 to $63,200 is part of an effort by the Porter County Board of Commissioners to address ongoing collection and contract problems with the service, according to County Attorney Elizabeth Knight.

The municipal contracts, which are voluntary and provided by the county on an elective basis, have not been updated since 2010, Knight said. Most of the proceeds went uncollected between 2012 and 2014, she said.

As a result of the county Sheriff's Department taking over the animal control services from the shelter in 2011, an evaluation was done to determine what each municipality should be paying based on historical use, she said.

Jeff Biggs, who serves as chief deputy at the Sheriff's Department, said five years of service calls were evaluated and calculated against the department's $200,000 annual operating cost for animal control that covers three officers, overtime and three vehicles.

Other municipalities facing an increase include Beverly Shores ($558 to $1,600), Burns Harbor ($682 to $1,600), Hebron ($2,015 to $5,600), Kouts ($1,550 to $1,600), Pines ($1,209 to $2,400) and Porter ($4,371 to $11,520), according to Biggs.

Chesterton's rate went down from $6,076 to $3,120.

Biggs said Chesterton stood out as having paid the fee during the years when others did not.

Knight said the proposed contracts are being sent to each participating municipality. The city of Portage is not included because it has its own animal control services and relies on the Humane Society of Hobart rather than the county animal shelter.

Participating municipalities have until Aug. 1 to decide whether to enter into an annual agreement, Knight said. Half of all proceeds collected will be directed to the Sheriff's Department and half to the animal shelter, she said.