County staff propose short extension to Humane Society contract while successor agreement is negotiated

An unidentified county presenter asked commissioners to approve a two-month extension of the current contract with the Humane Society of Southwest Washington at the existing rate of $9,250 per month while the county negotiates a successor agreement with Longview and other cities. The presenter said Kalama (transcribed as "Calama") backed out of the successor arrangement as of the discussion.

The presenter noted the Humane Society handles not only animal control for the county but also an "open door" flow of animals citizens bring directly to the shelter; the presenter said the shelter had received a large number of cats and kittens in recent months (several hundred) and that those intake numbers affect contract costs. "That was kind of the eye opening for me, the number overall…close to 650 of the animals out of the 945 they brought in were actually cats," the presenter said.

The short extension would maintain status quo through Feb. 28 or until a new agreement is reached, the presenter said. Commissioners asked whether cities were on board with the successor numbers; the presenter said all cities except Kalama were participating in the talks. The board did not record a formal vote in the transcript during this item.