SPCA opens new clinic, still at odds with area localities

As the Augusta Regional SPCA celebrated the official opening of a new low-cost spay and neuter clinic Tuesday, the dark cloud of contract negotiations with area localities still loomed.

At the event, the agency’s director and board members talked excitedly about efforts to reduce the overpopulation of unwanted animals in the region.

So far the clinic has spayed or neutered about 60 animals at prices significantly less than those charged by area veterinarians, said Debbie Caywood, agency director.

“Getting more animals spayed and neutered means less have to be euthanized,” said Jane White, a board member. “That’s our big goal here.”

But as they offered tours of the $800,000 facility, SPCA officials spoke less enthusiastically about their inability to reach an agreement with Waynesboro, Staunton and Augusta County on terms of a contract for animal control services.

“We’re the only ones doing anything proactive to slow the growth of stray animals through our clinic,” said board president John Rorrer.

Rorrer said he hopes a compromise can be reached, but he noted the subject has become “very contentious.”

“There appears to be animosity on both sides,” he said. “I hope that by the end of the month we can have an agreement, even if only preliminary. It doesn’t have to be for 10 years.”

The localities’ current contract with the SPCA for state-mandated animal control services expires July 1.

Though she attended the clinic ribbon-cutting ceremony to show support for the SPCA’s efforts to control animal overpopulation, Staunton Councilwoman Andrea Oakes said the city is “looking at all available options” for fulfilling code requirements for animal control.

Waynesboro City Manager Mike Hamp said he remained hopeful an agreement could be reached. But he also noted that the city is exploring other options.

In April, Augusta went so far as to commission a preliminary architect’s plan for the construction of an animal shelter. County supervisors were told that it would cost $726,875 to $875,250 to renovate a mostly empty warehouse and vehicle maintenance facility at the Augusta County Government Center.

Then negotiations appeared settled in late April with the proposal from the three governments to offer $300,000 per year for three years, with an escalation clause based on the consumer price index for the remaining seven years.

But two weeks ago, the SPCA board surprised county and city officials by rejecting that offer and voting instead to forward contracts starting the localities collective annual payments at $350,000.

Rorrer said a few board members thought the $300,000 figure was “a good idea” and discussed it with the Augusta County Board of Supervisors but that no official offer was ever made to the localities.

“I thought we made it perfectly clear that the Board of Supervisors had to approve it, the cities had to approve it, our board had to approve it, and our four attorneys needed to agree to it,” he said.

The localities created a task force to find a new funding formula before the 2012 fiscal year after increasing their payments to the SPCA by 15 percent last year. The animal shelter had asked for a much greater increase.