Warren County Animal Control and Adoption Center (WCACAC) was looking to use donations and funds from a court judgment to purchase a new truck, but the county Budget and Finance Committee and Financial Management Committee wanted more information before proceeding.
At the county Health and Welfare Committee meeting in January, the committee unanimously voted to appropriate the donations received last year and as of the date of the meeting, approximately $28,000, to purchase a new truck. The committee also unanimously voted to take $14,000 from a court case and use it on the truck purchase. At the joint Budget and Finance Committee and Financial Management Committee meeting this month, members discussed these budget amendments. Finance Department director Justin Cotten explained the request.
“These are leftover donations from prior years and all donations collected as of the date of the last Health and Welfare Committee meeting. This is all donations currently on the books that have not been spent. They asked to allocate all of them to purchase a truck,” said Cotten.
Commissioner Scott Rubley asked if all these funds were designated and cleared as donations for WCACAC. Cotten said they were.
“What do they need another truck for?” asked Commissioner Carl Bouldin.
“They just want another truck,” said County Executive Terry Bell.
Bell said they currently have a van and an old truck.
“I think they want to buy a new truck which is more than the $28,000,” said Cotten.
“That is what they want, a brand new four-wheel drive,” said Bell.
“I would think $28,000 should buy a sufficient truck for Animal Control. That is just my way of thinking,” said Rubley.
Commissioner Christy Ross expressed her concern that nobody was present to explain the request better. She feared people who donated to WCACAC did not mean for their donation to go toward a vehicle purchase.
“I wish someone were here to speak to it so we could understand it better,” said Ross. “I think everyone in here knows how I feel about animals and I want them to have what they need, I am just curious as to the almost $29,000, if the people who donated that intended it to go for a truck.”
“Exactly,” said Rubley.
“I am not saying they don’t need it. I would just like to know the explanation. Maybe the other one is on the last leg. I don’t know. I wish Sherri (Bradley) was here to explain it,” said Ross.
Bouldin made a motion to table the matter for now for Budget and Finance and Rubley made the same motion in Financial Management. The next amendment involved requesting $14,000 from a court judgment to also go toward the truck purchase.
“The origin of this is unusual, but we had an animal cruelty case a few years ago and they got the judgment against the man for animal cruelty. The animals were housed for up to 18 months. The billing of the defendant was to pay for the expenses of those animals while they were in there. They had multiple medical issues,” explained Rubley.
Rubley said this money was already spent, but WCACAC is requesting it again. Cotten explained following the judgment, the check was written by the Circuit Court Clerk payable to WCACAC. This money went into WCACAC’s donation fund. When Cotten noticed the large increase in that account, he called and it was later moved to the General Fund.
“It was a judgment, not a donation,” said Cotten.
The money was a reimbursement for money spent to care for these animals while the case was ongoing. Some commissioners felt this money does not belong to WCACAC.
“I feel like that comes out of taxpayers’ dollars and taxpayers’ dollars paid for that,” said Commissioner Cole Taylor.
“That is easy. I make a motion that this money goes back to the taxpayers in the General Fund,” said Bouldin.
This was a motion to deny the request for the $14,000. Cotten said this would have to come before the full County Commission as well and would have to be denied there too. Ross asked if the original money came out of WCACAC’s budget. Cotten said it did in previous years.
“Her budget comes from the taxpayers,” said Bouldin.
“I get it, I am just trying to figure out how this may have made sense,” said Ross.
County Chief of Staff Jason Hillis chimed in and showed a recent post on the WCACAC Facebook page where they were asking someone to donate kennels to the shelter. He wondered why she would not use the donations on items like this.
“Six days ago there were pictures of kennels that she needs to be donated if someone would be willing to do that. I say that only because why is she not buying these things?” asked Hillis. “She is still asking for things here, but she is sitting on this money.”
“When you make a donation to an animal shelter, you are doing it for something that will benefit animals, not the people who work there,” said Bouldin.
“For the purpose of the people who donated, I feel like this is for food, supplies and kennels and things of that nature,” said Ross.
Both committees unanimously approved the motion to deny the request for $14,000.
