Humane society/county relationship on the rocks

A letter was sent afterward to humane society director Randah Hutchinson by Logan County Attorney Joe Ross saying, “At the May 9th meeting of the Logan County Fiscal Court, the court decided to move forward with handling all animal control responsibilities for the county with a designated employee within the Logan County government, and therefore cease all of those duties set out in the current contract with your board, effective July 1, 2023.

“The end of the animal control contract will also effectively end the Logan County Humane Society‘s occupation of the facility on Morgantown Road, also effective July 1, 2023, as that building will be used as the base of operations for the future animal control position.

“The fiscal court is interested in continuing to work with the Logan County Humane Society board throughout the remainder of the current contract and looks forward to exploring a continuing relationship between the two entities in months and years ahead. Mr. Jason Harper, as the county’s designee on the Logan County Humane Society board, will be the primary contact to assist with a transition on a day-to-day basis, along with myself and Judge Phil Baker.

“Let this letter serve as a formal notice of Logan County Fiscal Court’s intent to terminate the animal control contract and any landlord-tenant relationship for the facility located at 1230 Morgantown Rd., Russellville, Ky., effective 7-1-2023.”

Confusion ensued after receiving the letter, according to Hutchenson and the humane society employees at a humane society board meeting held Monday, May 22. None at the meeting understood what was going on or why the county made this decision.

A day after the humane society board meeting on Tuesday, May 23rd, the fiscal court met again at its regularly scheduled meeting. Magistrate Harper asked his fellow court members then if they would allow him to work with the humane society on coming up with a plan for the future where the society could continue to occupy the building, along with animal control. Magistrates agreed and turned it over to Harper.

“I would like to see a future where animal control and the humane society work smoothly inside the same building together, and that the court would reconsider negotiating the contract if that happens. I would like to see limited funding going to the humane society to do adoptions and rescues because the county is not in the business to find homes for animals. By Kentucky Revised Statute, the county is only responsible for animal control, and we have felt like over the past four and a half years, animal control hasn’t been adequately handled.”

The county contributes $10,000 a month to the human society to run the day-to-day operations at the shelter which has included animal control.

According to Harper, the initial decision, which he voted for, to cut ties with the humane society operating the shelter, came weeks ago when the judge-executive, magistrates, and county attorney all began receiving multiple complaints anywhere from stray dogs to brutal bite cases that could open the county up to lawsuits, as well as impact the humane society.

“It is my job as a magistrate to ultimately protect the county and the taxpayers,” said Harper. “However, I do care about the stray animals in the community as well, and as a fiscal court representative on the board of the humane society, I want to do what I can to benefit everyone involved.”