Erath County Humane Society receives funding
September 14, 2017
At the City Council meeting September 5, the Council voted to extend the Erath County Humane Society’s current lease for six months. The lease had been set to expire on September 20. The city also voted to increase funding by $9,500 and will evaluate additional funding in six months. This amount was only half of what the ECHS had requested for this fiscal year.
For the past 15 years, city funding has been set at $17,000 per year, despite the ever-increasing numbers of animal intakes due to city and county population growth.
“We are getting a new shelter and the money we were asking for,” Matt Harpole, president of the ECHS board of directors told the Stephenville Empire Tribune. “The board is excited with the opportunity the city is giving us. This will allow us to handle growth for the next 20 years.”
Further great news for the shelter animals is that, after nine months of negotiations, the city and ECHS reached a new agreement for the future management and funding of the shelter. The new agreement means increased city funding to $36,000 per year, but more importantly, it means a new location and facility for the shelter!
Approval of the new agreement is pending a vote by the ECHS Board, however ECHS staff and board members are very optimistic.
