Fundraising & MOUs
In 2017, McDonough County and the Humane Society of McDonough County (HSMC) each received a directed estate bequest of $59,378, for a total of $118,755, from Richard Yeast of St. Charles MO. The money was to be used for capital improvements at the current McDonough County Animal Shelter or for a new shelter. The County Board and the HSMC worked together to draft a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that documented the agreement to ensure a continued working partnership related to efforts to build and utilize a new shelter.
Through the MOU, the HSMC was the responsible party for all fundraising for construction of a new shelter as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization so that all donations could be tax deductible, while the County Board would continue to have administrative oversight. Shelter staff, the County Board and Humane Society representatives then developed plans for a new shelter to house the same number of cats and dogs as the current shelter, while addressing the deficits of the current shelter. These included the need for cat rooms; dog kennels with outdoor runs; isolation areas for quarantine and control of disease spread; a utility room; adequate office space, storage and parking; a vet/exam space; attached drop-off kennels; a meet-and-greet room; and an all-purpose room for meetings, training and education.
Working together, the entities involved agreed these were components needed for an efficient and effective infrastructure that will provide a safe and healthy environment for the animals, public, staff, and volunteers.
In 2025, under the County Board leadership of Ken Durkin, chair of the County Board's Human Resources and Planning Committee and Chair Eric Blakeley, a new approved MOU was drafted between the County Board and HSMC. In it, HSMC will own the shelter and will lease it to the county for 99 years, with all administrative expenses for running the shelter continuing to be paid by the county. Through an updated intergovernmental agreement between the City of Macomb and the county, the city contributes 50 percent of the operational dollars necessary to pay for two full-time shelter employees (plus benefits), two part-time employees and veterinary costs for the shelter's animals. All fees collected from the county's mandated registration program, approximately $90,000-$100,000 annually, go directly to shelter operations.
