The McDonough County Board has renewed its agreement to provide insurance, utilities and general support for the new million-dollar Humane Society animal shelter building, planned adjacent to the current aging facility on East Tower Road, Macomb.
Member Ken Durkin (D-Macomb), who introduced the bill, said the agreement is the same the county has previously held with the Humane Society of McDonough County (HSMC), only carried over to the new building.
The current shelter, in operation since the 1980s, will be shuttered after years of maintenance and space issues. The new facility will be three times larger with modern H-VAC and animal care amenities, including free-range play areas. At least $950,000 had been raised as of last month, with fundraising continuing, TriStates Public Radio reported.
The county’s support, most critically, comes with providing insurance and paying utilities for the facility.
Member Mike Cox (R-Macomb) questioned if the new, modern building would mean an expensive hike in rates charged to the county. He said that liability for the building, even as it too, ages, is likely to be much higher than it currently is.
While the new rate won’t be known until the facility exists, member Clayton Cook (R-Good Hope) said the new building likely projects a much lower cost for the maintenance bills the county has been paying at the current shelter over the years.
It was also noted in discussion that the new building will be much more power-efficient, as well.
“Those savings will likely offset the increased cost of insurance,” Cook said.
Durkin indicated that if the county doesn’t move its continued support to the new facility, there likely would no longer be a shelter at all.
“That (current) building is terrible,” he said. “Eventually, if you don’t go this route, that shelter is about to shut down.” He added that seeing what he’s seen, he fears the current facility could be close to code violations.
Durkin said the new facility won’t be built to take on more animals than the current shelter does, or require more workers – it’s just a vital update to the current mission size of the Humane Society.
As with the previous agreement, McDonough County will own the facility and lease it to HSMC to conduct its operations. There will be no changes in those plans.
There is a memorial fund at the bequest of Richard Yeast that the McDonough County Board spends $59,378 on cages, kennels and cabinetry at the new facility.
The agreement passed unanimously.
