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City of Yuma outsources pet licensing to Texas
HSOY Executive Director Shawn Smith addresses City's recent changes to pet licensing program.
Note: The Yuma Sun is holding a candidate forum at 6:30 p.m. today at Booth Machinery, 6565 E. 30th St., featuring the five candidates vying for three open seats on the city council. The event is open to the public and free of charge. We encourage everyone who has concerns and/or questions in regards tothe City's outsourcing of its pet licensing program and plans to provide animal control services to attend.
Hello everyone,
I hope all of you are enjoying your summer and finding a little time to relax. This week seems to be especially hot so make sure you and your pets are keeping cool.
I'm sure most of you are aware of the challenging time we had working with the City of Yuma to renew the animal control contract. Unfortunately, the City made this process very difficult, and it created an atmosphere of uncertainty which made many of our supporters question the future role of the Humane Society in our community. For now, we've agreed to a six month contract for the same services we provided last year. The issue is always the cost of animal control service, and the City has become proficient at reinventing the wheel. The thought is, the Humane Society charges too much money for animal control services and, the City can provide the service far cheaper then they pay us. Or, they can find someone to provide the service at a greatly reduced cost. Well, I've tried to let them in on our little secret, but they don't want to listen; there is no money to be made in animal control. If there were, private sector animal control services would start up here and around the county to compete for these dollars.
The animal control contract has many issues we could debate, but for the sake of this letter, I want to discuss the City's decision to outsource pet licensing to an Irving Texas company. Prior to this year, Yuma County was the authority for all dog licensing in our community. This year, the City wanted to create their own dog and cat licensing program in order to receive the revenues from the program. This was not a course of action we advised they take, but they moved forward with their decision to establish their own licensing program. Although this was not the ideal course of action, the City decided to make a poor decision worse by removing the licensing program from the Humane Society and outsourcing this service to Texas. Wow! The City is going to export tax dollars to another state? Yes! That's exactly what they did.
If times are so tough in the City of Yuma, and the economy is as bad as it seems, and it is, why would the City contract with a company in Texas to provide the licensing service for the pet owners in the City of Yuma Arizona? For every license issued, $3 to $4 goes to a company in Texas. I guess our city administrator, along with the mayor and council felt the economic need in Irving Texas is greater than the economic need here in Yuma.
From 2002 to 2007, the annual revenue from dog licensing in Yuma County was approximately $73,000. Through the efforts of the Humane Society, with our very successful advertising campaign, we've increased licensing revenues from the $73,000 to nearly $250,000 in 2011. From 2008 until 2011, we have steadily and impressively built the dog licensing program to where it is today. These efforts have proved beneficial for taxpayers, since the County animal control contract was reduced by nearly $100,000 for the 2011/2012.
The Humane Society built a highly successful rabies licensing program, with absolute proof of its success. What logic did the City use to justify their appalling decision to outsource rabies licensing to a Texas company? We did a great job here in Yuma, yet the City is exporting tax dollars! This is deplorable, inexcusable, and should not be tolerated! If you live in the City, write and call the mayor and council and demand an explanation! During all of the city council meetings addressing this issue, City Administrator Greg Wilkinson stated he intended on outsourcing licensing. If the mayor and council fell asleep at the wheel and missed that detail in their meeting, we might want to consider a more astute group of individuals to lead our city.
Please, we cannot afford to export tax dollars in today's ailing economy. We need every tax dollar to stay here in Yuma to meet the needs of our community...not the needs of Texas. Let's all take the appropriate action and make our voices heard.
Again, enjoy your summer and keep your pets safe. If you see an animal in distress, whether you're in the City or County, call us at (928) 782-1621 ext. 106 immediately so we can rescue those in need.
Thank you again for all of your support,
Shawn
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