Humane Society for Southwest Washington says costs are up, asks for per animal increase from Clark County

Services provided to Clark County by the Humane Society for Southwest Washington will soon cost more. A lot more.

Humane society leaders presented new proposed rates to the county council during a Sept. 18 work session.

Because Clark County does not have a municipal animal shelter, the Humane Society for Southwest Washington contracts its services to Clark County, Vancouver, Washougal, Camas, Ridgefield, Battle Ground and La Center.

“We’re the central hub for animal welfare. There are a lot of things going on, a lot of things that we do and resources that we provide to the community,” Humane Society President Andrea Bruno said.

Bruno said the current contract rates simply can’t cover the shelter’s growing expenses.

“For the history of the contracts, probably as far back as they go, the Humane Society has subsidized these contracts with donor funding,” Bruno said.

For example, the charge per animal to the county in 2023 was $290 yet the cost of care per animal for the shelter was $672, leaving $382 paid through donor funds.

In prior contracts, the county saw small changes in its rates. In 2020, the per animal rate was $255, going to $260 in 2021 and $275 in 2022, an average increase of 2 percent per year. However, costs to the shelter for the same time period increased by an average of 11 percent per year, according to a Humane Society report.

The new contract proposed by the Humane Society would increase the per animal rate to $493 in 2025, a 70 percent increase from 2023’s rate. The rates will increase another 15 to 20 percent in 2026 and 2027. The 2026 rate would be $560 and the 2027 rate would be $672 per animal.

These rates have already been adopted by Vancouver, Battle Ground, Ridgefield and La Center.

In 2023, the county was billed for 1,874 animals at a cost of $523,160. The Humane Society forecast for 2025 through 2027 is 1,987 animals per year. The total cost would be $927,505 for 2025, $1,052,460 in 2026 and $1,261,340 in 2027.

Humane Society Vice President of Strategic Initiatives Megan Dennis said the organization provides the same services across all jurisdictions, including animal intake and sheltering for strays, protective custody and forensic support during neglect or abuse cases, medical care, vaccinations and spay/neuter services. The Humane Society also provides behavior support, animal husbandry and neutering and release of feral cats, as well as some wildlife services.

“As soon as they come into our system, we’re already planning for their outcome. This allows us to have as short of a length of stay as possible and to use our resources wisely,” Dennis said.

The shelter also coordinates with Clark County Animal Control. When an officer determines that a stray, neglected or aggressive animal needs to be impounded, that animal is taken to the Humane Society.

“We really, in this community, have built a top-tier shelter. This has been the work of volunteers in the community and our partnerships with the jurisdictions to build what is now considered a top tier shelter in the country,” Bruno told the council.

She said the shelter’s goal is to keep pets with their owners, adding that staff proactively work to prevent animals from coming into the shelter in the first place. This is done through education and providing resources and solutions to individuals in need of support.

One new resource is the mobile clinic the Humane Society recently put into service. The organization also plans to open a community clinic in the Hazel Dell area next summer that will provide low-cost veterinary services to income-qualifying individuals.

The new rates certainly came as a surprise to the county council.

“It’s such a huge jump. It’s more than 50 percent,” Chairman Gary Medvigy said. “It’s just the sticker shock.”

Medvigy said it wasn’t a surprise that costs have gone up because costs have gone up everywhere. However, he said he wasn’t expecting such a significant increase. He asked if it would be possible to phase in the increase more slowly over time. He also asked if the agency could look for ways to increase efficiencies to bring costs down.

Dennis said part of the reason for the large gap in rates is due, in part, to the previous contract negotiations.

“During our last contract negotiations, we could not get to a higher rate. This was the rate that was settled on. It was between a $5 and $15 increase, year over year,” she said. “It’s because you guys are already so far behind.”

The council should not expect to negotiate the rates down this time, though. Dennis said the shelter has already made a commitment to the other jurisdictions to charge everyone the same rates.

“It’s such a huge jump from one period to the next. … This is extremely substantial, percentage wise. It’s not gradual at all,” said Councilor Michelle Belkot.

Belkot asked if any of the community services, such as the mobile clinic, were included in the rate calculations. Bruno said they are not, and that only the work related to providing contracted services is included in the per animal costs for care.

Councilor Sue Marshall said the county has also had to face rising costs, so she was sympathetic to the shelter needing to recoup those expenses.

“It would be good to see what percentage of subsidy you still provide from donations because it sounds like not all the costs are included here,” she said.

Staff will review the contract details further before bringing it back to the council for a vote at a future meeting. The date for that meeting has not been set.