MONROE COUNTY, Tenn. — Monroe County leaders did not approve an agreement to fund a new animal shelter Wednesday night, according to the Monroe County Friends of Animals.
They said a move to split the direct operations costs in half between the Monroe County Board of Commissioners and the MCFA failed in a 5-5 vote. Under the agreement, MCFA would have paid the additional costs of a new shelter and split the operating costs with the county.
The organization warned that the county's existing shelter is meant to be temporary. It was a former vet clinic, according to officials, and the building was not designed to accommodate a full animal shelter. They said its HVAC and septic systems are failing and dogs are housed outside in small kennels.
County funds currently pay for staff salaries, rent and utilities, according to a release from MCFA. The group then pays for the animals' food, medicine and medical treatment. They also secured a grant worth more than $150,000 to pay for repairs at the shelter, according to officials.
“We were in dire need of a shelter when we partnered with the county to open the shelter nearly 20 years ago,” said Jim Barrett, the MCFA president. “At the time, the county didn’t have a shelter and we literally had thousands of homeless animals out on the streets."
Officials said the group has land for a new shelter and raised a portion of the needed funds to build it. The group has also hired an executive director and completed some design work for the building.