Borough, Wasilla reach stalemate over animal control funds

WASILLA -- The Mat-Su Borough has lowered its asking price on animal control, but not low enough for Wasilla to bite.

Following unsuccessful contract negotiations between the borough and city last week, it was unclear how Wasilla would deal with its stray, nuisance and vicious animals when its agreement with the borough expires July 1. In a special meeting Thursday, Mat-Su Borough Manager John Duffy presented the city with a new contract proposal that cut Wasilla's cost in half from $150,000 per year to $70,000.

For that amount, borough animal control officers would continue to patrol and respond to calls in the city, and animals picked up in Wasilla would be taken to the Mat-Su Borough Animal Care and Regulation Shelter, where they would be returned to owners, adopted out or euthanized and cremated. The city would not get a full-time officer dedicated only to Wasilla, as was offered in the $150,000 contract.

But Wasilla City Council members said this is exactly what they were being promised for $26,000 a year, and they continued to question if they have ever gotten their money's worth.

"I won't spend one dime more than $26,000," Councilwoman Diana Straub said. She and others on the council said the city wouldn't consider a different contract until the borough has implemented some of the changes it has promised, including a software upgrade so more accurate data is available. For now, the council was opposed to spending $70,000.

Borough officials, however, say the new offer is a fair one that would have Wasilla residents paying closer to what everyone else in the borough pays. The number is based on the .172 mill rate other borough residents pay for animal control service each year. This rate, multiplied by the city's assessed property value of more than $400 million, comes up to about $70,000.

According to the borough, even then Wasilla residents would pay $11 per year for animal control compared to the nearly $19 other borough residents pay.

Borough Emergency Services Deputy Director Dennis Brodigan pointed out that in the past decade, animal control's annual budget has gone up more than 350 percent, while the city's annual fee has increased by just 8 percent.

"There's a disparity," Brodigan said, adding that Wasilla residents have not been paying for the level of service they have enjoyed.

"I'd beg to differ with you," Straub said in response. "I don't exactly see this as a service we're enjoying." She outlined a specific case of a neighbor whose dogs were confiscated. She said the lack of proper response in that situation and the borough's failure to report the case in its statistics are examples of why the city is not satisfied with animal control.

During recent meetings, the council has heard from a number of people, including former animal control employees and borough residents, who say Wasilla should not renew its contract because of what they describe as animal control's poor service.

Borough officials admit animal control has been understaffed, mismanaged and slow in response time in the past. However, they contend these problems are being addressed. Animal control is conducting polls of customers to evaluate their level of satisfaction and is in the process of setting up performance standards for the organization and employees.

In addition, Brodigan said if the Mat-Su Borough Assembly approves the proposed budget, animal control will get additional staff and will be able to purchase $20,000 worth of software that will provide the kind of information Wasilla wants regarding the number of incidents in city limits. But it could be six months or more before the system is up and running.

Even without hard data to back up the claim, however, Brodigan argued that the city has benefited from animal control over the years. He said the fact that the city's phones are not ringing off the hook with calls about animal problems is evidence of that.

If that's true, the city's phones could start ringing July 1 when the current contract expires. The council has said it won't spend more than $26,000 and, after the meeting, Duffy said while the borough is willing to negotiate further, $26,000 is out of the question. With the stalemate, the future of animal control in Wasilla is up in the air.

The mayor has already said she is not interested in following the lead of Palmer, which uses its police officers to handle animal problems. Instead, the Wasilla council and mayor have said they could team up with Palmer and Houston to develop their own animal control program, or the city could contract out the work to a private business. Keller said after the meeting that she would be further discussing the issue with her administrative staff and the council.