Time will tell if Wasilla made best decision

Frontiersman editorial board

After months of wrangling over the cost of animal control, Wasilla has decided to part ways with the Mat-Su Borough and to sign a contract with the City of Houston to provide Wasilla's animal control services.

In May, as the budget cycle loomed, the borough told Wasilla it would be raising its animal control fee from $26,000 to $150,000, and the city council balked at the idea. The borough claimed that its animal control costs had increased by 300 percent in recent years while Wasilla's fee had only increased by 8 percent. Wasilla asked for data that supported the dramatic increase, and the borough said it couldn't provide such data until a new computer program was in place. The borough later countered with a $70,000 deal, based on a per-resident mill levy of animal care costs, but Wasilla still wouldn't budge.

The new deal with Houston seems to solve Wasilla's problem at no cost increase, but there are many variables that haven't been tested yet. Houston has said it will offer immediate response to emergency calls, and a four hour response to other calls, but those response times have yet to be tested. It is unclear whether people in Wasilla even know what numbers to call for animal control concerns at this time.

The borough's initial deal would have included a full-time animal control officer to patrol Wasilla. The current deal offers no such patrolling, so only problems that are reported will be dealt with. Houston also has said it will track its responses and provide a report to Wasilla that shows the number of calls answered and the cost of each call. One has to wonder how Wasilla will track how many calls did not receive a response or a satisfactory resolution.

With little public input, and apparently little research, Wasilla has made a significant change in a critical service. There may be hidden costs that haven't been considered yet. Where will the city house captured animals, how many captured animals is Wasilla prepared to deal with, and what will the cost be? Has the city made arrangements for animals other than dogs and cats, and how will the city follow up once a problem has been identified?

When animals must be destroyed, how will that be handled, and will that cost be included in the deal with Houston, or will it be an additional cost?

What does the City of Houston consider an emergency, and who will make that determination?

This may be a good deal for Wasilla, but it will require close scrutiny over the next several months. Sometimes a good deal brings hidden problems that outweigh all the benefits.