Animal Shelter Continues To Face Financial Crunch

The Toccoa-Stephens County Humane Shelter continues to deal with financial challenges.

Monday, the Shelter Board met and discussed the current financial picture.

Currently, Shelter Director Jeff Roberts said that financial picture includes a budget deficit of $22,964.

Projected over a whole year, Roberts said that if nothing changes, the deficit could end up in the $60,000 range.

Three of the main areas where the shelter is over budget are labor costs, food costs, and medicine.

Roberts said he is trying to lower labor costs as much as he can.

“I have taken on additional responsibilities that the shelter manager would have,” said Roberts, explaining that saves on filling that position. “Keep in mind we lost our county jail people and we have to make up for that and the state inmate program has been pretty much non-existent.”

Also, he said he is working to find areas to save when it comes to medical tests and vaccinations.

However, all of that is stressed by a shelter that is taking in 30 percent more animals than was projected.

Roberts said this year, the shelter has taken in 2,124 dogs and cats, compared to 1,553 last year.

Shelter Board Member Joan Allen said steps need to be taken to keep the shelter at the capacity it is designed for and not run over capacity.

Roberts said they are doing the best they can and note that they have decreased the number of animals in the shelter over the last month.

“Our inventory in November was 198 animals, starting inventory at the start of this month was 159 animals,” said Roberts. “The live release rate has gone down because that is what we needed to do.”

Roberts said that intakes were also down last month.

To try to help make up the budget deficit, Roberts is sending out a letter to community supporters to ask for financial assistance for the shelter.

He said the letter lays out the current situation and what the shelter faces moving forward.

“Whatever your situation is, I have always been very proactive in letting people know where things are at,” said Roberts. “We are trying to lay that information out to people and let them know that if we do not close that deficit, we are going to have to cut back on services.”

Roberts said the letter also notes the shelter’s successes, including the doubling of the number of lost animals to the