Cost increases may force cuts in animal control.

Byline: Matt Cooper The Register-Guard

Eugene is declining to pay upfront for the rising cost of animal control, and that could leave residents howling at the moon.

Lane County will cut the city's animal control services drastically July 1 because Eugene won't pay an additional $233,000 annually to cover rising costs, county Administrator Bill Van Vactor said. Local governments are firming up budgets for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

The Lane County Animal Regulation Authority provides animal control to Eugene for about $488,000 annually, and Eugene generates another $150,000 annually in dog licensing that goes to the county, Eugene Finance Director Dee Ann Hardt said.

But the county recently found that costs have climbed another $233,000 annually because of health care benefits and raises for staff, Van Vactor said.

Eugene doesn't want to pay the additional cost upfront, and the county isn't willing to let the city cover the expense over time through an expected increase in revenue from rabies-vaccination reporting, which the city recently approved.

Veterinarians must report when they have vaccinated an animal for rabies, which will allow the city to find more owners who haven't licensed their pets, Hardt said.

The change means licensing might generate as much as $450,000 annually to the county in three years. But the county is "reluctant to fund programs on revenue that we don't have a history of knowing we will collect," Van Vactor said.

The result: By July 1, LCARA will have laid off two enforcement officers and one office assistant, leaving one person to cover the city full time and another to work for the city 20 hours weekly, said Mike Wellington, LCARA program manager.

The cuts mean that the authority won't have time to work with neighbors and educate the public about proper animal care, and will only respond to emergencies, Wellington said. The LCARA office will cut back on hours, and there could be times during the day when residents call and must leave a message because no one is there to answer the phone.

But the biggest problem is what happens after hours, Wellington said: Although animal-enforcement officers currently handle emergencies such as aggressive dogs, that duty will fall to the Eugene Police Department after July 1.

"The main concern that I have is you have sworn peace officers out there to deal with the criminal element," Wellington said. "If a vicious dog is out running around, that is going to take a lower priority. That incident can snowball into an attack or a death."

Hardt acknowledged that police and fire services are the city's top priority, while animal control is among the lowest-priority services.