WISCONSIN RAPIDS − After weeks of controversy and two long closed sessions, the city’s Finance and Real Estate Committee approved a $76,000 contract with the South Wood County Humane Society by a two-to-one vote Tuesday.
Committee member Dean Veneman was absent from Tuesday’s meeting. City Councilman Jeff Penzkover took Veneman’s place.
The meeting began with a 45-minute closed session discussing changes made to the contract before the meeting. Tim Kriz, board chairman and interim executive director of the South Wood County Humane Society, said he worked with Finance and Property Committee Chairman Jake Cattanach and Wisconsin Rapids City Attorney Sue Schill on the language in the contract .
After the closed session, Cattanach asked the committee members if they had anything to say. The committee made no comment. Kriz was given the opportunity to speak and thanked the city officials who worked with him to reach the agreed upon contract language.
Cattanach then filed a motion for consideration of the contract, which was seconded by Penzkover. The committee did not discuss the contract, but approved it 2-1, with committee member Patrick Delaney casting the “no” vote.
The contract will not be final until the full city council approves the committee’s minutes next Tuesday.
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What changes have been made to the contract?
The changes to the contract, which has been reworded to be called an agreement, include that the South Wood County Humane Society will not charge Wisconsin Rapids residents any fees when they surrender an animal or pick up an animal that has been lost has gone. Kriz said the Humane Society had already stopped charging residents for these things, but it was included in the agreement.
The agreement also calls for the Humane Society to provide a report to the City Council at the end of each month detailing figures on the Wisconsin Rapids animals taken in by the shelter, including information about where the animal came from and the length of time it spends on the Humane Society and what happens to it.
How did we get here?
The controversy began on Nov. 7 when the Wisconsin Rapids City Council Committee of the Whole decided to reduce the $76,000 budget for animal control services to $25,000 and put the contract up for auction, rather than accepting the proposed contract from the South Wood County Humane Society sign. The City Council voted to reduce the budget to $76,000 after a public hearing on the budget on Nov. 13. Council members did not approve the contract, which is the responsibility of the Wisconsin Rapids Finance and Property Committee.
The committee met on December 3 and held a one-hour closed session to discuss the contract. As members left the closed session, they listened to Kriz and asked him some questions about the indictment, record keeping and procedures. A motion to approve the contract was not passed, meaning the committee could not vote on it.
Contact Karen Madden at kmadden@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @KMadden715, Instagram @kmadden715 or Facebook at www.facebook.com/karen.madden.33.
This article originally appeared on Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune: Wisconsin Rapids Commission approves deal with Humane Society
