Greenfield/Hancock County Animal Management, 2195 W. U.S. 40, takes in unwanted pets and helps enforce local animal ordinances. A new headquarters for the agency is being built on South Franklin Street in Greenfield. (File photo)
Greenfield/Hancock County Animal Management, 2195 W. U.S. 40, takes in unwanted pets and helps enforce local animal ordinances. A new headquarters for the agency is being built on South Franklin Street in Greenfield. (File photo)
GREENFIELD — The Hancock County Commissioners are looking for a private company that can provide animal control services, potentially following through on a longtime desire to break away from their longtime partnership with the city of Greenfield.

The commissioners said at their meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 7, that they are planning to send out a request for proposals to provide the services that Greenfield/Hancock County Animal Management currently does for the county, such as responding to calls about loose animals or animal abuse.

Commissioner Marc Huber said the board isn’t aware of any private companies in the area that would be able to provide the service but is hoping the request will attract one.

The county commissioners had reached a tentative agreement in August to pay $362,000 for 2022, but Commissioner John Jessup said the county decided to move ahead on a request for proposals in hopes of getting a lower price. Animal management submitted a budget proposal to the Greenfield City Council of approximately $778,000.

“We just want to make sure we get a good deal and get good pricing,” Jessup said.

Jessup noted that the cost to the county for animal management services has doubled over the past six or seven years.

The county has been trying for several years to cut its share of funding for Greenfield/Hancock County Animal Management, which was traditionally split 60% to 40% with the city. The county has argued that the amount of work the agency does in unincorporated areas of Hancock County is disproportionately low for what the county spends. County officials also point out that the smaller towns in the county, which currently pay nothing toward animal management, should step up to contribute their fair share.

In 2019, the commissioners wanted to decrease their share from $383,857 to $195,000 in the 2020 budget year, but ended up committing $375,000. For the 2021 budget year, they again signaled they wanted to significantly decrease their share and ended up paying $350,000.

The city is paying in full for animal management’s new, improved building, which will be built at 740 S. Franklin St. The project is costing about $4.2 million and is expected to be completed in February 2022. It will have a greater capacity and will be able to hold some animals that the department currently can’t take in, such as horses.

Animal management is temporarily located in a former veterinary clinic at 2195 W. U.S. 40. Greenfield is also paying for the rent on that building.

Animal management director Amanda Dehoney said she is unaware of any private companies that provide the services her department handles for Hancock County.

“Typically, it would fall on the sheriff’s department” in a county without a dedicated animal management department, she said.

In addition to housing abandoned or unwanted animals in the county, Dehoney said, the department provides a number of other services. It is responsible for enforcing all local animal-related ordinances in Hancock County and its municipalities; handling reports of dead animals; and providing medical care for the animals in its custody. The department also provides free animal euthanasia services for county residents who need them. Animal management officers also frequently accompany police officers on calls involving animals, and they even rescue animals trapped in car accidents or other emergencies.

Dehoney said she hopes the city and county reach a quick agreement on her department’s funding.
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