Two parties have met twice about agreement
The Oglethorpe Echo
Oglethorpe County officials and the Madison Oglethorpe Animal Shelter (MOAS) are in talks to renegotiate the terms of their contract to house Oglethorpe County animals at the shelter.
The parties met Nov. 22 and Nov. 25 to discuss changing the terms of the existing agreement, and Oglethorpe County Commission Chair Jay Paul said the talks went well.
Paul said MOAS executive director Will Stevenson, attorneys for both groups and MOAS board members took part in the meetings.
“Nothing is 100% resolved at this point, but it was a productive meeting,” Paul said. “And I’m glad that the eight or nine stakeholders got together. But we’re waiting to hear back from MOAS with what they bring to the table.”
Oglethorpe County pays MOAS $43,563 a year for county residents to use the shelter’s services, but county employees cannot surrender animals to the shelter. Oglethorpe County doesn’t have animal control, so it’s up to residents to drop off any abandoned or nuisance animals.
This is one of the key points of negotiation between MOAS and the county, and Paul said he was confident they would be able to reach an agreement.
“Something that we’ve had a difference of opinion on for about four years is county personnel being able to bring animals to MOAS,” Paul said. “Now they’re entertaining the idea of us being able to do that with an additional boarding fee.”
The county is also considering increasing the per capita rate it pays to MOAS to match what Madison County pays the shelter. Oglethorpe County pays $3.25 per resident and Madison County pays $3.97 per resident, Paul said.
Stevenson said he can’t share any details until the MOAS board of directors agrees to finalize the contract, but that he’s happy with the progress.
“Negotiations with Oglethorpe County are going better than expected, and we hope we will be able to not only assist the county in the way that they would like to, but be able to further assist the citizens of Oglethorpe County,” Stevenson said.
The two parties say they expect a new contract to be finalized soon.
Free adoptions at MOAS
Thanks to an anonymous donor, all pet adoptions will be free at MOAS through Dec. 24.
Adoption fees are typically $65 for cats without a microchip and $75 for cats with a microchip. They are $100 for dogs over six months old and $200 for dogs under six months old.
The donor has agreed to sponsor all adoption fees.
“We are an open shelter, so being able to move animals out of the building helps us to continue to help the community,” Stevenson said. “It gives us the room that we need to do our services for the community, and also getting them out of shelter into loving homes is the ultimate success we’re aiming for.”
Stevenson said the donor came forward after reading an article in the Nov. 21 edition of The Oglethorpe Echo (“Q&A: MOAS’ new director strives for stability”) and liking the direction that Stevenson has for the shelter.
“This is a person that, from what I understand, kind of fell off as a donor after some problems in the past, but after reading the article, he wants to be involved again,” Stevenson said. “It gives me great hope that we’re actually doing what needs to be done and then doing it the right way. Having somebody that said they didn’t want to be a part of us anymore come back and come back with open arms, that’s a big thing.”
Those interested can visit moaspets.com to browse cats and dogs available for adoption.
MOAS will be closed on Thanksgiving Day and Friday, and reopen on Saturday, Nov. 30.
“I’m so happy with the community and happy that everybody’s coming out and wanting to be a part of us again,” Stevenson said. “We’re really trying, and I think people are seeing that.”
Alex Perri is a master’s student in journalism at the University of Georgia. She previously worked at the Transylvania Times in Brevard, North Carolina.