City tries to resolve SPCA impasse

New Orleans, LA -- If the decades-long relationship between the city of New Orleans and the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ends as scheduled in 23 days, it's unclear who will provide an array of animal-control services next year.

The city's deputy chief administrative officer, Cynthia Sylvain-Lear, said Tuesday that she would rather not disclose who will handle hundreds of bite cases, field thousands of calls from the public, pick up thousands of strays and attend to other animal-control functions if the city and the nonprofit organization cannot resolve a budget battle.

Sylvain-Lear said she's "working on trying to find some creative solutions" to resolve the budget issue that prompted SPCA Executive Director Laura Maloney last week to inform Mayor Ray Nagin via a hand-delivered letter that "as of Jan. 1, we will discontinue animal control services" if the city does not contribute more money to the agency's 2005 budget.

So far, the city has offered $900,000.

Maloney said she learned at a city budget hearing last week that the city would not support the agency at the same level it did this year.

Sylvain-Lear said that she and Maloney are scheduled to meet this week. Sylvain-Lear said she is "optimistic that we can work something out."

The society spent $1,336,840 last year to provide animal-control services for the city, Maloney said. The city contributed $1,029,604 to the nonprofit group, which spent $307,236 of its own money to cover expenses.

In the past three years, the SPCA has spent about $300,000 each year to subsidize the city operation, Maloney said.

She will attend the meeting, but "we have no flexibility because our costs are fixed," Maloney said.

She said little has changed since she wrote the mayor informing him of two options.

Until late Tuesday night, the options were:

-- Allocate $1 million for the SPCA with the understanding that the nonprofit group in 2005 will not handle bite cases, which last year numbered more than 400.

-- Contribute $1.2 million with in-kind services and cash and receive the same services it did in 2004, she said.

The SPCA's governing board voted Tuesday night to withdraw the option of allocating $1 million. The only offer on the table now is to contribute the $1.2 million, which is at least $200,000 less than what it will cost the SPCA to provide animal-control services for the city, Maloney said.

If the city does not accept that proposal, the society will discontinue animal-control services for the city on Jan. 1, she said.

If that occurs, the SPCA's staff of 60 will be reduced by 14 employees, she said.

Regardless of the outcome, men and women participating in the illegal sport of dog fighting should not celebrate.

The SPCA will continue to pursue dog-fighting cases with money from its budget generated by fund-raising and fees for services, Maloney said. In 2004, the group generated $1.7 million from fund-raising and fees for services, she said.

The agency also, without city money, will continue to investigate "egregious crimes against animals statewide," staff its veterinary clinic and operate its adoption service, although there will be fewer adoptions, she said.

If the SPCA discontinues its relationship with the city, the city would be responsible for other services, including:

-- Providing kennel services for animals it picks up as well as strays brought to the city.

-- Handling animal-related health department referrals.

-- Issuing citations to owners who neglect their pets, allow them to roam city streets or fail to have them vaccinated for rabies.

-- Euthanizing animals; the SPCA will continue to euthanize ill animals, but "we no longer will euthanize for space," Maloney said.

 

go figure....N.O. always knows how to screw things up. let's not protect our dogs and people, but instead give the money ot a sorry-ass excuse for a football team.