COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Branch and Hillsdale County officials are discussing a new animal control contract as the current agreement between the two counties is set to expire at the end of the year.
The matter was on the agenda for Thursday’s Branch County Board of Commissioners work session for information purposes only.
The original 10-year agreement called for the counties to share the Branch County Animal Control Shelter which opened in 2017 after a fire heavily damaged the old Branch County facility south of Quincy.
Branch County Administrator Frank Walsh reported to Commissioners that while Hillsdale County paid a total of $90,000 over the first three years of the deal, Branch County’s total expenses over the last decade were about $1 million, not including the $550,000 investment in the new building. There has not been a payment from Hillsdale County since 2020 under terms of the agreement.
Walsh said, “Over the last nine years of our existing contract, our Animal Control facility has handled 2,287 dogs. Of the 2,287 dogs, 950, or 41.5%, originated from Hillsdale County. Hence, while Hillsdale has provided 41.5% of dogs, the county has paid 9% of the total costs.”
There was a meeting this week to discuss a potential extension of the contract which Walsh called very productive.
The two counties are discussing a new five-year contract. According to Walsh, Hillsdale County would pay Branch County 38-point-6 percent of the current year’s annual budget of just over $130,000 based on the number of dogs brought to the shelter by that county in 2025.
If the contract moves forward, Hillsdale’s first-year payment would be $50,295. The next four years of payments from Hillsdale County would be based solely on the percentage of dogs brought to the Branch County facility. If Hillsdale County can reunite more dogs with their owner prior to driving to Coldwater, Walsh says their cost will be reduced.
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