Salina311 Speaks With Prairie Paws CEO About Salina Animal Shelter Proposal

Prairie Paws Animal Shelter plans to submit a proposal next week to operate the Salina Animal Shelter as the City of Salina continues its process of considering outside management of the city-owned facility.

Prairie Paws CEO Vanessa Cowie told Salina311 that the organization plans to submit its proposal Wednesday afternoon.

The city's Request for Proposals remains open, with proposals due Sept. 10 at 2 p.m. No operator has been selected at this point.

Cowie said Prairie Paws has been told by the city that the earliest its proposal could be presented to the Salina City Commission would be Sept. 28.

“The soonest they could put our proposal in front of the commission would be September 28th,” Cowie told Salina311.

If Prairie Paws is selected and commissioners approve its proposal, Cowie said that would be followed by contract negotiations rather than an immediate transfer of shelter operations.

“If we are selected and the commission approves our proposal, then we move into contract negotiations,” Cowie said. “Which in the past has taken 2-4 weeks.”

Cowie said a final contract would typically return to the City Commission for approval, followed by a transition period of approximately six to eight weeks.

Based on that timeline, Cowie said an actual transition would “more likely be November/December.”

The city issued the RFP in August, seeking proposals from organizations interested in managing and operating the Salina Animal Shelter. The solicitation followed months of discussion regarding the future structure of Animal Services.

The RFP process does not guarantee that Prairie Paws, or any outside organization, will ultimately operate the shelter. Proposals must first be submitted and evaluated, with any potential agreement requiring additional action by the City Commission.

For now, the next step is the Sept. 10 proposal deadline, with Prairie Paws expected to submit its proposal one day earlier.