Prairie Paws would run Salina's animal shelter under $462,000-a-year city agreement
The Salina City Commission on Monday will consider an agreement that would have Prairie Paws Animal Shelter Inc. manage and operate the city-owned Salina Animal Shelter, with the city paying the nonprofit $462,000 for the first service term, according to the commission's agenda packet.
The item is on the agenda for the commission's regular meeting at 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26, in Room 107 of the City-County Building, 300 W. Ash St. It would authorize the city manager to sign the agreement. City staff recommend approval, according to a staff report from Deputy City Manager Shawn Henessee.
The staff report says the city has been negotiating with Prairie Paws "for the last several weeks" on an agreement for the organization to take over daily management and operation of the shelter.
The facility and the transfer
Under the agreement, Prairie Paws would use the city-owned shelter at 329 N. Second St., including the primary building, a secondary building with a surgery suite, fenced areas, parking, furnishings and equipment. The staff report says all items now in the facility would be included in the transition.
The transfer of operations is scheduled for Dec. 13, 2026. Either party may request a change to that date, subject to mutual written agreement, the staff report says.
Prairie Paws would lease the facility for $1 a year plus its performance of the services required under the agreement.
Term and termination
The agreement would run from commission approval through Dec. 31, 2029. It would then renew automatically for one-year terms unless either party gives at least 90 days' notice that it does not intend to renew.
Either party could end the agreement for any reason with 90 days' written notice. If the agreement expires without renewal, both sides would keep operating under it until the city has a new contract with Prairie Paws or another provider, or until either party gives 90 days' notice, according to the agreement.
Payments
The city would pay Prairie Paws a one-time transition fee of $16,000. Annual fees, paid in monthly installments, would be:
- $462,000 for Dec. 13, 2026, through Dec. 31, 2027, or $38,500 a month.
- $471,240 for 2028, or $39,270 a month.
- $480,664.80 for 2029, or $40,055.40 a month.
If the agreement is renewed after 2029, fees would rise 2% a year. The city would also pay $20 per animal per day for animals held for law enforcement or under a court order, according to the staff report.
What Prairie Paws would do
The agreement lists "core services" Prairie Paws would provide. They include accepting dogs and cats surrendered by Salina residents, housing dogs found running at large in the city, housing animals under bite quarantine and housing animals seized by city animal control officers or the Salina Police Department.
Prairie Paws would also be required to provide veterinary care, hold stray animals for at least three days, keep the shelter open to the public at least five days and 40 hours a week, including evening and weekend hours, and allow 24-hour access to part of the facility for after-hours drop-offs.
The agreement requires monthly reports to the city, an annual report presented to the City Commission and at least two meetings a year between the two sides. Fees charged to the public, such as adoption and owner surrender fees, must be consistent with city code and approved by the city in writing. The staff report says Prairie Paws has agreed to use current adoption and other fees through 2027.
What the city would keep
Animal control would remain a city function, according to the staff report.
Prairie Paws would handle routine maintenance. The city would be responsible for repair costs of more than $7,500 in a contract year and for repairs to electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems, the staff report says.
Prairie Paws does not intend to use the shelter's incinerator, and the city has agreed to remove it, at a cost not yet known, according to the report. The shelter would be taken off the city's computer network, and Prairie Paws would provide its own computers, internet and phone system.
The staff report also says the Salina Animal Control Advisory and Appeals Board would have no role with Prairie Paws and that the city may dissolve the board.
Fiscal note
The staff report lists 2027 budgeted expenses of $1,020,111 for the shelter and animal control, with $122,000 in revenue, for a net cost it lists as $898,117.
Under the Prairie Paws agreement, the report lists $462,000 for Prairie Paws, $352,000 for animal control and the $16,000 transition fee, for a net cost of $830,000.
The city would lose about $122,000 in revenue from adoption and service fees, according to the report. Saline County's $40,000 payment to the city for animal control in unincorporated areas would continue "for now," and the city would be charged $300 for each dog or cat beyond 15 a year brought in from unincorporated Saline County.
The report says that by not filling an open animal control officer position, the city could save about $80,000, though part of that would go to emergency care for sick or injured animals, up to $10,000, and the $20-a-day hold fees.
Staff gave the commission three options: approve the agreement, delay it pending more information or changes, or deny it.
How to watch
The meeting is open to the public and is also available on Zoom and the city's YouTube channel.
