Mary Hansen
The State Journal-Register
Despite concerns raised by a resident and a couple of aldermen, the Springfield City Council on Tuesday approved more than $354,000 to contract with Sangamon County for animal control services.
Springfield resident Eric Reiss told aldermen he’s called animal control several times to report incidents with an aggressive dog in his neighborhood, but has gotten little response.
Still, Ward 3 Ald. Doris Turner encouraged patience with animal control, which she said is understaffed. “It would be irresponsible on our part if we held up the contract any longer while we’re trying to get these issues resolved,” Turner said.
At one time, the city had its own division to deal with stray animals and answer emergency calls about problems, including aggressive dogs. But it now contracts with the county and pays a yearly fee based on the number of calls animal control receives from the city and the number of nights the animal shelter boards dogs and cats picked up in Springfield. The fee has been increasing for the last couple of years, in part because of an agreed-to hike in the rate for boarded nights, from $20 to $59.
Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin agreed that the city didn’t have a lot of choices other than to make the current payment, but he urged that the city revisit the terms of the contract.
“But ultimately we need to beef up our contract to ensure that our residents are being properly served by the county in the performing of the duties that are spelled out in our city code regarding animals,” McMenamin said.
Tourism grants
With seven aldermen voting “yes” and two voting “present,” the council approved acceptance of about $770,000 in state grants for Springfield’s convention and visitors bureau.
McMenamin, one of the “present” votes, questioned what specifically the grant funding would pay for. “I think it’d be really helpful to look at the agreements before we approve passage,” he said.
In other news
*The council approved an additional $230,000 for Oak Ridge Cemetery. The cemetery has been in financial distress for the last few years, and cemetery director Mike Lelys has suggested a new funding source is needed.
*The council OK’d purchasing a property on Brunk Cemetery Road for $125,000 for the Hunter Lake project.
*The council approved a contract extension for the tax increment financing agreement with the Kidzeum of Health and Science to March 2018. The contract was going to expire Sept. 30. The agreement will also allow the museum to have access to its remaining $844,000 in TIF funds once construction begins, instead of waiting until all of its funding is secured.
Joe McMenamin for Ward 7 