A few years ago, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners and the Greensboro City Council fought like cats and dogs over animal services – which the city pays the county to provide.
At one point, Greensboro city councilmembers even threatened that the city might build its own shelter and take over all animal control operations within the city limits.
However, in mid-2021, that rancor is nowhere to be found. Greensboro and the county seem to be quite copacetic on the issue. On Thursday, July 15, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners is expected to approve a new three-year animal services agreement with the city.
Under that contract, for fiscal year 2021-2022, Greensboro will pay Guilford County $754,000 for animal control services. For the next two years of the agreement, Greensboro’s payment will be half – 50 percent – of the “annual animal control net budget.”
Guilford County acknowledges under the deal that Greensboro “may decide in the future to handle its own animal control functions.”
The new “interlocal agreement” runs from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2024. During that time, Guilford County will continue to have “full financial responsibility” for the operation of the Guilford County Animal Shelter – including all current and future capital expenditures related to the shelter.
The county is building a brand new animal shelter to replace its dilapidated facility on West Wendover Avenue.
Guilford County also agrees to enforce Greensboro’s animal control laws and ordinances within the corporate limits of the city. In addition, Guilford County Animal Services will “humanely secure and protect” animals found in violation of current animal control laws and make every effort to “safely return those animals to their owners.”
The county commits to doing the following as well:
- promote responsible pet ownership through education, assistance and effective enforcement – thereby decreasing the number of euthanized animals and violations committed
- provide quality animal control service to the citizens of Greensboro and meet their needs in a “courteous, professional, efficient, productive and cost-effective manner”
- provide an average of five animal control officers during weekdays and one animal control officer on weekends for service inside the city limits
- maintain adequate 24-hour emergency services for the city
- assume liability regarding the service of claims.
- provide Greensboro officials with key stats on things like the number of requests for service within the city and the number of injured or vicious animal calls from Greensboro residents.
The new agreement can be terminated by either party by providing twelve months’ notice before the start of the next fiscal year.
I might suggest some “people control” measures. Most are highly protective of their pets, and get all prickly when you suggest that they keep them under control while in the City.
After years of trying to nurture grass on my red clay lawn, I just gave up and covered it in mulch & pine needles. I have flowers coming up naturally, and on purpose. Still the locals “curb” their animals on my lawn. The urine kills the plants I have growing near the curb, and elsewhere. I have no problem with the animals, they go wherever their owner takes them, or lets them. The acrimony is just not worth it, so I let it go.