The Darke County Board of Commissioners met on Thursday afternoon to discuss Darke County Animal Shelter fees and Darke County Courthouse Façade maintenance agreement.
Commissioners Matt Aultman, Marshall Combs, and Larry Holmes were present.
The board heard from Animal Control Officer Bair about Resolution (R-257-2023). This is an increase in Fees at the Darke County Animal Shelter for 2024 to cover costs in the department.
“We sat down and did a five-year outlook on what we need to come in,” Bair said. “Our building is 22 years old, and it needs repairs. The floors need repairs, the parking lot needs repairs, the kennels need repairs, we need to do some updates on some vehicles, and update salaries. We are raising dog licenses to cover some of these costs.”
License fees are now $22 for one year, $66 for three years, and $220 for a Permanent license. The Kennel fee is now $110, the Shelter fee is now $25 per dog for the first day and $5 per day after, and the adoption fee is $78.
“I do want to emphasize Bair put together a five-year budget, and he also looked at surrounding counties,” Commissioner Aultman said. “He compared and contrasted similar counties of shape and size and those around us before going down the path of having to present this increase. He was very thoughtful; this wasn’t a knee-jerk reaction.”
The board approved the resolution (R-257-2023).
The board also approved an agreement with Darke County Commissioners, Arcon Builders, and APP Architecture for Darke County Courthouse Façade maintenance. While there was a previous agreement and bid already approved, an addendum was needed that added to the total contract sum. The contract sum is now $484,435.