SEMO Pets asks for multiyear agreements with local governments

Southeast Missouri Pets, the former Humane Society of Southeast Missouri, is asking for a 10% increase over each of the next three years from all governmental bodies who use its contracted services from 2023 to 2025.

Inflation

"The consumer price index was almost 9% at the end of October," said SEMO Pets board member Charlotte Boyce Craig, who spoke to Jackson aldermen at their Monday, Nov. 7, study session about the not-for-profit's request.

"We came up with a percentage and we chose 10% to increase each year. It's been presented and Jackson has acknowledged receipt of [the raised rates]. It's not a done deal. They haven't accepted it and we don't have any signed agreements [yet] with any of our jurisdictions for the three-year proposal."

Jackson has scheduled a public hearing on its 2023 budget for 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 19.

Last year, aldermen OK'd a 10% hike in the SEMO Pets yearly.

"I suspect the aldermen will direct us to respond with a counterproposal," said Jim Roach, Jackson city administrator, in comments Tuesday to the Southeast Missourian, adding it is possible the Board of Aldermen will discuss the SEMO Pets request at its next meeting Monday, Nov. 21.

In terms of real dollars, Cape Girardeau County's SEMO Pets annual fee for 2022 is $36,000, 10% higher than in 2021.

Jurisdictions

In addition to Jackson and Cape Girardeau County, several other government bodies in two states utilize SEMO Pets's "housing agreement": City of Cape Girardeau; Perry County; Oran, Missouri; Essex, Missouri; Miner, Missouri; McClure, Illinois; and Thebes, Illinois.

A total of 98 animals from Jackson have been taken in by the shelter at 180 Weston St. in Cape Girardeau from Jan. 1 to Oct. 29 2022 -- 177 from city residents and 21 from animal control.

From all jurisdictions served by SEMO Pets, 2,186 animals were received through the end of October 2022.

"We are a no-kill shelter. If animals are healthy and adoptable, we find them a home," board member Sam Herndon IV told aldermen.

"No-kill means our 'save rate' is at least 90% for both dogs and cats," said Craig, who said when she came on the organization's board in 2011, the numbers were starkly different. "Back then, we were only able to save 48% of dogs and 22% of cats. Getting to no-kill is really hard."

Reducing population

Craig noted SEMO Pets's spay and neuter program has been successful by any measure.

"Eleven years ago, we were taking in 5,000 animals annually; we're under 3,000 now," she said, adding a donor who wishes to remain anonymous gives SEMO Pets $30,000 a year to implement its "Spay Day" program every February.

"We also now have our SNAP program administered by our in-house veterinarian who spays and neuters all year long," Craig said.

SNAP is an acronym meaning "Spay Neuter Assistance Program". The cost to use SNAP is $25 for a cat and $35 for a dog.

Promise

Craig said monies received from local governments for SEMO Pets's services are for operations only. None of the money, she said, will be used to help the organization pay off the mortgage on its new $3.7 million, 12,000-square-foot adoption center/shelter, which had its grand opening Jan. 13.

"We're full here at our shelter all the time," Craig said. The new shelter is five times the size of its previous building, located next door.