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Funding for animal shelter tentatively approved.
Members of the Cocke County Finance Committee agreed Monday evening to recommend an appropriation of $100,000 to the operation of the Newport Animal Shelter if Newport agrees to provide a like amount. The shelter operation has been a point of contention in recent years because although Newport has borne most of the operation cost, most of the animals come from outside the city. Last year Newport contributed $230,000 to the operation, compared to the $60,000 from Cocke County. The shelter is owned by Friends of the Animal Shelter, a shelter support group which until recently had a lease agreement with the city which provided for Newport to operate the facility. But more recently the city opted out of the lease because of financial issues, and the Friends group announced the facility would be closed because of a lack of insurance coverage, and the decision by the city to cut it's funding level. April Clevenger, who operates a non-profit, proposed that a Second Chances 4 Life, non-profit be set up as a funding agency, to provide working capital for continued shelter operations. She proposed higher salaries for shelter employees "to create loyalty" to the operation and reduce turnover. Clevenger proposed to use volunteers to supplement a paid staff. Anne Fontaine, Vice President of the friends group told the committee that the shelter will probably close for a month or two for repairs, however she said the second building at the site could remain operable. She said her group will provide the funds for the needed repairs. And Cocke County Mayor Crystal Ottinger reported that a new organization Steal Away, has agreed to again operate a Rolling Rescue program to adopt animals out to shelters in states that have strict spay/neuter regulations. Committee Chair Andy Tritt expressed concern regarding the level of requested funding, pointing out that volunteer fire departments are responsible for raising most of their operating capital. In response Fontaine said $700 was raised over the weekend with a road block. Commissioner Mitch Fine also questioned county funding if the city does not contribute. Currently the city is planning to operate out of the former Freddy's Lounge on Main Street in downtown. city officials have expressed a hesitancy to partner with a shelter operation that provides funding through Clevenger's Second Chance 4 Life, and so she told the committee she would withdraw her involvement. In the past there had been suggestions that county animals could be housed on the farm of County Control Officer Scottie Ellison in Del Rio, but that option is no longer being considered. The Friends group also expressed an intent to better educate the community to the importance of spay and neuter. The six members of the committee all voted to recommend the $100,000 appropriation, contingent of Newport funding. Details regarding other contingencies are to be addressed at a later date. In other action, the body approved a plan by the Cocke County Board of Education for a loan and grant from USDA. It is to be used for partition walls and fencing at entrances to Cosby High and Elementary School. The move will provide controlled access and monitoring of entrance points. While 55 percent of the cost will come from USDA, 45 percent will be matched by the Cocke County School System. The new gas and diesel tax will bring in an additional funding of $275,000 in the new fiscal year and the committee agreed to earmark that money for asphalt. By the third year the new funding is to reach $430,000 annually. The proposed new Highway Department budget earmarks more than $850,000 for paving. The Landfill Budget calls for $1.3 million, basically the same as last year, and the search continues for a new site for the Parrottsville Convenience Center. Finance Manager Anne Bryant-Hurst said most of the county's current debt will be paid off by 2028, at a rate of $2.5 million annually. But she reminded the commissioners that other costs are looming including school needs and a new jail.
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Return to Today's News Stories - Front PageThursday, April 29, 2021
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