Politics & Government

Press Conference: County, SPCA Officially Agree on Terms of Extension Deadline

A county-funded, six-month agreement to extend animal control services to municipalities was reached Thursday night.

MEDIA– and the officially announced during a press conference Friday, their agreement to extend animal control services to municipalities for six months.

The two groups

The county-funded extension was agreed upon in order for a

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The SPCA will extend contracts and continue to accept stray animals from the municipalities it currently has contracts with, until Dec. 31.

On July 5, the county and SPCA will enter into an official agreement that states that the county will pay $125 per stray animal and the SPCA will continue to bill the municipality $116 per stray animal, for a total of $241, which is the SPCA’s cost per stray animal.

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The SPCA currently bills each municipality $116 per animal for animal control services but that does not cover the cost of labor, extended stay or larger medical costs like amputation. The county’s $125 per animal contribution is intended to make up that difference.

The agreement states, that the county will advance the SPCA a $40,000 retainer by July 8 and will not exceed $120,000 during the six-month extension.

The SPCA will notify the county each time the retainer is $20,000 or less and the county will provide an additional $20,000 within three weeks of notification, according to the agreement.

The SPCA will bill the municipalities for its portion of animal control services, as it normally does, at the end of each month, according to Justina Calgiano, director of community relations at the SPCA.

The it would violate the state charitable solicitation laws and regulations.

The SPCA had assured donors that after July 1 their money would not be used for animal control services. , the SPCA will not violate its agreement with donors.

Calgiano said the supporters and donors to the SPCA are happy with the extension decision.

"A key role in this decision is that we will not be dipping into reserved funds that go toward our no-kill mission and this agreement has allowed us to not violate the charitable solicitation act," she said.

The county and the SPCA can terminate the terms of the agreement with 30 days written notice to the other party, the agreement states.

The agreement is also conditional upon the approval of the Attorney General’s Office.

"This was only made possible through very hard work by both parties, the SPCA and county council, specifically Mario Civera Jr.," Calgiano said at the press conference.

County Councilman Mario Civera Jr. said he has enjoyed working with the board and the SPCA over the last few months in order to resolve this issue.

"We did have our differences in the last couple months and I think one of the things that proved we were sincere as a county a government was that we took the direction of building a shelter that will be built in Darby Township," Civera said at the press conference. "This is a good thing for the animals in our community and their safety."

The Darby Township facility will be built on Calcon Hook Road. It will be owned by the Darby Creek Joint Authority, the land will be leased to the Emergency Services Training Center and local trades unions have volunteered to build the facility. Eddystone-based architectural firm Bonnett Associates Inc., is designing the structure and donating the plans, according to a county press release.

Civera said a lease agreement has been completed for the new facility. Next, the fire and safety board has to look at the lease agreement and sign off on it for Darby Creek Joint Authority’s approval.

"We’ve had verbal confirmation on that," he said. "We’re also in the process right now of establishing the board."

Civera said the county would not run the new animal control facility. A non-profit board will be set up. There will be a nine-member board that will be appointed by the county council and the non-profit board will determine day-to-day operations.

"Once that board is finalized we then can move on as far as the architect and his plans. He’s been working and in communication with the department of agricultural, and different veterinarians to determine how that shelter needs to be built because of disease control, safety and all that," he said. "We’re moving. We’re doing this as fast as we possibly can."

Civera said he wasn’t notified a year ago when the He said the municipalities were notified and Upper Darby Township came to him about the issue much later.

"The SPCA is not a county function," Civera said. "The state and local police departments and municipalities (work with the SPCA.)"

When Civera was called to a meeting about the issue he determined a partnership was needed.

"When I saw a partnership between the SPCA and municipalities wasn’t going to work too well. I realized that something had to be done," he said. "Until we had the sight (for a new facility) in hand we couldn’t do anything else. Then you can get non-profits in to run the shelter and take donations."

Civera said he now understands what the SPCA went through over the last few years.

"I can understand some of their hardships, some of their complaints and the new direction they want to take. I didn’t understand that until I got involved. That’s why it took a little bit longer than we thought," he said.


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