The San Marcos Regional Animal Shelter (SMRAS) will continue providing animal shelter services for the county after the Hays County Commissioners Court approved a new agreement with the facility.
Animal rights advocate Sharri Boyett spoke to the commissioners about the agreement and reminded them of the county’s commitment to achieving no-kill status for the San Marcos shelter, which serves the county as well as the cities of San Marcos, Kyle and Buda.
“I would like to remind the court of the no-kill resolution that was ratified Oct. 23,” Boyett said.
The county’s resolution pushed for a two-year plan to achieve no-kill status, Boyett reminded the commissioners. The city of San Marcos passed a resolution including a five-year plan to reach the goal. Boyett asked that when the county appoints representatives to the Animal Shelter Advisory Committee, they make sure those representatives are in line with the desire to make the shelter no-kill.
The cost to the county for the agreement with the SMRAS is $259,596, Hays County General Counsel Mark Kennedy said. The costs to the different entities in Hays County that use the shelter are based on percentage of use, he explained; the county accounts for 30-32 percent of use of the shelter. San Marcos uses the shelter more, and Kyle and Buda each use the shelter less than the county does.
The agreement includes a provision for animal hoarding cases, Kennedy said. The text of the agreement reads, in part: “This amount does not cover extraordinary animal services such as a case of animal cruelty involving ten or more animals. Hays County will be required to cost-share, with San Marcos on a case by case basis, the expenses of any such animal-related case.”
The commissioners approved the agreement and said they would include a reminder of the county’s resolution supporting a two-year plan to move the shelter to no-kill status.
In other business Tuesday, the commissioners approved a payment of $599.40 to Cellular Control Products for services related to the feral hog abatement program. The payment was for maintenance of the controlled wireless traps the county uses to help control the population of feral hogs. The payment came from grant funds the county received for its feral hog abatement program. Precinct 2 Commissioner Mark Jones explained that the traps can be controlled via cell phones.
“Instead of doing the bounty, I think we gave away 12 live traps this year,” he said.
