The “Help Our Animals Initiative” was voted down by Nye County Board of County Commissioners

Last week, Nye County Commissioner Ian Bayne put forward another spending proposal utilizing what remains of the county’s Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Fund (LATCF) dollars but, as happened with other such items he has proposed, it was ultimately voted down.

Addressed at the commission’s June 17 meeting, the “Help Our Animals Initiative” was co-sponsored by commission chair Ron Boskovich. Bayne explained that the general concept was to allocate $200,000 to the program, $150,000 of which would be used to construct a shaded, misted dog run for the Nye County Animal Shelter in Pahrump while $50,000 would be used to complete the veterinarian space inside the shelter so it can be used for public animal health services, such as shot clinics and sterilization.

Volunteer coordinator for the shelter, Breanna Kirsner, offered an overview of what she’d like to see in terms of the outdoor space.

“Our idea is to do 12 dog runs. It’ll start with a five-by-five kennel which will be connected to a 12-by-24-by-5-foot dog run,” Kirsner detailed. “And along with those 12 runs, we’d like to do three or four dog play yards, for the volunteers to go in and socialize and play with the dogs. What’s needed is to level the ground to dirt, then going over the ground with groundcover, like Astroturf – which works best, is easier to clean and has less replacement costs but it’s a larger investment to start — or pea gravel also works — which needs to be replaced on a more consistent schedule but has a lower initial investment cost.

“We need to add wood around the edges of the kennels, to prevent digging, and then visual blockers for the dogs to prevent the fence-fighting and reactivity,” Kirsner continued. “We can use plywood for that. And then of course, we need the fence paneling, which the shelter already has the kennel paneling for the outdoor kennels. But kennel tops are needed for the ‘monkey’ dogs who like to try and climb things and escape. And we need the sunshades and the misting system.”

However, Nye County Animal Shelter Manager Kristi Siegmund emphasized that the shelter does not have a formal design and therefore, no figures related to cost have been calculated. That amount would also vary based on any donations the shelter is able to secure from local businesses.

When it came to commissioners, the board was once again divided over the idea of using a portion of the remaining $1.77 million in LATCF funds, which Nye County Comptroller Helen Bae previously warned the county against.

Commissioner John Koenig said that if the program were proposed for a different funding source, he might feel differently. “This agenda item, while appealing to the general public for its connection to animals — we all love them, don’t we? — is absolutely not appealing to anyone who values the fiscal stability of this county,” he stated.

Koenig stressed that the county’s budgetary situation is strained enough and the money left in the LATCF offers a much-needed financial buffer going forward.

Furthermore, he said he is in talks with local companies to assist with the dog run project, as well as county staff regarding completing the operation room in-house for minimal cost.

Commissioner Debra Strickland said it might not be so easy to go that route, though, remarking, “Life in the real world is, this is a commercial property, it has to have a site development plan. We have to do the what the public has to do. That’s a big deal… That’s between $25,000 and $45,000 to do a site development plan, unless we can get someone to volunteer who does those. And we can ask. That’s where we need to start. We have to have a plan.

“Anytime you are dealing with over $100,000 you are into procurement law and you have to go out to bid,” Strickland added. “So, we don’t get to do volunteers. We’re in a catch-22, so steps, we need to take this in steps… But we can’t just throw $200,000 at something and expect to get anything done. We don’t have a plan.”

As for Boskovich, he said while he supports the item, he was not without concern. “My concern is, Kristi might not be ready for this yet,” he noted.

“Yes, this money would be amazing and I could think of a million ways to spend every penny of it that would benefit our community,” Siegmund replied. “But I don’t have data to give you and it’s really difficult for me make an ask when I don’t have data to give you.”

Bayne did not feel a lack of an official plan was enough to stall the allocation of funding and he proceeded to make a motion to approve the “Help Our Animals Initiative.” Boskovich offered a second but the motion failed, with Koenig, Strickland and commissioner Bruce Jabbour against.

That doesn’t mean the project is dead in the water, however. Strickland directed staff to work with Koenig on a draft plan to move the dog run and veterinarian operation room forward.

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com