The Lamar County commission approved adding contingency fund monies to the animal control budget at its regular meeting June 17. This comes on the heels of the pending temporary shutdown of the brand new shelter due to floor sealant problems there.
Animal control director Tyler White asked for $14,879.23 for a kennel technician, $19,828.18 for an additional animal control officer and $20,000 for food and supplies in addition to the $70,000 needed for the floor sealant project. Those salary numbers only cover the pay periods from Sept. 1 to Dec. 31, 2025.
Commissioners Jarrod Fletcher and Jason Lovett sounded off on the rising costs.
“I’m not good with $70,000 for repairs to a brand new building. I am worried about using up our contingency funds,” Fletcher said.
Lovett warned White about asking for much more. “There is no way we can staff this 24-seven. We have a commitment to animals but we also have a commitment to our constituents,” he said.
White countered that he has been busy with training, looking for grants and hunting down deals for shelter supplies. “Last week, I had to testify before the grand jury on a cruelty case. That takes time. We are rapidly burning our staff out and they’ve only been there since April,” he said.
County administrator Sean Townsend assured the commission that the contingency funds were available to handle White’s requests.
On a motion by Lovett seconded by Fletcher, the commission voted unanimously to move contingency funds not to exceed $125,000 to the animal control budget.
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