The City of North Battleford says it supports fully the desire of the Battlefords Humane Society for a new building.
Mayor Ryan Bater told the News-Optimist Wednesday that he and his council were “incredible supportive of the humane society and their desire for a new facility.”
This was in response to the story about the Humane Society’s presentation to Battleford town council Monday. At that meeting, Humane Society president Dr. Shawn Haas indicated they were seeking a location for the new animal shelter building on Highway 4 north, outside the city limits in the R.M. of North Battleford.
In speaking to the News-Optimist Wednesday, Bater acknowledged there were talks with the society over the past three years about a new building. About a year ago those talks focused on the city contributing land to the humane society in Parsons Industrial Park, as well as an increased operational grant and capital grant, plus a clause reverting assets to the city had the humane society been in a position where they were no longer able to continue.
The deal was structured that way, Bater said, because the humane society was also seeking a revenue generating entity, a boarding facility.
“The city’s in a tricky position because we can’t use public funds to support a for-profit enterprise because it could be competing with other businesses in the city,” said Bater. “We want to be careful about that and that’s why that was structured that way.”
Last summer, the humane society came back to the city with concerns about that approach, “which we understood,” Bater said.
The humane society then proposed “acquiring their own land and fully funding the building on their own. And then the city would enter into a funding agreement to help with the operations of the shelter, so a fee for service if you will, which would free the humane society up to build what they want to build, and in these discussions where they want to build it.”
The city was also supportive of the humane society acquiring land in the RM for their building.
“Our interest is in seeing the service available to the city and in seeing the humane society supported with a new building,” said Bater.
Bater also said a letter was sent by the city to Dr. Haas on Nov. 1, but “that was the last time we had any correspondence with them.”
That correspondence included a proposal by the city of a fixed annual grant of $150,000 for shelter operations, as well as a suggested five-year term with an option for renewal.
“Like I said, we’ve been very supportive of the humane society and want to see them succeed and want to see them in a new building.”
