One of the first official steps toward staffing the new Greene County Animal Shelter was taken by the Jefferson City Council.

At their meeting this past Tuesday, the Council approved the part time hire of Heather Dobney at $12 per hour for 20 hours per week to be the facility’s custodian. City Administrator Mike Palmer explains this position was with the city before handing it to the volunteer organization of the People for Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), but that will now change.

“The City had an agreement with PAWS where we paid them, I believe, $8,000 a year toward hiring somebody and managing the facility. So that agreement now will go away and the City will take the lead on the employment end of it.”  

Palmer notes that for next fiscal year’s budget, there will be another part time employee hired to help clean the facility on the weekends and other times of the year. He anticipates future budgets to include $30,000 for two part time city employees for that facility. Palmer talks about another area that the City is going to save additional money.

“Supervision-wise, Chad Stevens has agreed to kind of be the supervisor there of the two part time people will report to. So that saves us hiring somebody else to do that. Public Works will continue to maintain the exterior of the property like they have in the old shelter. So we’re keeping a lot of this in house.”     

Palmer adds the animal shelter is now open to the public, however it is by appointment only. He says the steering committee is creating an advisory board that will handle the day to day operations and establish hours of operation.