‘Plagued’ by problems, Tri-Cities Animal Shelter now under city of Pasco control

Tri-Cities officials are permanently taking control of the Tri-Cities Animal Shelter after a new report showed that overcrowding, sick animals and a lack of stable veterinary care have become too big of a problem for nonprofits to handle.

A report detailed at a recent Pasco City Council meeting said that a constant cycle of contractors had left the Tri-Cities Animal Shelter in an unstable position, even before a surprise inspection found 30 sick cats and four malnourished dogs in November 2021.

That inspection led to the city pulling the contract from Neo’s Nation Animal Foundation, and was followed by a series of legal issues for the nonprofit.

“Most, if not all, of these deficiencies to one degree or another have plagued (the animal control authority) operations to one degree or another for years over multiple contractors,” according to a report from Angela Pashon, the interim manager for the shelter.

Now Pasco officials have decided to permanently take over running the shelter, rather than trying to find another nonprofit to run the organization. The shelter was temporarily managed by Benton-Franklin Humane Society after the Neo’s Nation contract was terminated.

Pasco, Richland and Kennewick will all contribute to the $2 million annual budget to provide animal control and shelter services for the three cities, according to a release from the city of Pasco. The other two cities supported the change.

The budget will be $400,000 more than Benton-Franklin Humane Society received and more than double what Neo’s Nation Animal Foundation was paid.

“After a careful look at the operation and facility of the Animal Shelter, it was clear that a city-managed shelter would be the best route for both the taxpayer and the animals in our collective care,” City Manager Dave Zabell said.

The decision is the latest turn after the city terminated its contract with Neo’s Nation Animal Foundation a year ago amid a slew of criminal allegations and lawsuits.

This included claims that the financial manager siphoned $300,000 from the shelter’s budget, and leadership received thousands of dollars in bonuses. There was also a criminal investigation into whether the conditions constituted animal cruelty.

The city approved an emergency contract with Benton-Franklin Humane Society to run the shelter. They decided to end the contract in July, leading the city to step in. Pashon then compiled the report given to the city council this month.

While the organization saved the day in the wake of Neo’s Nation, Zabell said the years of problems were simply too big for them to handle.

“(Benton-Franklin Humane Society) came in on very short notice and really worked hard to put it in order,” Zabell said. “The problem was it had really spiraled out of control so badly that that’s where most of (the humane society’s) efforts had to be — that restoration of order. So they really didn’t have the opportunity to make marked improvements in policy and staffing and build relationships.”

Autumn White, the Benton-Franklin Humane Society’s executive director, said they are happy and excited that the local governments have made this decision.

“It was my recommendation,” she told the Herald. “The way it has been run here in the Tri-Cities has been dated.”

Troubled shelter

For years, Pasco, Kennewick and Richland have been part of the Tri-Cities Animal Control Authority. The agency has contracted with a nonprofit to run the facility on 18th Avenue as well as provide animal control.

Pasco has been the primary administrator that handled sending out bids and contracts.

The series of nonprofits that took over the shelter all faced a similar set of problems. They needed to balance a slim budget, find money through grants, as well as take care of the animals, manage records and provide animal control, Pashon said in an Oct. 11 presentation to the city council.

With the constant churn of new contractors coming in, the facility was left without a consistent mission or staff, Zabell said.

“The three cities have grown so much, and obviously they’re going to grow so much over the next few years, and maybe 20 years ago a nonprofit could have come in and kept up with that, but today the number of animals is just so high and expectations of the public are much higher,” he told the Herald. “I think it makes sense, and that’s the conclusion we reached, for a city run facility.”

When Pasco took over the shelter, officials were able to get a clear understanding of the problems at the shelter, Pashon said. They include:

▪ A lack of policies and standard operating procedures

▪ No established veterinary partnership for medications and vaccinations

▪ A lack of controls that allowed stray animals to intermingle with the general population, animals to be taken off-site without being accounted for and customers to take animals out of their kennels to roam the facility

▪ Overcrowding in a facility of primarily unaltered animals

▪ A backlog of fostered animals waiting to be spayed or neutered so they could be adopted

▪ A shelter with about 350 animals in it, when it was designed for 200

▪ Rampant upper respiratory infections among the cat population

Pasco taking over

The city has made several improvements since taking control of the shelter, Pashon said. Those changes included hiring critical shelter staff, developing procedures and forming a relationship with an external veterinarian.

They also partnered with the ASPCA Northern Tier Shelter Initiative and Mikey’s Chance Rescue to manage a canine parvovirus outbreak at the shelter.

As a result they are getting more animals into homes faster, since the animals now receive medical care and vaccinations when they arrive, she said.

The new managers have also worked through the backlog of animals waiting for spaying and neutering, partnered with area rescues, and installed security cameras at the shelter.

“While there is more work to do at the (animal control authority), it has become clear that these services are better provided by a governmental agency,” she said. “Pasco, Kennewick and Richland leadership have discussed a city-managed operation and agree the contractor structure is not a viable option at this time.”

The budget will pay for 20 full-time employees, which is the same number currently working at the shelter. The plans also call for a permanent animal services manager who will oversee the operation.

“I think Angela has brought it a long way, but a professional shelter manager that does this kind of thing for a living and is trained to do it, I think is going to be a plus,” Zabell said at the Oct. 11 meeting.

The shelter has developed procedures to make sure each animal gets the attention it needs. This has meant cutting back on the number of animals the shelter could potentially house,

Pashon said they plan to keep the euthanasia rate below 10%.

In response to Pashon’s report, Councilman Craig Maloney pointed out that the new structure will make the system more transparent. This will mean people will know who they can address complaints to.

“I think this is the right direction that we’re going,” he said. “We’ll get a more premium product.”

Lingering lawsuits

While the city is moving forward with improving the animal shelter, the criminal and civil cases surrounding fallout from Neo’s Nation continue to linger.

The active cases revolve around a $545,000 donation from a retired railroad engineer and Army veteran. He divided his $1.5 million estate between three nonprofit agencies, including the Tri-Cities Animal Shelter.

The donation was meant to be used “exclusively for charitable and educational purposes,” according to a lawsuit filed by the city.

Julie Chambers, the former financial officer, remains accused of siphoning $300,000 from the shelter account to buy a house in Richland. She is still charged with first-degree theft and money laundering in Franklin County Superior Court.

Her trial is scheduled for Nov. 16.

Chambers has previously claimed she was owed the money after she spent her own funds when the organization took over the shelter.

A civil case in Benton County by Pasco officials continues to languish after a flurry of filings in late April and early May.

The city is trying to claw back $10,000 bonuses that were paid to Chambers and then shelter Director Rebecca Howard and a $5,000 bonus paid to the former shelter manager.

There haven’t been any new developments in the case since then.

The animal cruelty charges that were initially filed against Howard in December, and then dropped, have not been filed again.

This story was originally published October 21, 2022 at 5:30 AM.