Where was the oversight? Strays should not have suffered at the Tri-Cities Animal Shelter

That a hefty donation meant to help abandoned animals was misdirected and allegedly used to pad personal bank accounts is alarming.

But add to that the number of animals found suffering at the Tri-Cities Animal Shelter in Pasco and the situation becomes more shameful.

City leaders in Pasco, Kennewick and Richland need to figure out a better way to care for stray animals in the community. The shelter has been run by three different managers since 2019, and perhaps now is the time to re-think contracting out such an important service.

Putting animal shelter operations completely under city control likely would cost more, but if it provides better oversight of the operations then maybe it is worth it.

At the very least, Tri-City leaders need to get creative. If anything, they need to make sure the next system put in place holds shelter mangers accountable on a regular basis — not just when problems arise.

The $545,000 donation from the estate of a frugal retired railroad engineer in April should have been used to improve conditions for the dogs and cats at the shelter.

But instead it led to the downfall of those in charge of the operation, with one now facing criminal charges of felony theft and money laundering, and others facing a lawsuit.

In the midst of this tragedy looms one critical question: Where was the oversight?

The Tri-Cities Animal Shelter, operated by the nonprofit Neo’s Nation Animal Foundation, provides animal control services for Pasco, Kennewick and Richland under an $875,000 contract that is split evenly between the cities.

Grants, fundraising and donations pay for other shelter costs, such as veterinarian bills and vaccines.

While the cities are not allowed to accept donations, safeguards still should have been in place to better monitor shelter operations — especially after the huge donation was publicly announced.

The donation was no secret, and city officials should have been prepared to make sure they knew exactly how that money was going to be spent. At the very least, they could have made inquiries right away about the infusion of cash and how it was going to be put to use.

Instead, it took several months before city officials realized what was going on. Last week’s raid at the shelter was prompted by citizen complaints.

Good thing people cared enough to alert authorities.

Dozens of animals were found sick or malnourished and all were removed and placed in the care of other Tri-City animal rescue groups, including the Benton-Franklin Humane Society which is taking over shelter operations for now.

While the shelter serves all three cities, Pasco has the primary responsibility for it.

The city of Pasco has now canceled its contract with Neo’s Nation Animal Foundation, and city attorneys have sued three shelter employees.

The lawsuit alleges that shelter director Rebecca Howard and Julie Chambers, chief financial officer, both received $10,000 bonuses and that Justin Hernandez, general operations manager at the shelter, got a $5,000 bonus.

In addition, Chambers is accused of stealing $300,000 from the half-million dollar donation to buy a house and $31,000 to pay off credit cards.

But Scott Johnson, Chambers’ defense attorney, said his client loaned money to get the nonprofit going and was repaid when the nonprofit had the funds, and that no crime was committed.

Even so, in the meantime the animals suffered. During the recent raid, four dogs and 30 cats were found in need of immediate treatment.

Whatever chain of events led to this point, the dogs and cats that were supposed to be getting care appear to instead have been neglected — which is the opposite of the shelter’s mission.

The old shelter has been inadequate for years, so it is good news that the recent mess won’t stop construction next spring on a new shelter facility paid for by the cities.

Now is the perfect time for Tri-City leaders to figure out how to keep this from happening again.

They need to set up a system that better protects the animals that end up in their care.