HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0140.045 2000-2002
~ROr Nature Walk Gifts PHONE N0. 808 322 5641 May. 15 2001 01:03PM Pi
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~3~a°T~: NBay 15, ~s~~1
M~r..kan~es ~4rakaki, chairman
i~awal'i County Council
i=ax: 961-8912
FR®M: tmi. Ross Sheldon
Vice President, ~®arti of Directors
~iawai'i island Humane Society
FaX: 322-581
I$ ~ : May 1 ~ NOeeting
Operating Budget for the C®uraty of Hawaii
Testimony, Sill 38
~~iYn~t C®stt~®I Contrast
Mem~rs of the Hawal'i bounty CouncEi:
Please c®nsider the f®i!®morng written testimony when discussing the c®unty
budget siiocsti®n for the 6~nima0 Con$roi C®ntract.
Number of pages including cover shut: ~
~~aa, No. ~ .
g`?1e No.
.
FROr; Nature Walk Gifts PHONE ND. 808 322 5641 May. 15 2001 01:03PM P2
Fax transmission Continued -page 2 oi: ~
De4T'E: Ntay 1 S, 2001
T0: NiP. J~ii~es ~F~kaki, Cfiaii:r~iari F~QM: MI. Rb~~ 5o~eld®n
Mawai'i County Council Board of Directors
s~IHS
i am writing to urge the bounty council to adequately fund the anirraal control
contract via the Hawaii island Humane Society (I~IIHS) for the corning fiscal
year. I would ask that you support, at a r~ninirrrurri, the administration's
~~~~~a ~~a~~~ ~®r wn-IS o~ ~77s,~av.
In all fairness, it should be pointed out that ~77g,Q00 Is not an Increase from
ari ~~X~®n5~~' ~er8t cif v~~W+. lAor fisEal yeas y the ~n8~na~ G®rltfol
contract is in fact costing about that earns art~ount. The difference is that
this ~as~ year, the Hii~ane S®cielji has siib§sdized tfi~ ~a~itr'act day ni®r~
than ~1 DD,®®® in order to continue services to the citizens of the gig Island.
We have been fore®d to put many of the Humane Society programs on hold in
order to make up for th+~ contract deflect.
It Is not the responsibility of a non-profit organization to pay for the county
animal control contract. gut even 0'P the Humane Society was willing to
accept that responsibUity, we could not continue to do so for the coming
~~sca1 'yeas n®i- ~bf Tut'u'r~ ~a~idg+rt~, D'ue ~fi~ ~'i~b1~in®ii~ clrairt b'f ~i~r~ey
Born H1H5 to support anlrnal control over the last two years, we no longer
have the financial ability to subsidize the contract.
it should be noted that even at ~778,DOD H1WS will not be able to III all
vacant ~slti®ns. W® viii 6®ntin~se t® find creative ways of d®ing more with
less. ~lowever, if the County Council is unwilling to fund the animal contr®I
~~fitra~t at file adiiilriistrati®h'~ i'ecoi~i~iei~decl level, eNe eNill be forced f® ciit
back services. `This is not a choice we take lightly. Qur willingness to step up
for the past two years to make up the m®netary shortfall should make it
clear where our priorities lie. gut we no longer have the financial resources,
and the Board of ®irectors has a lega4 responsibility to ensure that HIHS does
not go bankrupt.
1AI! of us at HII°IS are grateful to Dili T'akaba of the F#nance f~epartment f®r
working with Grayson Hashlda, our executive director, to increase the
administration's ®riginal budget. We hope the C®unty Council will now
C~ntinibe tb iiii3v~ f®r~i~~~ in That same direction.