Mackinac County Commissioners Consider Animal Shelter Management Issues
By Karen Gould

Ginger Valentine, manager of the Mackinac County animal shelter, has signed a new one-year employment contract with a 3.3 percent cost-of-living allowance. She will receive $8.78 per hour for a 40 hour week under the contract, signed December 28. The board of commissioners is seeking to more clearly define the roles of the county, the manager, and the volunteer group working at the animal shelter.

Mrs. Valentine's contract was modified this year to remove the word "exclusive" from a paragraph that had given her exclusive management to maintain and operate the county facility on Cheeseman Road in St. Ignace. Commissioners said the word confused management responsibilities by excluding the commission. The contract also calls for Mrs. Valentine to have the shelter open daily from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., or by appointment, and to provide "an adoption program to ensure humane, permanent homes are found for all adoptable animals."

In December meeting, Commission Chair Dawn Nelson asked Mrs. Valentine to explain where the revenue from adoption fees goes and if the fees are turned in to the county treasurer's office. Mrs. Valentine explained the funds are used by Mackinac Animal Aid Association (MAAA), an independent, volunteer group working at the shelter, to help with spaying and neutering costs.

MAAA bears the cost of spaying and neutering, tests, immunizations, and advertising to promote adoption, with the average cost of more than $150 for a dog and $140 for a cat. Adoption fees are $60 for a dog and $40 for a cat.

During the commission meeting Thursday, January 11, Mrs. Valentine asked commissioners to consider adding $3,000 to the budget so she could pay someone to help her clean cages and care for the animals. She had made the same request last year, but commissioners said they would wait until the new board was seated in January. The two new commissioners, Mike Patrick and Calvin McPhee, were appointed Thursday as liaisons between the commission and the shelter.

Commissioners voiced concerns about accounting, liability, and insurance, and said they will seek professional advice before taking action on Mrs. Valentine's request for help.

Mrs. Valentine said since she is the only one working at the shelter, she has been paying people to help her from her own funds. She said that MAAA also pays her a salary, although she did not say how much.

Jo Ford of MAAA attended a December 14 commission meeting and said the group is changing its mission and purpose, but did not go into detail. She offered to give commissioners copies of the documents when completed.

Earlier last year, MAAA had refused to sign a contract with the county to spell out its responsibilities in animal care. At that time, Mrs. Ford told commissioners the animals were the commissions' responsibility and that MAAA never took ownership of the animals.

Commissioners said they appreciated the information because they had been under the mistaken impression that after the first 10 days of care, MAAA took over the care of the animals. The county's policy calls for euthanasia after the 10 days. Commissioners now say they will have to review the policy.

"We're going to remove ourselves from being so closely related to the county animal shelter," said Mrs. Ford during the December meeting. "That way, we're not obligated to do so. We can still be involved, but we'll be pretty much like the other group in Cedarville [Friends of the Animals]. We'll just be taking care of animals."

The next County Commission meeting is Thursday, January 25, at 3:30 p.m. in the Mackinac County Courthouse annex building.