The Animal Foundation may get $11M contract extension

City and county officials are set to vote this week on a proposed $11.44 million, one year contract extension with The Animal Foundation, according to local municipalities agendas.

The item could be voted on by the Clark County Commission Tuesday, followed by the city councils of Las Vegas and North Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Under the proposal, the county will contribute $4.5 million through June 2026 for the contract. It includes an option to be renewed for four one-year periods, according to the agendas.

“The County is grateful to have reached an agreement with The Animal Foundation, reflective of the priorities of the Board, but would defer to the Board’s discretion to consider these items tomorrow,” a county spokesperson wrote in statement Monday.

“We are thrilled to have reached an agreement with all three municipalities that ensures we can continue serving the animals and people of our community,” the nonprofit said in a statement Monday evening. “We welcomed the opportunity to take extra time to make sure the new contract is fair for all parties and reflects both the changing needs of animal welfare and the growth happening across the valley.”

The county said that it is addressing supplemental shelter space, adding that “solving animal welfare is a community problem, and we encourage the public to spay and neuter their pets and dogs before you shop.”

Las Vegas, which will contribute about as much as the county, noted that the there is an option for a 5 percent increase each renewal year.

In addition, a second Las Vegas City Council agenda item proposes a $689,500 grant to “transfer animals out of” the Lied Animal Shelter to The Animal Foundation’s adoption center.

Clark County noted that the municipalities have the option to terminate the contract “for cause.”

The municipalities fund about one-third of the nonprofit’s overall budget, which cover law-mandated holds for animals found or taken from people.

The city of Henderson operates its own animal shelter.

Animal advocates chastise the Animal Foundation

Since the outset of the pandemic, the shelter at 655 N. Mojave Road has struggled to keep up with space for the animals.

Meanwhile, animal advocates have repeatedly accused the nonprofit of mismanagement, inhumane treatment of animals, and not working with local groups to ease the issues.

Clark County and Las Vegas have audited the shelter.

In 2023, The Animal Foundation disclosed that it had euthanized nearly twice as many dogs in 2022 than it did in 2021.

The 2,261 dogs put down in 2022 reflected about a 91 percent increase. The Animal Foundation leadership has said the problem is not unique to the valley and is a reflection of the pandemic’s economic downturn across the U.S.

“We’re not criticizing the volunteers or the low-level workers and front-line staff, we’re criticizing the leadership,” Gina Greisen of Nevada Voters for Animals recently told the Las Vegas Review-Journal about the shelter.

Advocates like Greisen have alleged that the shelter had been releasing animals without spaying and neutering them, a contractual obligation.

Mayor Shelley Berkley contested the accusation last month, calling it “factually inaccurate.”

The mayor said shelter staff issue vouchers to get the pets fixed and follow up, a requirement before a permanent adoption is approved.

Berkley said she was comfortable with a contract renewal.

“We can’t do it without them, and they can’t do it without us,” she said about the arrangement.

Greisen lamented that former Las Vegas Councilwoman Victoria Seaman stepped down from her elected position last month because she was a vociferous animal advocate in City Hall.

“I don’t know how you could fail up,” Greisen said about the prospect of a contract renewal.

Officials with Las Vegas and North Las Vegas did not immediately respond to inquiries seeking comment about the agenda items.

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.