The Baldwin City Council tabled the animal control intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with Habersham County at their Monday night’s meeting.
Baldwin has been working on a fair animal control agreement with the county for over a year. The county has recognized that the city’s tax digest does pay into the overall animal control budget. However, the formula discussed a year ago with the county does not match the formula in the current IGA.
Baldwin’s Chief Administrative Officer, Emily Woodmaster, explained that the formula the county is currently using is not the formula discussed last year.
“The gross digest percentage is just another percentage calculation. It’s not following the actual dollars that entered the county coffer for the purpose of animal control.” She adds, “Again, this is not what we originally discussed last year.”
Woodmaster explained to the council that the new formula is based on the gross digest, not the net digest.
However, the IGA states that the formula is based on the population percentage less the tax digest contribution. Woodmaster contends that it should state the gross tax digest contribution percentage. Even with the change, it still does not follow what was discussed last year.
Councilwoman Alice Venter was involved in the conversations with the county over the last year. She explained to the council that the city had asked to have a conversation about animal control with representatives from all of the cities and the county.
“Unfortunately, the conversation was the county staff going to each individual city instead,” she stated. Venter continued, “What happened to our conversation? What happened to the whole spirit of working together?”
“That did not happen,” Venter added.
The county has given the city until April 30 to make a decision.
Woodmaster explained that the city has the option to approve the agreement, make modifications to the agreement that the county may or may not approve or not approve the agreement.
She explained to the council that if they decline to accept the agreement, the county asks that the city pay $1,400 a month for the services provided up to this point.
The city council voted unanimously to table the animal control agreement until more information can be gathered.
