Erie City Council to Vote on Stray Animal Contract

Two weeks have passed since Erie City Council was scheduled to take a vote on which local organization should hold the contract to care for stray animals in the city.

The topic was pulled from the agenda earlier this month, after controversy surrounding the changed bid of one local shelter.

Both the Humane Society of Northwest Pennsylvania and The A.N.N.A Shelter, bid thousands of dollars for the contract.

The A.N.N.A Shelter has held the contract for the past 9 years; before that, it was the Humane Society.

Community Outreach Spokesperson with the A.N.N.A Shelter, Becky Bogle, said the contract is something the organization would like to keep.

"We feel like we've done a good job," said Bogle.

But back in June, the Humane Society beat the A.N.N.A Shelter's bid of $25,000 a year, or $50,000 over two years, by a bid of $22,000 a year, or $44,000 over two.

Days before council's scheduled August 5th vote, the A.N.N.A Shelter's Executive Director offered the shelters services for free.

It was a move Executive Director of the Humane Society, Nicole Bawol, said she does not believe is fair.

"We followed the policies, we met all the requirements and we were the lowest bidder," said Bawol.  "If we were the high bidder, we would have walked away.  We would have understood that there are policies and procedures in place, that council and the Mayor's administration follow," she said.

Bawol also said the Humane Society often takes the stray animals other local shelters turn away, due to overflow.

"We haven't received city funding in quite some time for the work that we do, and I thought making a bid would be worthwhile," she said.

Ahead of Wednesday's meeting, Bogle submitted a letter to Erie City Council, stating: "We as a board, made up of several city residents, tax-payers and business owners, recommend that you acknowledge the that the lowest dollar amount bid does not have to be put in place".

Bogle said Executive Director of the A.N.N.A Shelter, Ruth Thompson Carroll, feels the shelter is in a place that allows them to put money back into the community.

Something Bawol argues, the A.N.N.A Shelter should have offered to do from the beginning.

"Coming back and saying that they would lend services for free, there's a grey area there," she said.

Bogle said the A.N.N.A Shelter relied on the fact that they have held the contract since 2006.

"We relied on some relationships and we didn't follow the bidding process to the letter," said Bogle.  "We relied on those relationships which obviously backfired on us."

Council is scheduled to vote on the contract at their meeting, Wednesday evening at 7:30 p.m.