The latest animal services fiasco in South County
– asking the cities for contributions – continues a pattern of
silly inefficiency
Santa Clara County officials have a modest proposal for residents of Gilroy and Morgan Hill: Give us nearly $20,000 for our spay-and-neuter program, and in exchange, we’ll give you, um, nothing.
That’s a hard bargain to sell, and one we trust that Gilroy and Morgan Hill officials, who are being asked to contribute $6,650 and $10,545, respectively, will decline.
Instead, we propose a counter offer.
The cities could contribute the extra money in exchange for reasonably expanded animal services from the county. Specifically, all South County residents – whether they live in an incorporated city or in the unincorporated county – should be able to drop off stray animals at the county’s San Martin animal shelter.
Actually, it would make more sense to cooperatively work out a joint agreement for animal-related services throughout the South County region, but that’s been on the table for years and for whatever inexplicable reason goes nowhere fast.
Currently, the San Martin shelter won’t accept stray or unwanted animals from city residents. Instead, Gilroy and Morgan Hill residents have to take those animals to the Humane Society of Silicon Valley – all the way in Santa Clara. That applies to the cities’ animal control officers as well. Ah, local government efficiency at its finest.
It’s ridiculous that a fine animal shelter with high adoption rates is located in the heart of South County, but the vast majority of South County residents can’t take stray animals there. Why District One Santa Clara County Supervisor Don Gage’s office can’t take care of this obvious gaping hole in efficiency and get a contractual joint agreement done that makes sense is an inglorious mystery.
We’ve been asking for years for that to change. Here’s a chance for Gilroy and Morgan Hill to leverage the county’s funding request into a fix for this problem that will benefit both the critters and the humans residing in of all of South County.
Of the three entities, the county is clearly in a deep budget crisis and Gilroy is dipping into reserve funds to the tune of roughly $3 million this fiscal year, roughly $5 million next fiscal year. But as Mayor Al Pinheiro pointed out in a guest column published Saturday, Gilroy’s yearly deficit projections are decreasing.
That seems like a perfect opening for Mr. Gage to bring the animal services question to the table. Santa Clara County should not have to beg for contributions from the cities. There should be a joint agreement that makes sense: The county should provide over-arching animal services to South County residents, and the two cities should pay a fair share.
But that, apparently, makes far too much sense for it to actually happen.
