Dec 14, 2017 3 min read

Washington Area Humane Society asked North Strabane Township supervisors Tuesday for $25,000 from the township’s 2018 budget. The supervisors said “not now.”

Dave Kassekert, president of the board of directors for the society, addressed the township, asking for the grant to go toward treatment and care of rescued animals.

“In the past, we’ve done a good job of not needing government money,” he said at the meeting. “Things change. We’ve become much more of a police agency.”

Kassekert said the humane society employs one full-time humane police officer, which up until two years ago was not a “big function.”

“In the last two years, the calls have gotten a lot more frequent, and the calls we’re running into are a lot more severe,” he said.

Kelly Proudfit, director of the humane society, said two of their cases within the last year cost them more than $111,000 in food, lodging and care of rescued animals. She said their humane officer gets about 500 calls a year.

“We’ve seen an increase in the need, but we don’t have the budget to keep up with it,” Proudfit said. “The cost for these animals is hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical care.”

Kassekert said the society, which operates across Washington County, also doesn’t have a full-time veterinarian, so they have to “pay outside” for those services, which are expensive.

“We don’t expect North Strabane to pay for the whole county,” Kassekert said to the supervisors. “However, this is our home – we’d like to start here.”

Tuesday wasn’t the first time the society asked for money from North Strabane. Proudfit said she addressed the board a few months ago seeking funds for operations and for the society’s proposed $4 million shelter facility. She said the township recommended she seek Local Share Account funds for the capital project.

The society took the township’s advice. It raised $3.5 million for the 11,000-square-foot building and is seeking $500,000 in LSA funds to make up the difference. But Proudfit said they still need help with operations funding.

“As it gets harder and more competitive to fund-raise, how are we going to sustain these services if we’re not getting support from out township?” she said.

The supervisors questioned the timing of the latest request, and said there is some confusion as to where, exactly, the money would go, since the society previously requested funding for capital building projects.

“I think they’re having a problem with their message,” Supervisor Robert Balogh said during the meeting. “You’re coming in at the 11th hour when we’ve already advertised a budget.”

Supervisor Sonia Stopperich Sulc said she was “uncomfortable” being the first township approached to fund the operations.

“I just don’t like the timing of it,” she said.

Supervisor Marcus Staley said he was concerned about setting a precedent and having other nonprofits seek funding.

“I appreciate what they do,” he said. “My concern is setting a precedent giving taxpayer dollars to a private enterprise.”

Kassekert said he was disappointed with North Strabane’s reaction to the request, but the organization would continue to seek funding from other municipalities.

“Hopefully they’ll be more generous than North Strabane,” he said.