BMHS ends contract with the county
By Terry Murry on Monday, May 22nd, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WALLA WALLA – Blue Mountain Humane Society has announced its animal control services contract with Walla Walla County has ended after 17 years.
On Thursday, BMHS officials issued a news release detailing the efforts made to renew the contract, with a new proposal submitted to the county on Aug. 18, 2022, which included animal control services. The proposal was presented to the commissioners on Nov. 7, 2022, and subsequent adjustments were made based on their feedback. The updated contract was sent back to the county on Nov. 21, 2022.
The news release states that despite repeated requests for an update, no response was received from the county, prompting the society to take action. On Feb. 8, 2023, BMHS notified the county of its intentions to remove the animal control officer component from the contract and served the county a 90-day notice. BMHS remained committed to finding a solution that would allow for the continuation of animal control officer services, and thus presented two contract options. Option A excluded animal control officer services, and Option B was a comprehensive contract that included animal control officer services, personal protection equipment, training, and personnel. According to BMHS, the county chose to remove key components of Option B which no longer made it a viable option to BMHS. As a result, on May 11, 2023, BMHS formally notified the county it would no longer provide animal control officer services.
On Friday, May 19, the Walla Walla County Board of Commissioners held a special meeting where commissioners Jenny Mayberry, Todd Kimball and Gunner Fulmer unanimously voted to send BMHS a letter to reestablish communication and address animal control services in the county.
“We never stopped communicating with the county,” BMHS Chief Executive Officer Amanda Wernert said in response to Friday’s vote by the commissioners. “And regardless, we will not be offering animal control services moving forward. So they can write all the letters they want; that stance is not going to change.”
