By Sam Parsons

The Ottumwa City Council held a special meeting this week to discuss the status of the city’s financial agreement with Heartland Humane Society. Board member Garrett Ross spoke on behalf of Heartland at the meeting and reiterated the animal shelter’s need for additional funding.

The Heartland Humane Society serves all of Wapello County and adjacent communities, but Ross estimated that 60-70% of the animals in the shelter come from the city of Ottumwa. Currently, the shelter receives $1,000 a year in funding from Wapello County, and their agreement with the city of Ottumwa provides that the city subsidizes 10% of the slots in the shelter, which amounts to roughly $10 per animal per day. Ross said that the current expenses per animal per day amount to about $20 per animal per day, and that the shelter is currently operating at a loss of $3,000-5,000 per month. Ultimately, the council requested more concrete information on the expenses per animal and will revisit the agreement in a future meeting.

The council also discussed a possible new ordinance for ATV and UTV usage within city limits. No action was taken, but city administrator Philip Rath received direction to consult with the city’s legal department to research and draft a possible ordinance for next year.