Animal control feud deepens rift between Spokane and Spokane County

(The Center Square) - The city of Spokane may split from another regional partnership after Spokane County rejected a request on Friday to participate in picking a new head of its animal control agency.

Friday’s letter from Scott Simmons, chief executive officer of the county, highlights the latest divide between the two. The council had voted unanimously last Monday to send a letter to the county asking it to consider their input, but Simmons says neither party ever agreed to run the agency together.

Councilmember Michael Cathcart led the effort last week and has said Spokane may set up its own animal control agency soon. If that happens, it would add to a list of recent splits; most recently, the city pulled out of Spokane Regional Emergency Communications after years of failed negotiations.

“All employees of SCRAPS are employees of the County,” Simmons responded to the council, citing their 2020 interlocal agreement contracting the services. “The relationship between the parties under this agreement is that of an independent contractor where the City is a customer of County services.”

Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service, or SCRAPS, has faced criticism for years over its euthanasia policies and alleged unethical treatment of animals. The city adopted its own policy in 2023 after it seemed like SCRAPS was euthanizing to create space, which the county also took issue with.

Former SCRAPS Director Jesse Ferrari denied the allegations at the time, but the council adopted its policy anyway. That ordinance prohibited the practice to make room for more animals, following other amendments to their agreement that outlawed euthanasia outside of cases of irremediable prognosis.

Ferrari resigned in July, making room for a new leader, but SCRAPS’s future may not involve the city.

The county sent a letter in 2023, raising concerns about conflicting policies, and, last Friday, Simmons cited a lack of “meaningful progress on the city’s behalf” to resolve the issue. Cathcart said the Board of County Commissioners agreed to the changes, so the only conflict he saw was their euthanasia policy.

“If they want to say that one conflict there, great, fine; but ultimately, what they’re saying is that they want to be able to euthanize over space,” Cathcart told The Center Square, “and that’s something that they keep saying that they don’t do, and so that’s where there’s just this conflict overall.”

Simmons said the county is aware that the council engaged a consultant to evaluate their needs and whether the city should prop up its own services. Cathcart confirmed that for The Center Square, but said nothing is yet set in stone; he values the regional framework and hopes to avoid another split.

The city and county’s agreement expires at the end of the year, raising the stakes on a short timeline.

Spokane has until January to set up its own dispatch service and could face a similar deadline if the council doesn’t renew the SCRAPS agreement. Both jurisdictions are facing budget deficits ahead of next year and are looking for savings wherever possible, but this could complicate matters for each.

Simmons said the Board of County Commissioners is already in the middle of its budget process and is doing so with the “assumption” that the city is preparing to get its animal control services elsewhere.

Cathcart said any decision is months away, but noted that he anticipates receiving a study from the consultant soon. Unless the council found another provider, propping up services of their own would require paying for upfront capital costs, but Cathcart reaffirmed that his goal is to stay with SCRAPS.

“That’s the most ideal outcome; but if we have to do something different because of the community outcry, just on the policies, then it’s entirely possible that a short extension would be necessary,” he told The Center Square. “At the end of the day, our constituents are, in fact, their constituents.”