Marion County commissioners discussed rising costs linked to the no-kill animal shelter

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OCALA, Fla. (WCJB) – For the past 12 years, Marion County has provided animal services to the city of Ocala. A few years back, residents expressed the desire to transition Marion County Animal Services into a no-kill shelter. They reached that goal, but that also brought changes.

In 2021, Marion County created an agreement for the municipalities involved reflecting the higher cost of a no-kill shelter. During the first half of 2021, all municipalities including the city of Ocala agreed to this deal; however, that changed in the second half of 2021 when all municipalities agreed, except for the city of Ocala.

County staff said maintaining a no-kill shelter increases pricing for food, medical supplies, surgical equipment, and overall costs of sheltering animals.

“We will discuss moving forward, the alternative that they proposed, where we would increase the level of service by adding two dedicated animal control officers to the city who are run by the county,” shared Ocala City Manager, Peter Lee.

The base cost to the city in this agreement would be $188,000.

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