By Adam Pack
Last Tuesday, Greenbrier Humane Society President Jennifer Runyon presented the Society’s annual report for 2021 to the Greenbrier County Commission, and discussed the Society’s request for funding for fiscal year 2022-2023.
President Runyon highlighted a handful of statistics for the Humane Society’s year, chief among them was the fact that the Humane Society has once again recorded a year in which they’ve managed to euthanize no animals due to lack of space. In fact, on Feb. 20, 2021, the Society celebrated eight years without having euthanized a single animal due to space constraints. In 2021 the Society provided care for and or housed nearly 1,650 animals. Out of that number, 827 found forever homes after being in the society’s care.
Runyon also mentioned that the Society’s spay and neuter program has been very successful. The Society has provided low to no cost spaying and neutering services to the community since 2009. The funds for these operations comes from fundraisers organized by the Society, meaning no county money is spent. In 2021 alone, 1,815 dogs and cats were spayed or neutered.
Runyon’s presentation ended with the Society’s request for annual funding. The Commission is being asked to allocate $200,000 for the fiscal year 2023. They have until Apr. 30 to sign the new contract, and the current funding contract expires on June 30. According to a handout given to members of the Commission, the funds are largely for payroll expenses, with $145,000, or 72 percent of their total expenses, allotted for payroll. The second largest item is various veterinary services, totaling $28,000 and making up 14 percent of the budget. The rest of the budget is divided among several utilities.
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