Photo of Shelter as of August 2015.
Amid Parish Council concerns (a couple of members anyway) that Ascension is paying too much for its new Animal Shelter, Companion Animal Rescue of Ascension (CARA) continues oversight of the current shelter on Airline Hwy in Sorrento. The Parish Council approved CARA’s annual budget on Thursday, appropriating $450,000 without objection as part of its Consent Agenda.
Approval of Renewal of the Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with Companion Animal Rescue of Ascension (CARA) to provide $450,000.00 to CARA to operate an animal shelter located at 9894 Airline Hwy, Sorrento, LA 70778 for a term of one year beginning November 30, 2025 (Ruth Phillips, Infrastructure Division Director)
CARA has come a long way from its 2012 incorporation as a non-profit dedicated to care and protection of Ascension’s animal population. Who recalls the (pardon the pun) dogfight over CARA’s takeover of the Animal Shelter in 2015?
A begrudging council authorized the organization to oversee the shelter going forward, allocation $200,000 toward the purpose on September 17, 2015. That agreement was, according to then Parish President Tommy Martinez, supposed to be for ten years with certain recalcitrant council members repeatedly attempting to withhold annual monies for operation.
CARA’s budget, unsurprisingly, continued to escalate as the animal population increased along with the human population. The cost became less of an issue when Ascension voters (6,398 of them) approved a mill’s worth of property tax (valued at nearly $2 million annually at present) dedicated to “an animal shelter” in December of 2018. For seven years the tax has funded current shelter operations, the parish banking as much cash as it could to pay for a long-awaited new facility.
The ballot initiative…
Shall the Parish of Ascension, State of Louisiana (the “Parish”) levy and collect a tax of one (1) mill on all property subject to taxation in the Parish (an estimated $1,300,000.00 reasonably expected at this time to be collected from the levy of the tax for an entire year) (the “Tax”), for a period of ten (10) years, beginning with the year 2019 and ending with the year 2028, for the purpose of acquiring, constructing, improving, maintaining and operating an animal shelter for the Parish, including necessary equipment and facilities therefor?
NOTE: The value of a parish-wide mill has grown spectacularly since 2018.
A common misconception among the animal loving community, the millage is also dedicated to ongoing operations (not just construction of a new facility). The new one is in the works…
but not without some drama.
CARA’s proposed budget (included in Tuesday’s meeting packet) includes $645,286.00 of EXPENSES:
- Wages – $296,656.76
- Withholdings – $45,805.54
- Insurance – $16,323.70
- Utilities – $22,000.00
- Maintenance – $10,000.00
- Cleaning Supplies – $10,000.00
- Vaccinations/Dewormer – $46,000.00
- HW Tests/ Combo Tests – $26,000.00 $9.00/test
- Microchip – $10,000.00
- Misc. Med. Sup. – $22,000.00
- Vet Fees – $93,000.00
- Animal Food – $36,500.00
- Office Supplies – $6,000.00
- Vehicles Maintenance/Gas – $5,000.00
PROJECTED INCOME is $583,000.00.
- Parish – $450,000.00
- Adoption Fees – $51,000.00
- Rabies Tags – $35,000.00
- Donations/Grants – TBD
- Fundraisers – $47,000.00
Loading ...