Hawaiian Humane Society cutting services

The Hawaiian Humane Society is now providing fewer services for the city under a new, one-year contract that takes effect immediately, the two parties said today.

The humane society has been under a $2.3 million annual contract, and will continue to receive that amount for reduced services.

The Moiliili nonprofit’s Web site said it will no longer:

>> Provide law enforcement investigations except for animal cruelty cases.

>> Pick up stray animals.

>> Be responsible for barking dogs.

>> Deal with cat complaints.

>> Provide other animal-related field services work.

Those responsibilities will now be handled by the Honolulu Police Department, according to a city spokesman Jesse Broder Van Dyke said. 

Still being handled by the humane society, but only from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, are:

>> Basic stray animal services, including 

>> Capture and holding of aggressive loose dogs.

>> Animal emergency situations where an animal’s life or public safety is being imminently threatened.

HPD will handle calls during the humane society’s closing hours, the organization said.

HPD issued a statement this afternoon saying the new contract will have "minimal or no impact on police operations." 

"While (police) have not seen the final contract, it is our understanding that the Humane Society will no longer pick up stray animals and is advising the public to take stray and injured animals to its Waialae facility," the HPD statement said.

The humane society has had the contract to run animal control operations for the city for a number of years.

It has been under a $2.3 million annual contract that has had the option to be renewed annually for more years.

The city re-bid the contract recently and the humane society was the sole bidder. The organization, however, asked for an $800,000 increase to deal with rising costs, Broder Van Dyke said.

The city, however, facing a budget shortfall, declined the increase and instead the two parties entered negotiations which resulted in retaining the $2.3 million annual amount for the reduced amount of services, Broder Van Dyke said.

“It was a joint decision,” he said.

Long a target of critics who don’t believe animals should be euthanized, proposals before the City Council to place restrictions or more regulation on the Humane Society through the city’s animal services contract have failed to muster majority support.

The Caldwell administration is anticipating a $26 million shortfall in the 2013-2014 budget year that began on July 1, Broder Van Dyke said.

While the city would like the Humane Society to continue the same services as the previous contract, it cannot meet the organization’s need for additional funding because it must focus on its core services, he said.

He cited the City Council’s failure to approve a hike in the city’s fuel tax, which would have added $15 million, its decision to $8 million to $9 million in grants to nonprofits, and a larger-than-anticipated collective bargaining agreement with city police officers.

While Mayor Kirk Caldwell has warned the nonprofits targeted to receive the money that they may not get the funding, there is no way the city can use the money for other purposes, Broder Van Dyke said.

Other impacts to the public stemming from the budget shortfall are still being hashed out and will be discussed at a future date, he said.

See what the humane society has to say about the new contract and what services will be affected on its Web site here: http://www.hawaiianhumane.org/animalcontrolcontract