The future of Brownwood’s animal shelter is uncertain after the board of directors of the Brown County Humane Society voted to disband. The organization, also known as the Corrine T. Smith Animal Center, is expected to undergo a transition of power at the end of November or the beginning of December.
Brownwood City Council discussed the shelter’s future during an executive session Tuesday, but the council took no action when it returned to open session. Mayor Stephen Haynes said city officials received a briefing about the situation and now must evaluate how the shelter will be managed.
City reviewing possible operating plans
Haynes said the Brown County Humane Society is expected to disband on Nov. 30 or Dec. 1. At that point, the City of Brownwood will need a transition plan, although officials have not settled on a specific approach.
“We just got a briefing today as far as what’s going on,” Haynes said. “We understand there is going to be a transition of power on Nov. 30 or Dec. 1, where the Brown County Humane Society will disband, and at that point the City will have to have a plan of transition. We don’t know what that looks like exactly yet, it may be we operate the shelter, it may be another service contractor comes in, but we’ll look at all the options between now and then and see what makes the best sense and fit for the City going forward.”
The options under consideration include the city operating the shelter itself or bringing in another service contractor. Haynes said city officials will examine those possibilities before making a decision about the shelter’s future operation.
A city takeover is considered possible, but it has not been finalized. Haynes said other Texas communities operate animal-intake facilities and that Brownwood will review those arrangements and their best practices. If officials do not identify another alternative before Dec. 1, city operation would be the most likely result.
No plan to euthanize all shelter animals
Discussion about the board’s decision has also prompted concern in the community that all animals at the shelter could be euthanized. Haynes rejected that speculation, saying there is no plan for immediate mass euthanasia.
“There’s no plan to immediately euthanize all the animals, and I don’t think that would ever be the plan. We just need to get our arms around the capacity of the shelter and what the intake is that’s coming in to make those types of decisions, but there is no plan euthanize all the animals.”
Haynes said decisions about shelter operations will require officials to understand the facility’s capacity and the number of animals entering it. He did not announce a new intake policy or other operational changes.
Shelter remains open
The Corrine T. Smith Animal Center remains open and operating while the transition is considered. Haynes said his understanding is that the humane society board remains in effect for now, even though it voted to disband at the end of November.
No action was taken by the City Council following its executive-session discussion. The city’s next steps will involve reviewing operating options and determining how the shelter’s responsibilities will be handled after the Brown County Humane Society disbands.