Knoxnews.com 1/19/07

From coverage of Blount County Commission meeting. By Robert Wilson

The commission also voted Thursday night to authorize County Mayor Jerry Cunningham to cement an agreement with Loudon County and his longtime friend and counterpart there, Mayor Doyle Arp, to help Blount County with its animal control problem.

Cunningham said he has a commitment from Arp for Loudon to accept Blount's stray and turned-in animals for a fee of $4,000 a month through the end of the county's fiscal year June 30. After that the arrangement will be re-evaluated and may be extended.

The county already had funds appropriated for animal control through this fiscal year and had about $69,000 left in the budget when its contract for animal control with the city of Maryville expired Dec. 31.

Those funds will be used to pay Loudon County and also to hire an animal control officer - the one laid off by Maryville when the contract expired - through June 30.

With a budget of more than $150,000.00, The Loudon County Animal Shelter is already servicing a large area including all of Loudon County, Loudon and Lenoir City. One can only speculate what impact the addition of Blount County's animals will have on the facility and it's employees.

Records do not show that Loudon County Commission has approved this agreement.

There was an earlier knoxnews.com story on this issue. Blount To Seek Proposals