Dickinson's animal shelter, Bayou Animal Services (BAS), will have to discover ways to cut costs after spending nearly $75,000 more than what was budgeted. A combination of overcrowding, unexpected emergency costs and overtime resulted in BAS facing a proposed budget of $672,010 for the city's 2024-25 fiscal year that begins on Tuesday (10/01/2024). The projection is a 28.2% drop from its original 2023-24 budget of $937,050. The shelter finished the 2022-23 fiscal year spending $968,714, a $74,489 hike over the projected budget of $894,225. BAS' expenses were surprising to city administrators and city council as the budget for the city's animal shelter ignited an online social debate about its future. Some Dickinson residents believed the city had plans to shut down BAS. The future of BAS was the hot topic during a Tuesday evening (9/17/2024) city council presentation on Dickinson's 2024-25 budget. Plans for how BAS will generate funding were discussed, with grants, an active social media campaign and a request for more volunteers the primary focus.

Posted by Brandon i45NOW at 2024-09-18 02:49:23 UTC