Panel OKs more funds for shelter

Commission still must approve $45,000 from general fund to keep city's animal control in operation
Web posted Wednesday, November 1, 2000

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By Heidi Coryell
Staff Writer

Richmond County's animal control budget is out of control, and the department's new director is asking the Augusta Commission to grab the reins.

Director Bonnie Bragdon provided a spreadsheet of figures to an Augusta Commission panel Tuesday, showing that the department she took over this summer is expected to be nearly $75,000 over budget by the end of 2000.

Bonnie Bragdon: Director told commissioners that the department is out of money. FILE/STAFF

``Basically, we're out of money,'' Ms. Bragdon said Tuesday, after the public safety committee voted unanimously to approve $45,345.47 from the general fund.

The committee's approval sends the funding request on to the next full commission meeting, scheduled for Tuesday. If the request does not go through next week, Ms. Bragdon says she would have only about $8,000 to spend during the next three months on employee salaries, supplies and other needs.

A line-item budget from 2000 shows that 14 of animal control's accounts had zero dollars allotted for them, including: employee sick days; vacation time; equipment and grounds fees; physicians; and the landfill fees paid to dispose of dead animals.

Animal control has had to spend $3,758 on animal traps, which were never budgeted for in the department's finances.

``Things were overlooked or ignored,'' said acting City Administrator Walter Hornsby. ``(Ms. Bragdon) is finding out there are some things she needs to attend to.''

Several of animal control's accounts that did have some funding allocated were already over budget for the entire year by September, including more than $57,000 paid out in overtime, when only $30,000 was budgeted. Other accounts that already have exceeded their 2000 budget include cleaning supplies, natural gas, personnel costs and general office supplies.

``Jim had basically been running (the shelter) on a shoestring,'' said Albert Denis, the budget analyst in charge of animal control finances. ``He kept the same budget year after year without changing anything.''

And while department directors are responsible for drafting and submitting a budget request to the finance department each year, Mr. Denis said he prepared the 2001 budget with the help of several other animal control employees.

Mr. Larmer had no involvement in that process, Mr. Denis said. But the department director still signed off on the report.

``He had no interest,'' Mr. Denis said. ``He was involved in other things, apparently. I don't know what.''

The 2001 budget requests a budgetary increase of more than 20 percent and creates a new animal control officer position.

Mayor Bob Young said he had never looked at the line-item breakdown of animal control's budget, but the reported deficiencies do not surprise him.

``The worst thing we can do is bring someone like Bonnie Bragdon in here, and then set her up to fail,'' Mr. Young said. ``We need to give her the tools so she can succeed.''

Reach Heidi Coryell at (706) 823-3215.

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