CALDWELL, Idaho — "If we don't have it, we don't have it," said Nampa Mayor Debbie Kling.
"The shelter as we know it is at stake here," said West Valley Humane Society Vice President of the Board of Directors Nicole Criner.
Click here to learn more on the ongoing animal service dispute:
A decade-long partnership may come to an end.
"The lack of increase with our municipal partner has backed us into a corner, really," Criner said.
Criner says their request for a budget increase totaling up to $1.5 million is not a want but a need.
"We knew our shelter within a year would close without it," Criner said.
Criner tells me they have not seen funding increases since they took over sheltering operations with Canyon County in 2011.
Receiving around $351,000 from Caldwell, Nampa, and the county.
"Recognizing their financial challenges, we increased our budget from $83,000 to $483,000, an increase of $400,000 a year, that's almost unheard of," Kling said.
Nampa Mayor Debbie Kling says while it's been a long partnership, budgets across the board are tight.
"Right now, proportionally, Nampa is carrying a heavier lift than Caldwell and Canyon County," Kling said.
Canyon County and Caldwell also increased their funding, but Caldwell fell short of the asking price.
"If we were to accept these funds, we would be coming back to the community asking for additional donations within a year of receiving this increase," Criner said.
So each municipality decided to meet and make a decision.
"West Valley didn't give them room for negotiation, so that's what triggered the meeting," said Aaron Williams, director of constituent services.
It concluded with a request for proposal totaling nearly $1 million for a potential change in shelter services.
What was the initial reaction?
"It was something that we encouraged," Criner said.
I reached out to the city of Caldwell multiple times regarding their response to the RFP.
While they denied an on-camera interview, they stated they agree on trying to find the best way to move forward for a fiscally responsible animal shelter.
"We're hoping as we progress forward, we continue our relationship with the West Valley Humane Society and re-encourage them to apply within the RFP process and hopefully just understand what is the dynamic with animals services with Canyon County," Williams said.
While the non-profit tells me they will be applying for the proposal.
"A shelter will be needed, whether that is a municipal-run shelter, you might see an increase in euthanasias if that's the case, or things along those lines, because municipal-run shelters can't always historically house as many animals as a humane society can," Criner said.
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