CALDWELL, Idaho — West Valley Humane Society is seeking a $1.5 million annual budget from local municipalities to keep its doors open, warning that without increased funding, the shelter could close by spring 2026.
"An animal advocate or not, you are still impacted by this need of animal shelter and animal care in the community," said West Valley Humane Society Board President Nick Lippincott.
Click to learn more on the second town hall meeting with City officials and WVHS representatives:
City officials, residents, and humane society representatives gathered at a town hall meeting to discuss the $540,000 budget request from Caldwell, which is just one piece of the shelter's funding. The current contract with Caldwell is only $84,000.
"Our primary concern is can we sustain that? In a way our staff can feel confident they have jobs, animals are constantly going to be taken care of well, and we know that as we look at the numbers so far as we budgeted for 2026," Lippincott said.
A second town hall meeting brought more concerned residents forward, with some voicing worries while others offered potential solutions to the funding crisis.
Lippincott explained that population growth has outpaced funding for animal services in the region.
"What we found is why we are here today. We found there has been a history of really not keeping up with the times. Population has boomed. Animal ownership has boomed," he said.
The proposed $1.5 million annual budget would be split between Nampa at $720,000, Caldwell at $540,000, and Canyon County contributing $300,000.
While Caldwell's contract runs through October 2026, but shelter representatives warn that without increased funding across all municipalities, even existing contracts won't prevent closure.
"Canyon County, Caldwell, Nampa they do have higher numbers than they ever had before and when we talk about what its costing that individual tax payer the citizen what we did to find that number was not only what its costing per person right now we are looking at how many animals are coming in from those locations," Lippincott said.
"We are actively engaged in ongoing discussions regarding West Valley Humane Society’s requested increase. While we recognize that they have been undercharging for the service, the significant increase in a single year poses considerable difficulties to an already tight budget. Last year we paid $83,000 and this year they are asking for $720,000.
Animal control is critical for our community, and although we have animal control officers in place, the total cost of this service is substantial. Cities and counties are all facing similar fiscal constraints and challenges. It is important that we come to a collective and sustainable solution for this essential public service."
"The County has placed $240,000 into the requested budget for WVHS, along with another $100,000 into the requested budget for their maintenance and facility requests."
"We know that in the current model, regardless of what a group says yes or no to for funding in the next year, we know there is an expiration on that number. If nothing changes, if no number changes in 2026, by spring of next year we won't have the funding to operate," he said.
With municipal budget deadlines approaching fast, Lippincott is racing to secure commitments from all three government entities before time runs out.