During the work session on Tuesday, July 8, Baldwin city council members were clearly upset upon seeing that the sum owed to Habersham County for animal control costs exceeded the budget by more than $1,000.
This year, the city has spent $64,586.26 on animal care and control costs. The entire cost was reduced to $20,997.88 by a $43,588.38 countywide tax digest credit.
Emily Woodmaster, the city’s chief administrative officer, told the council that the city expected animal control fees to rise by 3% from the $18,350 that was previously spent. To pay the county, the city will have to raise an extra $1,997.88 on top of the $19,000 budgeted for now. Until the council gives its approval, the city cannot pay the sum.
According to Woodmaster, the animal control invoice arrived on June 19. Woodmaster noted that because the invoice was sent at the end of the budget cycle, the city did not have enough time to transfer cash or secure new funding to pay the remaining sum.
Fee calculation formula is trash
Having to care for stray animals that were left at Baldwin City Hall, Mayor Pro Tem Alice Venter expressed her dissatisfaction with the remaining balance.
“My issue is that this service is already paid for by Habersham County taxpayers,” she stated. [The county] says, “You have this many people, so you have to pay more just because,” yet there was absolutely no justification.Alice Venter, the pro-tem mayor of Baldwin, says she doesn’t agree with the city’s current animal control balance. Mullis, Chaz./NowHabersham.com
Woodmaster claims that Cornelia and Clarkesville are exempt from paying for animal control due to their tax digest. Venter disagreed, stating that Baldwin and other residents of those cities continue to pay county taxes for animal control.
They compute the numbers in an idiotic manner. Venter replied, “This is garbage, and now they’re asking us to pay more.”
Sims gives clarification
Tim Sims, the manager of Habersham County, clarified the formula used to determine municipal expenses. He clarified that a tax digest credit unique to each town is used to offset the annual fee, which is determined by each city’s percentage of the county’s population.
According to Sims, the annual charge is determined by the entire cost of animal control, which is split by population and includes both direct and indirect costs. The amount obtained from each municipality’s tax digest is then applied to that sum to determine their animal control expenses.
Sims claims that the model used to determine the costs for FY25 was the same one that had been decided upon in prior years and had even been modified in 2024 to lessen the strain on cities. Nevertheless, Baldwin’s total bill went up due to greater operating expenses, which included the hire of two additional part-time workers.
Sims pointed out that it is explicitly stated in Baldwin’s May 2024 Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with the county that the city will be invoiced for animal control expenses that are recalculated annually.
“We used the same formula that we used last year and that all municipalities agreed upon, so there were no surprises in mind,” Sims added. We hope to come to an agreement on this increase and will keep offering our services.Spreadsheet for Habersham County Animal Control Fees (courtesy of Tim Sims)
According to Sims’s spreadsheet, Baldwin provides 6.46% of Habersham County’s population with animal control services. Baldwin was left with the most amount owed, even though the countywide tax credit helped defray some of the expense.
In order to address their worries and look into ways to handle the unforeseen expense, Woodmaster informed the council members that she plans to meet with county officials shortly.
