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News Release
LOUISANA SPCA RECEIVES ADDITIONAL
FUNDING
FROM NEW ORLEANS CITY COUNCIL FOR
ANIMAL CONTROL SERVICES
NEW ORLEANS, LA (9-18-08) - The
Louisiana SPCA (LA/SPCA) has
received approval for additional
funding from the New Orleans City
Council, allowing the organization
to continue providing animal control
services in Orleans Parish until the
end of 2008. Today the City Council
unanimously approved ordinances
providing the LA/SPCA with $1
million in additional funding to the
existing $1.35 million contract.
“We are extremely pleased with
today’s vote by City Council
members. The citizens of New Orleans
can be confident that animal control
services provided by the LA/SPCA
will continue uninterrupted,” said
Ana Zorrilla, LA/SPCA Chief
Executive Officer. Zorrilla said now
that the current budgetary issues
have been resolved; the organization
will turn its attention to crafting
a contract with the City for 2009
and beyond.
The LA/SPCA has been working with
the City’s Chief Administrative
Office and the City Council for the
past several months to resolve a
budgetary shortfall in the 2008
contract with the City of New
Orleans. The LA/SPCA faced a
significant operating deficit due to
an increase in operating expenses.
“The current contract was agreed
upon in 2004 and we all know that
all of the costs associated with
employment, utilities and insurance
have increased in the past three
years,” said Zorrilla. “Without this
emergency funding we would have had
to reduce services and personnel
responding to animal issues in the
next few weeks.”
“Today’s response from the City
Council positively impacts animal
welfare in New Orleans and our
overall quality of life,” said Ginny
Lovell, President of the LA/SPCA
Board of Directors. LA/SPCA provided
animal control services include bite
case and aggressive animal
management, rabies quarantine and
control, cruelty and neglect
investigations, stray and unlicensed
animal collection, around the clock
response to calls about animals in
distress, and enforcement of city
animal ordinances.
Headquartered in New Orleans, the
LA/SPCA manages a total operating
budget of $3.8 million and employs
almost 50 full-time employees and
hundreds of unpaid volunteers
serving in a variety of capacities.
The LA/SPCA shelters approximately
5,000 to 6,000 homeless companion
animals per year.
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