The Horry County Humane Society has asked for $175,000 in tax dollars the county council allocated to the shelter to build an off-site adoption center in 2006.
The money was part of the contract between the HCHS and the county to run the shelter.
The county funds the shelter with annual funding, which totaled $535, 613 in fiscal year 2008, with an increase to $554,359 set to go into effect on July 1, 2009.
Horry County councilman Al Allen told News13 he plans to ask council to require an audit of HCHS finances before turning any money over to the shelter.
Allen said he wants an independent agency, such as the State Law Enforcement Division to perform the audit, “It needs to be a good service and if we’re going to provide funding for it, we have to answer to citizens of this county and they need to know that their tax dollars are being spent wisely.”
The county has not released any statement about the shelter’s closing since the shelter shut down on Dec. 8 after News13 broke the story of a deadly Canine Distemper Virus outbreak inside the shelter.
Since the closing, shelter staff euthanized 117 dogs believed to have been infected with the virus, and on Dec. 17, the HCHS board voted to fire shelter director Renee Macklen for her handling of the outbreak.
The shelter’s interim director initially said the shelter could reopen on Dec. 26, but emails and phone conversations obtained by News13 show that the shelter’s board wanted to hold off on reopening the shelter until the county handed over the $175,000.
“This is something that does not need to be allowed to be played politics with because we’re speaking about lives of animals and affecting the emotional stability of children in this county and who have a lot of close connections with animals pertaining to that shelter,” Allen said.
“It’s a shame that so many animals had to be put to death because of a situation that someone in charge knew about before it got to that point,” Allen said.
“It just goes to show that there needs to be some looking-into at the shelter so the public knows what’s going on with the public’s shelter and the public’s money,” Allen told News13.
Allen said he plans to notify council of his intention to seek the audit in writing within the next several days.
You can count on News13 to update this story as details become available.
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