The city of Frisco does not currently have an animal shelter, even though several propositions have been placed before the city. Not everyone is in agreement that an animal shelter is necessary.
On January 17, the citizen bond committee presented its recommendations to the city council Tuesday. A joint work session delayed the regular council meeting by two hours while councilmembers and the committee went back and forth on the issue.
According to The Dallas Morning News, Frisco police Chief David Shilson explained the city’s animal services department has three goals — reuniting pets with their owners, education and adoption/spay-neuter clinics.
“We don’t need a shelter to do any of that,” Shilson said during the meeting.
Shilson also told the council that more problems such as staffing issues, euthanasia and legal issues would bring unnecessary problems to the city. According to the police chief, 520 animals were taken to Collin County Animal Shelter and 124 were redeemed in the field, which is not many for a city of 225,000 people.
Animal advocacy group Frisco’s Pet Project continues to push the city to add a shelter. Several members of the advocacy group attended the meeting on Tuesday and explained that adding another shelter to Collin County would help the Collin County Animal Services, which is severely overcrowded and overwhelmed.
In addition to the $5 million considered for a Frisco animal shelter, the committee recommended $131 million for public safety, including a new fire station and police/fire training center. Also, $31 million for city services was recommended, which would include a shared facility for environmental services and public works; $240 million for streets and road construction; and $43 million for parks, which would focus on hike and bike trails.
Frisco City Council will vote on a bond resolution for the issue on Feb. 7.
