News Press poll results for Animal Welfare Facility bond

May 23—The Stillwater News Press conducted a non-scientific community poll last weekend to find out if residents plan to vote yes or no on the new Stillwater Animal Welfare Facility bond.

The City Council must decide by June 3 if this initiative would go to ballot by Aug. 27.

According to the poll there were 502 submissions.

There were 398 people who said "yes" they would vote for the bond.

There were 104 people who said they would vote "no."

Bond Explainer

Time is running out to get the initiative on a ballot and for voters to let City Hall know if they want the Animal Welfare Facility to be built.

The City began working on this project in 2021 and has gone through several site selections that have been rejected until one recently was agreed upon.

"There was only one ideal location, on airport property directly beside waste management and near Sanborn Lake," said Dawn Dodson, City of Stillwater communications director and City staff member for the community action committee for the new Animal Welfare Facility.

Because talks and estimates to build the new facility began in 2021, inflation and other construction factors have pushed the estimated cost of the new facility from $6.75 million to $7.2 million.

It is estimated by City staff that would affect a homeowner of a $200,000 property by an additional $55 per year, added to property taxes, for 10 years if residents voted "yes" for the new bond.

With inflation accounted for and the new $7.2 million price tag, Councilor Christie Hawkins calculated the math at the new amount and said, "We talk about a $200,000 house for property taxes (with the increase), that's about $3.72 more a year. That's not a significantly more amount for people to be paying."

The only way a new Animal Welfare Facility will be built is if thousands of voters go to the polls and vote "yes" in August.

"It's 60% of the community's call," said Mayor Will Joyce. "It's the will of the voter."

Municipal buildings and the need for updating those facilities is on the rise as Stillwater grows, and the current Animal Welfare building, co-located with the Humane Society of Stillwater, is no exception.

Woefully outdated for both animals and humans (infrastructure almost four-decades old, not ADA compliant, can only hold 20 dogs per year versus the more than 1,000 taken in, inadequate space for the people who work there and potential adopters, poor medical provisions for animals), most of the community is in agreement the facility location from Main Street needs to be moved to a larger space and built up to code to better meet the animals' and people's needs.

Hopes for the facility include that it would improve the quality of care for animals, create more space overall for people and animals, include grounds that have a new, larger City dog park with additional walking trails and hopefully increase the number of adoptions of animals.