Kendall County Animal Shelter Will Reopen, County Board Says

YORKVILLE, IL — The Kendall County Animal Shelter, which closed last month because of personnel issues, may soon reopen, after the Kendall County Board discussed their options at a public meeting last week, KendallCountyNow reports.

The resignation of the department's assistant warden in November and the absence of the shelter's director, Laura Pawson, who had been on family medical leave, left the facility severely short staffed and county officials considering privatizing or outsourcing its services to a local veterinarian or other private firm.

Those were among some of the options the board considered Thursday, but a public outcry quickly led to a consensus to keep the department under the county's control, officials said.

The Countryside Veterinary Clinic in Yorkville is currently picking up the slack, accepting stray animals while the county shelter is closed. But Countryside-owner and county veterinarian administrator Gary Schlapp said he also disagrees with privatizing the department's services.

"Animal Control is nothing so dramatic as the fire department or sheriff's department, but still they provide a good service the citizens deserve, and since it is relatively close to being self sufficient, I strongly believe that we should maintain it in a function very close to what we have now," he said last month.

Pawson, who is now back at work, said her facility had been consistently understaffed, but that it has been self-sustaining through the sale of rabies tags, adoption fees and donations. "[The shelter has] managed to do an amazing job saving animals, serving the public and assisting other agencies," she told the board. "It has not been easy at all...but I feel it will certainly balance out in the long run by creating a top-notch shelter we can all be proud of."

Board Chairman Scott Gryder said the board would develop a plan to keep the shelter open. It's not yet clear what exactly that plan will entail or how quickly it will come together.

Read more from KendallCountyNow.

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