County nearly doubles its payments to SPCA

Albemarle supervisors agreed Wednesday to practically double the county’s payments to the SPCA and discussed ways to throw a life preserver to the Hatton Ferry.

Albemarle’s contract with the local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is set to expire this year, and the group gave the county the choice to pay more or find someone else to do the job. Despite financial troubles, the county agreed to the higher payments, guaranteeing pound service to meet state legal requirements.

The county had planned to pay the SPCA about $200,000 this fiscal year, but the new formula requires an additional $50,000 payment by the end of the calendar year. For fiscal 2011, the county will owe an estimated $369,248, based on the new formula, and $471,560 in fiscal 2012.

The SPCA serves as the county’s animal shelter and its pound. The state requires localities to provide those services, and Albemarle officials said that working with the SPCA would be the cheapest route.

Supervisor Sally H. Thomas said that the county negotiated with the SPCA to keep the costs as low as possible.

Thomas said officials researched whether there was a cheaper way to provide the mandated animal services, but “the answer, at least at this point, is ‘no.’”

In other news, community leaders raising donations to keep the Hatton Ferry operating said they’ll have enough money to keep it running next year, but it’s unclear where funds will come from long-term.

The Virginia Depart-ment of Transportation had announced it would no longer fund the ferry near Scottsville, but Albemarle supervisors discussed possible plans to take ownership of the ferry if it could immediately pass it off to a nonprofit, such as the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society.

“The historical society needs to meet between now and Dec. 2 to confirm that they really want to take possession of it,” Supervisor Dennis S. Rooker said. “If they do, then on Dec. 2, we will … virtually simultaneously [transfer] it over to the historical society.”

Supervisors have said the county doesn’t have enough money to provide funding for the ferry, and the historical society has expressed interest in overseeing operations of the ferry.

Also at the board’s Wednesday meeting, the federal Defense Intelligence Agency released results of a survey evaluating the potential effects of the agency’s plans to relocate about 830 people next year to the National Ground Intelligence Center at Rivanna Station in Albemarle.

Of the 140 employees who responded, 48 percent said they’re “definitely moving” or “probably moving” to the Charlottesville area.

Albemarle officials say they’re trying to figure out approximately how many new employees might be moving to the county and how that might affect the housing market, local businesses and school enrollment.