The Union City

City Council entered into an agreement last week to approve a contract

with Fulton County for animal control services.

Union City

wishes to purchase animal control services within its corporate limits

and delegate response to animal control complaints by its citizens 24

hours per day.

According to

City Administrator Alan Grindstaff, there is a need to control rabies,

investigate cruelty complaints, investigate animal bites, operate an animal

shelter and remove live or dead animals from within the corporate limits

of the city upon request of the city.

He claims the

county has the capacity to provide such services through a contract with

an approved animal control services vendor selected by the Fulton County

Commission.

During the

first year of this agreement, the city agrees to pay the county 80 percent

of the contract award amount which will be distributed among the municipalities

and unincorporated Fulton County. The remaining 20 percent of the contract

will be paid by Fulton County for state mandated animal control services

such as rabies control.

During the

second year of the agreement and subsequent years, the cost to the city

will be based on the classification and location of calls received by

the animal control services vendor during the previous year.