The Kansas Humane Society said Monday it is working to find solutions to a proposed cut in next year’s budget for the city of Wichita.

The city is looking at a cut of $400,000 in the animal control budget, and that means the Wichita Animal Services shelter next door to the Humane Society would no longer take in stray animals.   The Humane Society said in a press release that there would be no centralized location for stray animals to be held, and that could drastically reduce the number of lost animals that return home to their families.   The agency said this would mean an increase of 6,000 animals, and it would likely increase the euthanasia rate in the community.  It would also create public health consequences such as increased animal bites, more rabies cases and an increase in parasitic diseases.

KHS said it is unable to take in stray animals because of its contract with the city, and the city is not offering any financial compensation to any outside organization to care for stray animals that are required by city and state laws to be held for three days.

The agency said last year it provided services for over 16,000 animals, taking in over 6,000 owner-relinquished animals and another 6,000 animals from Wichita Animal Services that were never reclaimed by their owners.   The agency also provided services for another 4,000 animals.

KHS says there are steps that can be taken to reduce costs that would avoid the proposed budget cut, and the agency is offering help in suggestions that could help the city save money.   The agency said it has offered to clean and care for stray animals at the city shelter, and the city could legalize a trap-neuter-release program and raise fines and fees.

The city is expected to finalize a 2021 budget at its August 11th meeting.