City of Dearborn, FAMD reach agreement to house animals
Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud at a FAM-D event. (Photo by Dave Herndon/Fox 2)
DEARBORN, Mich (FOX 2) - In a last second deal before the 2024-25 City budget was set to be finalized, the City of Dearborn and Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit (FAMD), reached an agreement to continue working together to house animals through 2028.
According to FAMD, the center of the agreement is the realization that sterilization of stray and surrendered animals is essential for the health of the animals and the community.
"This agreement is a win for all of Dearborn, and establishes a robust model for other communities to follow," said Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud. "The safe sheltering and care that FAMD provides to the animals of our community is crucial. I am proud that our new agreement allows us to grow our partnership together and ensure that all animals in our care are placed in happy, healthy, and safe homes."
The terms agreed to are $279.55 per dog and $248.75 per cat to cover the legally required four-day hold for Dearborn animals in the shelter. This includes a 65% City/35% FAMD sharing of sterilization costs.
In addition, the City of Dearborn will pay $82 for other species, and $10/day (after the 4-day hold) for cruelty cases with no animal intake cap in the agreement. This four-year contract, expiring in 2028 includes a 3% CPI increase per year.
"Friends for Animals is relieved to have reached a fair agreement with the City of Dearborn," said Cory Keller, president and CEO, Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit. "We will not only continue to provide animal control services for the community, and ensure stray animals find their way to a safe place, but we are also excited to move forward and strengthen our relationship as partners to build an even better community for Dearborn and beyond."
The average cost per animal stay is $900, with stays averaging 20 days, according to FAMD.
Some of the additions to the contract include a liaison structure that will meet bi-monthly to focus on improved communication, collaborating on animal welfare issues such as pet identification campaigns, community drives, expanding the Feed Fido program, as well as non-animal related purchasing.
FAMD will also begin issuing and collect fees for dog licenses, with the fees collected being returned to the City.
