Animal Control is not a department local governments look to make money on, but that doesn't mean the spending can't be controlled. 

At Thursday night's DeWitt County Public Safety Committee meeting, the committee reviewed the cost study for Animal Control. Committee Chair Megan Meyers explained they need to get a better idea of what expenses are causing the most overspending. Animal Control Administrator Grace Moore noted that spending can be tracked by individual animal. 

John Werts pointed out that the last cost study done for Animal Control was in 2016. Since then, the budget has gone up alongside inflation, and Werts feels although Animal Control will never be profitable, there are ways to cut costs. 

To get a better idea of where costs are coming from, the committee and Moore agreed to better track where animals are being picked up and other details of any calls that come in. This plan also includes having a volunteer take on the data entry aspect of this detail tracking. 

The committee also decided they would pursue getting a credit card for Moore to charge Animal Control expenses to, that would allow them to better track what materials are needed and what is being purchased. 

Also at the meeting, DeWitt County Emergency Management Coordinator Will Paveleck informed the board of the incoming storm. He noted winds could be as high as 75-80 miles per hour, and that they will need to be vigilant for fallen power lines.