Last month, DeWitt County provided notices to Clinton, Farmer City, and Wapella that the current intergovernmental agreements regarding animal control will be coming to an end. 

The County has reiterated its willingness to renegotiate the IGAs, and at Thursday night's DeWitt County Public Safety Committee meeting, County Clerk Dee Dee Rentmeister provided the Committee with the full documentation of the current IGAs so that they can be reviewed. 

Clinton and Wapella have renewed their IGAs with the County in recent months, which means the County will have to wait to renegotiate those. Myers indicates that Farmer City's IGA is still on the table. Animal Control Administrator Grace Moore also reached out to McLean and Macon Counties to gauge interest. 

Myers also asked Moore for her input on her responsibilities when it comes to the IGAs. She says that those are also up for discussion as the agreements are renegotiated. 

Myers recognizes that municipalities do pay some County taxes; however, she says that animal control services are not figured into those dollars. She also cites stray animals as a big cost for the County, which does not recoup money because there is no one to receive a citation. 

Moore suggested an idea she received from the Peoria County Animal Control, and that is multi-pet licensing. This would put a limit on the number of pets a resident could have, unless they renew a yearly license to allow them more. 

Committee Member John Werts inquired if the multi-pet licensing would apply to the entire County, or just the incorporated areas, but Moore indicated she was unsure and would have to do more research. 

The Committee will take the IGAs back up at next month's Public Safety meeting once they have had more time to review.