A proposed surgical suite at the Vermilion County animal shelter would save the county money while increasing the number of spayed and neutered animals. That message was delivered to a joint meeting of two county board committees Wednesday.
Two employees at the shelter, Jimmy Nelson and Dana Clary, came up with the idea. The county would offer a low-cost spay-neuter program with help from the University of Illinois.
Lon Henderson, chairman of the Health and Education Committee, supports the idea…
{AUDIO: “This is something that we need. And…the fact that the staff are generating this conversation and they’re bringing it to us tells me how much they believe in the need, and it’s imperative for us to listen.”}
The proposal calls for hiring a part-time veterinarian. There are currently over 450 animals in the county’s care that are in foster care. Animals in the county’s care would get top priority. Then plans are to open the program to the public later.
The University of Illinois Shelter Medicine Program has offered to perform any spay or neuter surgery for $50 per surgery. The 2025 budget line for surgeries in 2025 is $161,268. In 2026, the hope is to lower the line by at least 30-percent (to $112,887.)
There was no vote on the proposal during Wednesday’s meeting.
