Yuba City OKs its end of the animal shelter deal

The Yuba City City Council tied up loose ends Tuesday for financing construction of a new shelter for the county's unwanted and homeless animals.

Total costs to Yuba City for the project will be about $4 million.

Yuba City also will advance $540,000 to Live Oak for its share of the $6 million facility scheduled to break ground in late September off Garden Highway.

"I think it's time we get this done," Councilman John Dukes said of the project, which has been in various stages of planning for seven years. The new building is expected to replace a badly overcrowded facility with a troubled management history.

Responsibility for operating and managing the new shelter will fall to the city as soon as construction is completed.

READ THE STAFF REPORT TO THE COUNCIL.

The council on Tuesday approved the Sutter Animal Shelter Authority's decision, made earlier this month, to raise the overall spending cap for the project from $5.2 to $6 million.

Costs for the new shelter will be shared by Yuba City, Sutter County and Live Oak, which all use the existing facility on Second Street to house and/or euthanize unwanted and stray pets.

In addition to raising the project spending cap, SASA recently made adaptations to the building's construction plans in order to compromise between the original cap and bids that, earlier this year, had come in at more than $6.1 million.

The council also voted Tuesday to approve terms of a 10-year repayment plan with Live Oak and on terms for funding Yuba City's share — the lion's share — of the project.

City reserves are expected to pay for construction on a cash basis. Half will come from general capital improvement project funds and the other half through a loan from library impact fees.

Council members voted 4-0 on the shelter-related measures, which leave only contract details to be ironed out between now and the start of construction.

Councilman John Miller was absent.

"It's been a long time coming," said Councilman Tej Maan of the new shelter. "I know it's expensive, and we'll get criticized for that, but it's what things cost nowadays."

Maan expressed disappointment that no local construction firms bid on the project. Randy Hill of Chico submitted the winning bid.