Cory Keller (left, at podium), president and CEO of Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit, and MaryAnn Wright (right, at podium), FAMD Board chair, address the Dearborn City Council during a June 26 special council meeting to discuss concerns about provisions of FAMD’s contract renewal with the city.
By SUE SUCHYTA
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN – Supporters of Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit, the city’s animal shelter, packed a June 26 special City Council meeting to discuss provisions of its contract renewal with the city.
While the city and FAMD did not reach an agreement during the meeting, Mayor Abdullah Hammoud and members of the council expressed confidence that the city will be able to hold meetings with the board to come to an agreement that would provide uninterrupted service.
FAMD board members and volunteers expressed less optimism, and voiced concern that the city should pay the actual cost of the four-day hold for animal intakes, which is $324 per dog and $282 per cat.
When animals are held longer, FAMD pays the costs for caring for the animals out of its own budget.
FAMD board members and volunteers ringed the council chamber in a standing room only, emotionally charged 2 hour 30 minute meeting, during which FAMD board members emphasized the value that the animal shelter adds to the city, how animals improve the health of its residents, and the importance of spaying and neutering.
The high cost of providing veterinary care for the animals in its care came up frequently during the meeting, as well as the cost of sponsored sterilizations.
Cory Keller, FAMD president and CEO; Elaine Greene, FAMD executive director; and MaryAnn Wright, FAMD Board chair, presented the animal shelter’s needs and concerns, and answered council members’ questions at length.
A standing room only crowd of Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit supporters attend a June 26 special city council meeting to discuss concerns over renewal provisions of FAMD’s contract with the city of Dearborn.
Hammoud, in turn, made a presentation of the city’s support for the shelter and the city’s concerns with the contract renewal.
The mayor said the animal shelter has a strong financial standing, and noted that the city added a full-time animal control officer for the 2025 fiscal year.
Hammoud noted that FAMD has proposed a 55 percent increase in its FY25 contract, and a 31.1 percent increase for FAMD for the FY23/24, which city officials have studied closely to understand the associated costs.
The mayor proposed adding two board seats to strengthen the city’s partnership with FAMD, with one seat for the administration and one for the City Council.
Hammoud said he also would like to see a better way to control veterinary costs, which are currently paid at a retail as opposed to a wholesale rate, which might be possible to negotiate given the animal shelter’s volume of need.
The mayor suggested that the city and FAMD’s partnership might be strengthened by a multi-year agreement, and he suggested adopting new ordinance language to strengthen the partnership in the future.
Hammoud said the city provided $61,000 annually in the past for animal shelter building services and utilities, and noted that the city still provides roughly $10,000 in services annually for outside building maintenance.
The mayor said the city assumes sole responsibility for access and maintenance of the dog park, and that it waives many fees associated with special events, including fundraisers.
Hammoud said the city made a $1 million donation toward the new shelter: $600,000 in cash and $400,000 in land value.
The mayor said that while they embarked upon a series of hypothetical topics during the meeting, especially regarding what will happen before the contract expires July 1, that after talking behind the scenes with the council president and the FAMD Board he believes that they are closer to an agreement than the earlier tone of the meeting would lead attendees to believe.
Hammoud said he also felt confident that FAMD and the city would be able to reach an agreement that would allow for a continuation of animal shelter services.
The mayor said both sides have learned a lot in the past six weeks, and they are moving the needle in the right direction.
Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud (left) discusses the city’s contract with the Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit during the June 26 special city council meeting as Corporation Counsel Jeremy Romer listens.