MISSION, Kan.-- For the last 35 years, Northeast Johnson County Animal Control officers have patrolled the streets of Fairway, Mission, Mission Woods, Roeland Park, Westwood and Westwood Hills wrangling stray animals and responding to service calls.
Ashlee Kloiber was a frequent caller when she worked at an apartment complex in Roeland Park.
"When animals got out a lot we'd have to have someone come pick them up you just couldn't have them roaming around especially with tours or anything like that," Kloiber said.
But at the end of this year, they will no longer exist.
"Our recommendation is that the city look at withdrawing from the Northeast Animal Control Commission (NEACC) January 1st of 2019," Laura Smith, Mission city administrator, said during a June 6 meeting.
Smith provided 41 Action News with a memo that shows so far this year, the six cities that make up NEACC have paid more $180,000 in fees for animal control services.
Last year, Northeast Johnson County Animal Control responded to 1,002 service calls, which according to Mission,averages to less than three calls a day.
"What we've seen is our cost have continued to escalate the per capita charges don't necessarily make sense for all the participating communities and every year for the last couple of years, we've had one or more communities who talked about pursuing animal control services through a different mechanism," Smith said at the meeting.
The future of animal control services in the six cities remains up in the air.
One idea on the table has the Mission Police Department hiring two community service officers who handle animal control and other duties.
The other cities would have the option of contracting their services.
"Someone's gotta be able to come get them in a timely manner," Kloiber said.
The Mission city council will vote on their proposal during their budget meeting on July 11.
