by Greg Lincoln
Amendments would grant additional enforcement services in the community related to animal control and care.
The volunteer-run animal rescue group, the Bethel Friends of Canines (BFK9s), operates the municipal animal shelter in Bethel. They are a non-profit dog rescue, rescuing dogs from Bethel and from all over the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta region.
The Bethel City Council will be considering an action memorandum during their September 12th, 2023 regular meeting to amend the contract that the City has with BFK9s to add additional enforcement services in the community related to animal control and care.
Interim City Manager Alan Lanning is introducing action memorandum 23-25 on the consent agenda. The amendment includes a $30,000 per year increase for BFK9s bringing the total contract to $115,000 annually.
“BFK9s has offered to take on additional enforcement services to further improve the response to animals at large, rabies vaccinations for animals released, and picking up animals under specific circumstance,” states AM 23-25.
The contract amendments also include that qualified agents of the contractor (BFK9s) are hereby deputized by the Bethel Police Department as volunteer animal control officers to write citations. Between the hours of 8am and 7pm Mondays through Friday and 12pm to 7pm on Saturdays and Sundays, the contractor will respond to pick up owner surrenders and stray dogs contained by resident, states the proposed amended contract, and the contractor will respond to and aid the Bethel Police Department in picking up animals related to arrests or other enforcement actions conducted by law enforcement.
Thank you to Bethel Friends of Canines for the essential work and services you do in our region. Quyana.
