Mt. Airy mayor authorized to finalize animal control agreement

MOUNT AIRY, Ga. — The Mt. Airy Town Council unanimously authorized Mayor Adam Tullis on Monday to negotiate the final terms of an amended animal control agreement with Habersham County and execute the agreement once outstanding questions about the town’s annual cost are resolved.

The 4-0 vote came after Tullis told the council he had received an estimated annual cost of $10,032 from Habersham County about an hour before the meeting. He said he had requested an amendment to the agreement that would ensure the town’s annual cost would not exceed the estimate by more than 15%, but county officials had not yet prepared the language.

“I asked for a price and I got an estimate,” Tullis said.

According to Tullis, Habersham County Manager Tim Sims told him the estimate should be “very close” to the final amount.

Tullis said the projected cost is in line with what the town has paid for animal control services in recent years and is slightly lower than last year’s expense.

The amended agreement also changes how animal control cases originating within Mt. Airy are handled. Rather than being heard in Habersham County Magistrate Court, those cases would be heard in Mt. Airy’s Municipal Court.

Under the amended agreement, the town would retain fines collected through its municipal court, while restitution ordered for expenses related to sheltering, caring for and controlling animals would continue to be paid to Habersham County.

Tullis said bringing the cases into municipal court could result in a modest increase in revenue for the town.

Councilman Mike McCoy, who had immediately asked whether the town had received a price estimate from the county when discussion began, made the motion to authorize Tullis to negotiate and execute the agreement. The motion passed unanimously.

The action follows the council’s decision in July to postpone consideration of the agreement while awaiting additional information on the revised cost-sharing formula. Mt. Airy becomes the second Habersham County municipality to move forward with the amended agreement after Alto approved it last month. Baldwin, Cornelia and Demorest are scheduled to consider the agreement at meetings Tuesday.