FUNDING for the development of a joint pet crematorium and animal care facility will be considered by the City of Wanneroo in an upcoming budget workshop, following a council plea for future establishment of the centre.
Wanneroo councillors voted to refer the proposal for the facility to budget discussions for consideration in the City’s 10-year capital plan at Tuesday’s meeting.
This decision comes after council voted at last month’s meeting against the building of the joint complex, agreeing with City administration’s recommendation at the time to focus on other priorities, including community safety.
Councillor Dot Newton said the City needed to allow for the facility to be included in its 10-year financial plan.
“We take in about $180,000 a year in dog licenses,” she said at the meeting.
“There is not even any mention of the proposed facility in our 10-year plan and this leaves a large grey area open.
“Let’s set aside a fund for this project and there needs to be, at least, a plan for the facility in the 10-year plan.”
The cities of Wanneroo and Joondalup decided last December to ask the Mindarie Regional Council to investigate the feasibility of setting up a centre for use by all member councils.
The MRC determined it was not able to fund the project, outlining in a letter sent to the City of Wanneroo in April that the power of the regional council was limited to dealing with “waste management issues”.
Animal carcasses from both cities are currently disposed of by the MRC at its Tamala Park waste disposal site.
Joondalup council discussed the issue at its February meeting and decided not to go ahead with the project in the 2010-11 financial year.
A City of Wanneroo administration report said the City’s recently refurbished and extended animal pound was sufficient to meet needs.
But Councillor Rudi Steffens said the current facilities were “old and aged”.
“There is still no exercise area for the animals, the kennels are constantly wet through the day and animals are susceptible to cutting their feet on the cages,” he said.
“I don’t believe this facility is standard, I believe it is substandard.”
Councillor Alan Blencowe agreed.
“Six dogs die every day in the City of Wanneroo, that is 2000 dogs per year and we only have one crematorium in the northern suburbs,” he said.
“As a council, we need to be a little bit more responsible than to have these animals’ bodies just being put into landfill.”