City and Bernalillo County urged to expand animal shelter capacity; District 5 pledges $100,000

Commenters at a Bernalillo County meeting urged city and county officials to collaborate on expanding shelter capacity for stray and surrendered companion animals, and one speaker announced that District 5 will provide $100,000 in directed funding for the project.

The discussion centered on rising intake and local cases of animal hoarding and abuse. Speaker 2 (Commenter) said, "It's really important that the city and the county work together on issues all across the board. And 1 of the most important ones for me is this collaboration to care for the companion animals in our community." The speaker noted a spike in animals being dumped inside municipal and county limits and called for joint state-level funding requests: "And 1 of the ways that we work together best is when we go to the state and ask for funds together."

Speaker 1 (Commenter) described a rapid increase in animals entering the system and said the current facility has been outgrown. Speaker 1 added a personal note — "I have 3 shelter dogs myself at home" — and thanked lawmakers who supported the previous year’s effort. Speaker 1 closed by announcing a local funding commitment: "I just want to announce that we're gonna put in a $100,000 from district 5, directed funding for this project."

Speakers cited geographic pockets of severe cases, including hoarding and abuse in the East Mountains, as part of the increased intake. The remarks stressed that individual animals do not recognize jurisdictional boundaries: "A stray dog does not know if he is on county property, city property, and doesn't care. He just needs warmth. He needs food. He needs shelter," Speaker 2 said.

No formal motions, votes, or ordinance numbers were presented in the transcript. The discussion, as recorded, focused on urging intergovernmental cooperation and confirming a District 5 funding pledge; details on project scope, timeline, and whether the pledged funds are already appropriated or subject to approval were not specified in the transcript.