Jackson Animal Control Runs Without Dedicated Funding for Third Straight Year
JACKSON - Jackson police officials told the City Council this week that animal control has operated with no direct budget line since fiscal year 2024, forcing the department to cover costs by pulling money from other positions.
At an Aug. 19 City Council budget workshop, Jackson Police Department Chief of Staff Tanya Nord presented the department's proposed fiscal year 2027 budget, which again allocates zero dollars to animal control. Nord told council members the program is currently running a deficit, saying "we are almost 64 $63,000 in the negative because we're pulling money from other um positions to pay the individuals that are working there." The exact figure was unclear in the meeting recording. Nord did not specify which budget lines were being used to cover the shortfall.
The proposed FY2027 budget does not change that arrangement, meaning animal control would continue operating without a dedicated appropriation for a third consecutive fiscal year even as the department keeps staffing and running the service.
The situation means animal control has effectively been funded off the books for two years running, with money redirected from other police department positions to keep the program staffed. That arrangement leaves no clear public accounting of which budget lines are absorbing the cost of an unfunded city service. City financial records would need to be checked to confirm the precise size of the deficit and identify the specific positions or accounts being drawn down to pay animal control employees.