Sugar Grove approves plans with county animal control

After more than a year of negotiations, the village of Sugar Grove has reached a fee agreement with Kane County for animal-control services.

Sugar Grove Police Chief Brad Sauer told the village board Tuesday that under the new agreement, the village will pay a $200 fee for each dog picked up by Kane County Animal Control.

The fees in the new agreement are considerably lower than a proposal approved by the county board in November 2006. The county approved the original fee proposal prior to opening a new $2 million, 8,200-square-foot animal shelter in February 2007 at Peck and Keslinger roads.

Sugar Grove was one of many municipalities that balked at the original proposal, which would have required municipalities to help pay for the structure over a five-year period.

Under the 2006 proposal, Sugar Grove would have been required to pay $62,000 per year for animal control. Sauer said this would have made the cost over $5,000 per dog, as the village receives about a dozen calls regarding dogs at large each year.

"We now have a much better agreement," Sauer said. "We'll be paying only when we use the service and it will be cost-effective to have Kane County pick up stray dogs."

The village will pay the $200 fee only if the dog is not picked up by the owner. The fee includes boarding and euthanizing the dog. The village cost will be $100 if the dog is picked up by the owner.

The agreement was discussed by the board at the meeting of the committee as a whole. The village board will vote on a resolution to enter into the agreement at the April 1 meeting.