The Mat-Su Borough spends almost $2.6 million each year for “Animal Care & Regulation.” We have a total of 14 FTEs and one animal shelter.
The MSB’s population is 106,532. If you divide the total animal care/regulation budget ($2,574,385) by our population (106,532), you get $24.165. Thus, the MSB is spending $24.165 per capita for the Animal Care budget.
How does this compare to other local governments? WE ARE WAY (WAY, WAY) ABOVE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. Most cities are spending $1 to $10 per capita. (The average seems to be $3.)
Here is what SEATTLE spends (and note – they have 40 FTEs!!!)
Let’s compare the MSB to Frederick County Maryland. Frederick County is the largest county in Maryland and it has a population of almost 250,000 (so they have more than double the population of the Mat-Su). It also has a lot of roads.
They offer similar Animal Control services. They have one big shelter. They have animal control officers. They had 11,546 calls for service in 2018.
However, their budget (for a population more than double the MSB’s population) is less than our budget – it is just over $2 million – and they have a lot more employees.
Frederick County’s per capita cost is $8.3 ($2,064,606 divided by 247,591). ONE THIRD the cost of MSB’s per capita cost.
The MSB’s stats and services:
