Jefferson County commissioners hold open house for community to view the now-abandoned county dog kennel
MADRAS, Ore (KTVZ) -- Here at the County Dog Kennel, the Jefferson County commissioners opened up the facility to the community on Monday evening so they can view the space after the previous contractor vacated the premises on June 30th.
County Commissioner Wayne Fording said, “Our contract with Rockn EZ Rescue Ranch, we didn't renew it. We couldn't come to terms on that, and so their contract with the county ended on July 1st. There's lots of controversy going on, but that's why we wanted public input.”
That public input, at times was expressed with heated questions for county commissioners and other community members.
According to commissioners:
In 2013, the County entered into an operational contract with the three rivers humane society, part of Central Oregon Animal Friends. However, the operational agreement with Three Rivers expired on June 30, 2023, and they opted not to extend it. Rockn Ez Rescue Ranch was then awarded a one-year, $240,000 contract to operate the facility starting July 1, 2023.
During a meeting in February of this year, they said, Rockn EZ Rescue Ranch stated they would only accept a contract extension at $360,000 per year for five years and refused further negotiation.
The commissioners' full recent statement can be read here.
NewsChannel 21 reached out to Rockn EZ Rescue Ranch Executive Director Cindy Fisher, who declined to be interviewed for this story but claimed commissioners’ recollection of those negotiations is flawed and inaccurate. She said she's currently working to host an open house in a couple of weeks, to clarify the actions of Rockn EZ Rescue Ranch and answer any questions.
Madras resident Doreen Utz told us: “I think the county needed to be more proactive over the last year in figuring out what they were going to do, because the previous owners could not handle what they had taken on. And it was a pretty abusive situation for the animals out here, so the county needs to sit down and deal with the code violations in the building."
Commissioners say they'll hold a feedback session for all citizens on how to best utilize the space moving forward. That input meeting will happen on Wednesday, July 31st at 10 a.m. at their Madras office, 66 Southeast D street.
