FREMONT, Neb. (KMTV) — The Fremont City Council voted on Tuesday evening to send a contract termination notice to the Dodge County Humane Society, about 10 months after protesters first gathered at the facility.
The contract follows a "notice to cure" sent in late October. The latest letter indicates that the city claims the humane society failed to fix those issues — including not working with the police department to issue citations when appropriate, and failing to submit required records.
Thenonprofit opened in 1988, and has contracted with the city for years.
Our call to Dodge County Humane society earlier this month has yet to be returned. But Dodge County Humane Society Director Tamar Reed did speak at a city council meeting in late December. She said she and her staff have been harassed, complained about The Fremont Tribune’s coverage of the “false claims” of contract violations and said some members of the animal control board were biased.
“We are here to perform animal control, however, that is not possible when other rescues or other individuals just continue to harass us and bully us as they do,” Reed said at the time.
At the same meeting, Board President Jamie Parsons said she fears for the animals if the contract is terminated. “We simply cannot continue to care for these animals if we don’t have the funding for them,” she said. That prompted the statewide director of the Humane Society of the U.S., Jocelyn Nickerson, to say at that next meeting that they are willing to help if needed.
May 7, 2020: Allegations of animal abuse, harassment fly in Fremont over humane society controversy
Councilmember Brad Yerger motioned to end the contract immediately, which failed 4-4. The 30-day contract termination notice passed 6-1.
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