JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (WDRB) -- The Jeffersonville Animal Shelter, which provides service to Clark County, Indiana, recently limited its services to Clarksville after the town failed to sign a renewed interlocal agreement for continued services.

The Clarksville Town Council held a special meeting Tuesday night to determine the future of that partnership.

"Clarksville not having a shelter is an issue, and them not allowing us to take their animals is also an issue," said Mya White, a volunteer at the shelter who planned to attend the meeting.

An interlocal agreement between the shelter, Jeffersonville, Clarksville, Charlestown, Borden, Sellersburg and Utica has been in place since 2017. Each town pays a share of the shelter's operating cost in exchange for services.

Last summer, Jeffersonville proposed a new three-year interlocal agreement that increased costs to approximately $860,000, with fees divided among towns based on population. Concerns over the cost increase and inaccuracies in the proposal prompted a revised agreement, which lowered the total to about $715,000.

Sellersburg and Utica have already agreed to the new terms. Charlestown, Borden and Clarksville, however, have yet to sign.

"It's the best option, for now, of the options that are available," Charlestown Mayor Treva Hodges said of the current proposal. "There are benefits there, but there's room, I think, to improve the actual agreement over the next three years, and I hope the city of Jeffersonville will be amenable to hearing feedback on that."

Hodges expects the Charlestown City Council to sign the agreement in its meeting next week, but is questioning if the current interlocal agreement is the best way to negotiate the animal shelter services.

"The other taxing units have absolutely no feedback in the process," she said, referencing the other municipalities named in the agreement. "Whatever the City of Jeffersonville sends us, you either agree or you don't."

The Town of Clarksville issued a statement similar to Hodges' on Jan. 24, addressing the issues and raising concerns.

"Clarksville desires to work towards a solution that is fair and equitable to its residents and to all residents of Clark County," the statement read. "However, when communication and rules are dictated by one entity without input from others, then a partnership no longer exists."

During the specially-called council meeting Tuesday, which allowed the public to weigh in, Clarksville Town Councilmember Darci Schiller said the town thought they "were working in good faith" with Jeffersonville's Mayor Mike Moore over the agreement, adding that it was Moore who decided to end the contract, not the Town of Clarksville. 

Schiller also noted that when Moore decided to end the agreement, the Clarksville council was already forming alternative plans to prevent this from happening again.

"Have a back up plan so the mayor cannot hold the residents and animals of Clarksville hostage," Schiller said.

Clarksville Town Council President Ryan Ramsey told WDRB that he signed the agreement last week, "fulfilling Mayor Moore's deadline."

Ultimately, the Clarksville Town Council voted 6-1 to ratify Ramsey's signature on the agreement, which is good for the next three years.

The one vote against the agreement was from Councilwoman Jennifer Voignier, who said she voted "no" to the agreement itself, not the idea of an animal shelter. 

The council was in unison that an animal shelter is a vital need in the county, praising the volunteers for their work.

"The most important thing here is the animals, and I feel like that's being forgotten," White, a concerned volunteer, said outside the shelter Tuesday. "It's not fair to them. So, I'm just hoping, for the sake of the animals, that we come to some sort of agreement."

There's been no word from Borden, Indiana, on its decision.

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