IMPORTANT UPDATE | March 24,2026

Understanding Responsibility for Animal Services

In Indiana, how and whether or not to manage stray and abandoned animals is the responsibility of local city and county governments and includes two main areas of focus.

1) Physical Sheltering and Care
o Providing a physical shelter or facility that can humanely house and feed animals and provide health services, general oversight and care for whatever period of time local city and county governments decide to fund.

2) Animal Control and Enforcement Services
o Providing response to calls regarding stray, injured and aggressive animals out in the community and enforcing local city and county animal ordinances/laws.

The City of Kokomo and Howard County have contract with the Kokomo Humane Society to provide both physical sheltering and care services at the facility, as well as animal control and enforcement services out in the community.

Budget & Staffing
During 2025, the Kokomo Humane Society, the City of Kokomo and Howard County engaged in several conversations regarding services and budget for 2026.

• Kokomo Humane had not received a contract increase from the City of Kokomo for six years despite rising staffing, sheltering, care and supply costs.
• Kokomo Humane employs two talented and dedicated animal control officers but it is not sustainable for two people to work around the clock and provide coverage 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
• There was discussion of hiring additional animal control staff as a solution, but that was cost prohibitive for the city.

Kokomo Humane already fundraises more than half of its overall budget to:
o extend available length of stay for sheltered animals
o increase availability of life-saving veterinary care
o administer vaccines, vaccine clinics and microchipping
o ensure ongoing behavioral assessment and enrichment for sheltered animals
o provide socialization and support unique to each animal’s needs
o maintain a food and supply bank for struggling animal owners
o offer adoption services and the hosting of adoption events throughout the community
o take mobile services out into the community
o engage in low cost spay/neuter partnerships, and more.

These crucial functions become limited when Kokomo Humane must spend its direct fundraising dollars to close the gap on costs associated with providing city or county animal sheltering and control enforcement services.

2026 Contract Change Agreement
Based on the 2025 discussions and city funding decisions for 2026, it was decided that animal control enforcement responsibilities would change, with the City of Kokomo – specifically the Kokomo Police Department – and Kokomo Humane entering into a new “shared” animal control coverage model.
The contract change that went into effect January 1, 2026, includes:

• The Kokomo Humane Society provides animal control enforcement services out in the community Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• The Kokomo Police Department handles after-hours and weekend animal control emergencies in the community. (Specifically, any calls after 5:00 p.m. Monday – Friday, overnight until 8:00 a.m. Monday – Friday, and all day and night Saturday and Sunday.)

This solution was put in place after researching best practices within the state. Other cities that choose to contract in-facility animal sheltering and care services with private non-profit animal shelters while relying on their police department to provide animal control enforcement at all times, or after hours, include Lafayette, West Lafayette, Carmel, Fishers, Westfield, and Warsaw, among others.

Research also revealed the extent to which Kokomo Humane is underfunded compared to what other local governments spend on sheltering and animal control services. Many other cities and counties have also passed laws requiring owners to spay/neuter their animals to guard against overpopulation, strays and abandonment (Kokomo and Howard County’s biggest underlying challenges).

Transition
In preparation for the January 1 (2026) contract and after-hours coverage transition, Kokomo Humane offered to provide orientation, training and equipment recommendations to Kokomo Police Department at no cost, to ensure a smooth handover for evening and weekend coverage and set the shared coverage model up for success. Kokomo Humane still extends this offer and hopes the Kokomo Police Department will soon engage.

Kokomo Humane also modified its building space to provide Kokomo Police Department access for after-hours incidents that require secure animal housing and shelter intake. Kokomo Police Department has access to assistance after hours in the rare case where a Kokomo Police Department officer is out of their depth and needs help with an extreme animal control case.

Should Kokomo Police Department require the expertise and a joint response with Kokomo Humane, they can call for help on an emergency basis for an agreed fee. (Misuse of this resource is not sustainable, as the response and support falls to the two Kokomo Humane Animal Control Officers who should be off the clock and recharging for their next shift.)

• The contracted in-facility sheltering and care services provided to the City of Kokomo by Kokomo Humane remained unchanged for 2026.
• The services provided to Howard County for issues beyond the city limits remained unchanged for 2026, with Kokomo Humane providing animal care and facility sheltering services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and animal control enforcement services 24 hours a day, 365 a year.