The Bonduel Village Board isn’t ready to sign on with the Shawano County Humane Society’s proposal that would require municipalities to chip in for the care of stray cats and dogs. Trustees have questions about how the village would be billed and whether the animals are from the village itself or the surrounding towns.
The board met Sept. 23 as the committee of the whole to review the proposal, which offers two options for the village to provide financial support for the no-kill shelter.
The first option is for municipalities to pay $2.50 for each resident within their borders, based on the most recent official numbers from the U.S. Census. For Bonduel, that would mean paying the humane society $3,837.50 annually.
Earlier in the meeting, it was announced that the village’s levy limit would go up $12,000 for next year, but board members were trying to keep their budget at the same amount as last year.
The second option would seek $500 for every stray dog or cat, or for every dog or cat with a litter apprehended within municipal boundaries. Municipalities would be billed on a quarterly basis under this option.
Originally, the humane society said through a letter to municipalities that any municipality that didn’t ink a deal utilizing either option would not be allowed to bring stray animals to the Shawano shelter. However, Village Clerk Michelle Maroszek said that she attended one of the society’s town hall sessions and learned that officials plan a different alternative.
Maroszek said the humane society would notify the village about an animal brought in, and village officials would have 24 hours to pick up the cat or dog. After that, the humane society would charge a boarding fee of $30 per day for the five-day holding period and then assess the $500 per animal fee via its second option if they still have the animal.
Maroszek said so far most of the municipalities she deals with have not signed the humane society deal. The society gave a deadline of Nov. 1 with the new policies taking effect at the start of 2027.
“There’s still a lot of municipalities who are not happy,” Maroszek said.
She noted that a letter from the Wisconsin Towns Association has been drafted asking the humane society for more information like investment allocations, IRS forms and detailed operating budgets, among other things.
“Most townships have not agreed to anything,” Maroszek said. “It’s basically coming down to animals or people, and I know everybody loves their animals, but it’s a no-kill facility, so they have animals there that they’re spending lots of money on for vet services.”
Maroszek said some of the expenses include ACL replacement for two dogs, as well as a disease in the shelter that impacted 10 dogs with veterinary expenses averaging $1,000 per dog.
“They do some euthanization, but only when it’s necessary,” Maroszek said. “I asked them, what is the protocol, and they didn’t say.”
The humane society also takes in animals from other counties, Maroszek said, with the reason being that Shawano doesn’t kill them unless their health is beyond their ability to help.
“Yeah, but now you’re asking taxpayers to pay for all these,” she said.
Maroszek has been talking with Bonduel Police Chief Keith Fischer to see if there was somewhere that village officials could hold stray cats and dogs surrendered or found by village residents, or perhaps finding other shelters that take strays.
“We were told we had seven strays this year (from a Bonduel address),” Maroszek said. “When we asked where they were picked up, they had no idea. There are six municipalities that have a Bonduel address. That is a problem.”
Another sticking point for Maroszek was that the humane society only had records available for the current year. She said she had requested the last three years.
That piece of information did not sit well with board member Sean Falk.
“Signing up for that, you should leave yourself open for any municipalities to check and make sure your books are kept well,” Falk said.
Maroszek noted the village has a tight budget, and the humane society’s demand would require something to be eliminated or scaled back.
“How do I cut something in the budget to pay for animals?” Maroszek said. “I would recommend we don’t do anything until we hear more on what their final things is going to be.”
The humane society has previously said it found homes for 1,109 animals last year, a mix of stray and surrendered animals. However, during the same year, the humane society only received $17,335.41 through the state’s statutory apportionment for dog license fees. The rest of the costs have been funded private donors, community supporters, businesses and foundations.
The humane society operates at an average cost of about $57,000 monthly. In 2025, the humane society took in 578 stray dogs and cats, but only 141 were reclaimed by owners during a five-day hold period. That left the remainder in the care of the humane society, which has to assume responsibility for rehabilitation and medical care.
The humane society had to shell out $349,600 to care for stray animals in 2025, coming to about $800 per stray. Among the expenses were housing and daily care, spaying and neutering, rabies and other core vaccinations, microchipping, any needed medical treatment, emergency veterinary care, adoption preparation and placement, as well as behavioral rehabilitation when needed.
lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com
