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City of Caldwell faces rising rates from the West Valley Humane Society

City of Caldwell

Two weeks ago, the City of Caldwell announced that it might not be able to keep paying the West Valley Humane Society to take care of strays in Canyon County.

The stunning announcement came after West Valley said it was raising its rates for Caldwell from about $70,000 to more than half a million dollars. It says it's been undercharging services for years, and it needed the increase just to pay the bills.

Caldwell said that in order to pay for the rate hike, it might have to forgo new police officers and fire department personnel. The issue came to a head last week at a public hearing where Caldwell residents voiced their concerns.

Caldwell Mayor Jarom Wagoner sat down with Idaho Matters to talk more about the situation.

Idaho Matters is committed to sharing both sides of this story. West Valley Humane Society will be joining the show on Thursday, June 26.

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