A motion to end the contract between Bradley County and the SPCA failed to pass during the Monday evening county commission meeting.
Commissioner Mark Hall made the motion as a substitute for the original motion, which was to send a Notice to Cure to the SPCA for not accepting animals from within the city of Cleveland.
This motion passed.
Commissioner Charlotte Peak said that she was "all for serving them a notice" but did not want to leave county residents without any form of animal control while the county renegotiated with the city.
Former Commissioner Ed Elkins spoke at the end of the meeting, saying he was very disappointed with the decision to send the SPCA a notice. Also the chairman of the SPCA board, he said he did not believe the SPCA had been in violation of the contract.
He said, "I think the folks who envisioned this undertaking thought that it would only be for the county only animals." He said that the $80,000 budget for the SPCA could have worked for only the county but not for the county and the city.
He also noted that terminating the contract at this point would only end with many animals being euthanized.
Resident Jennifer King said, "It's not about the fighting and the bickering, it's about the animals now. Please try to figure out something for them."
Another woman presented Chairman Elkins with $250 collected from local businesses to go toward spay and neuter fees.