EUGENE, Ore. – As the City of Eugene continues to look for ways to make budget cuts, the city’s budget committee is eyeing the city’s contract with the Greenhill Humane Society.
Currently, the City of Eugene is facing a budget shortfall of millions of dollars, and is looking to make cuts to several services make ends meet. The proposed cuts for 2026 include $400,000 worth of funds, the loss of two animal welfare specialist positions within the Eugene Police Department, and the loss of the animal welfare program which transports animals to the Greenhill Humane Society. Cary Lieberman, the director of Greenhill, said that contract is critical in ensuring the safety of animals involved in public safety situations.
“We shelter animals that come in during public safety situations,” Lieberman said. “So for instance, if a dog is in a car when a drunk driver is stopped, we would take the dog and care for the dog here. If these contract proposals go through, there would no longer be shelter for that dog.”…