Riverton accepting letters of interest for new ‘Paws for the Cause’ Committee

(Riverton, WY) – The City of Riverton is currently accepting letters of interest from individuals willing to serve on the “Paws for the Cause” Committee the Riverton City Council established last week. 

The committee will include one representative from the Paws for Life Animal League, one representative from the Riverton Police Department, one representative from a local veterinary clinic, and two at-large community members, according to a memo from staff.

In addition, two city council members and two members of the Riverton Youth Council may sit on the committee as non-voting liaisons, the memo states, and a staff member will also serve as a non-voting member to provide administrative and professional support.

People interested in filling either the at-large or veterinary positions are encouraged to submit a letter of interest to the city by Wednesday, May 27, so that applicants can be selected during the June 2 meeting of the Riverton City Council.

Purpose

Once it is formed, the committee will work to “evaluate animal control and animal shelter needs” in Riverton and provide recommendations to the city council, according to the staff memo.

“The committee will be tasked with assessing current practices, identifying challenges, engaging relevant stakeholders, and exploring potential solutions to improve service delivery, facility utilization, and long-term sustainability of animal control and shelter operations,” the memo states. “The formation of this committee provides a structured and collaborative approach to evaluating current conditions and developing thoughtful, community-informed recommendations for Council consideration.”

City Administrator Kyle Butterfield explained that, in recent years, “the population of animals and demands on the shelter facility have created a need to evaluate current operations, facility capacity, and service delivery.”

“These evolving conditions highlight the importance of exploring solutions or answers to these current constraints that ensures both the city and Paws can effectively fulfill their respective responsibilities,” he said.  

Councilmember Eric Carr agreed that the new Paws for the Cause Committee will have to look for ways to “balance the needs” of the city – which is required to enforce animal control regulations – and the Paws for Life organization, which is committed to operating a no-kill animal shelter.

“How do we … meet both of those objectives?” Carr asked. “There’s two functions: (We’ve) got a shelter, and then we have the impoundment. So how do we cohabitate? How do we get those two to mesh successfully in a self-sustaining manner?”

Councilmember Kyle Larsen voted against the resolution creating the new committee.

For more information, call the City of Riverton at (307) 856-2227.