Butler County Update: A Plan Did Not Survive Contact with the Enemy

In a development that this political analyst finds absolutely stunning, an animal shelter project that is being paid for with taxpayer dollars is running...wait for it...over budget.

The Enquirer shines some light on this shocking turn of events:

A planned state-of-the-art animal shelter in Butler County is more than $1 million over budget and may need to be moved or reduced in scale, said county commissioners who plan to keep talking this week about cheaper options.

The proposal to rethink the shelter was suggested Monday by Commissioner Don Dixon as county officials work with an architect to create a rendering that falls within the projected price tag of $3.5 million.

The current design would cost $5.1 million, officials said. Making the building fit the $3.5 million budget could result in cutting a third of the shelter's planned space or making other changes.

The good news: Don Dixon is a developer so he should know how to cut some corners and still make the building work. The bad news: Taxpayers were sold on a one-time levy to pay for this boondoggle in the first place.

What alternatives are being considered?

Under Dixon's plan, the contemporary look of the design would change from a glass and brick building to a metal structure. Some of the amenities, including an atrium, would be dropped.

"We're building it for the animals. It's really not about the people," Dixon said.

The location would change from Princeton Road in Hamilton to Woodsdale Regional Park, an 84-acre space in Madison Township. The park has been developed under a lease agreement with county commissioners.

Dixon said he envisions a campus-like area for the animals that would eventually grow to include an agility course and area for the larger animals that are brought to the shelter.

I'm a little fuzzy on the whole moving the location saves the taxpayer money part, but there is an added bonus to moving from the current location:

Eventually, the deal could have two-pronged benefits - more pet adoptions and a revitalized park.

Because we're all about revitalizing parks...and pet adoptions...

Oh, I can't wait to hear from the Rawnicans on this one...should be fairly entertaining... Of course, the voters went along with this idea in the first place, so I'm sure she's got some Illuminati/Trilateral Commission yarn to spin...the possibilities are simply endless!