Gallup Assumes Control of County Humane Society, Expands Staffing

The City of Gallup formally assumed control of the McKinley County Humane Society on November 1 following a City Council vote on October 28 to approve a budget adjustment of over $326,000 to prepare for the takeover. City staff recommended the change as a way to strengthen animal welfare services and said the adjustment would fund expanded staffing and operational needs. The total cost of the staffing increase is expected to be reimbursed under a 60 40 joint powers agreement with McKinley County.

The budget adjustment covers nine new full time positions and the reclassification of one existing position. New roles include a manager, an adoption specialist, a front desk assistant, two veterinary technicians, and four animal care workers. City officials describe the restructured staffing plan as intended to create a more flexible and better trained workforce able to support surgeries, daily animal care, adoptions, and transports.

Tiffany Hubbard, director of Gallup Animal Control, now oversees both the city Animal Control unit and the humane society. Hubbard said the staff redesign emphasizes cross training to maintain consistent care and ensure adequate coverage. "The nice thing about this is all of our positions are going to be crosstrained," she said in an interview with The Sun on November 4. "So everyone is going to be trained in care, cleaning, and feeding of the animals. That way, if somebody calls in, we have somebody to cover." Hubbard added that the transition had proceeded smoothly. "Everybody's gotten used to their new roles and where they are and what they're doing," she said. "I'm very proud of [all the staff], they've actually all risen to the occasion."

The humane society's new manager is Angel Trevor Smith, a former city animal protection officer who now works under Hubbard. Most of the shelter's existing employees were able to keep their jobs following the takeover. The change in management follows the city's termination of the McKinley County Humane Shelter contract on September 25 and the subsequent October 10 resignation of the shelter's former executive director, Asia Ortega.

For residents of McKinley County the shift in management has immediate operational implications. Consolidation under the city aims to improve responsiveness for animal control calls, increase capacity for medical procedures with two veterinary technicians on staff, and streamline adoption and transport processes through a dedicated adoption specialist. The financial arrangement with the county means the city will initially front costs that are expected to be reimbursed, a detail that will bear watching as the new structure settles in.

The takeover raises institutional questions about oversight and long term financing. City officials frame the change as a strategic move to enhance efficiency and effectiveness and to better meet community needs. As the new management model matures, county residents and elected officials will have reason to monitor service metrics, budget reconciliation under the joint powers agreement, and staffing outcomes to assess whether the promised improvements materialize.