Okaloosa County Commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved an interlocal agreement with the City of Crestview to provide animal control and sheltering services across the northern part of the county, locking in a north-end solution weeks before the county’s contract with the Panhandle Animal Welfare Society expires on Sept. 22.

• Commissioner Paul Mixon made the motion to approve. Commissioner Sherri Cox seconded.

Deputy County Administrator Craig Coffey called the agreement “a very exciting” development and described it as a full partnership between the two governments.

“It provides for essentially full animal control and sheltering services, and it’s a full partnership between the county and the city,” Coffey said. “They’ve been great to work with.”

Under the agreement, the City of Crestview will provide animal control and sheltering for the unincorporated areas of north Okaloosa County, north of Eglin Air Force Base. The two governments will split operational costs 50/50. Crestview has run its own animal control operation through its police department since 2023.

Coffey said Crestview currently provides a more robust service than the “Animal Control Light” model commissioners approved in June, which was limited to the minimum services required under Florida law.

• “The city provides actually a much more robust service, probably somewhere between accepting everything and animal control light,” Coffey said.

The agreement also calls for the county and Crestview to build a new animal shelter at 709 Long Drive using a city-owned metal building constructed in 2020. Coffey said the building is about 7,500 square feet. The estimated renovation cost ranges from $750,000 to $1.25 million, with the county paying 65% and the city paying 35%. The city is contributing the building and the land.

Coffey said the deal should save the county money. He said the county’s animal control budget had been set to rise to roughly $900,000 this year, but the partnership should bring the county’s operational share to around $450,000.

“Currently, the city spends about $600,000 total in animal control services per year, so 50% of that would be $300,000,” Coffey said. He added that Crestview will need to hire additional officers and vehicles to cover the larger service area, which will push the city’s total costs up, but said the arrangement benefits both sides.

Crestview City Manager Jessica Leavins attended the meeting and spoke in support of the agreement.

“Animals don’t know jurisdiction lines, and our team is so passionate about what they do,” Leavins said. “The city limits in Crestview and the unincorporated county are kind of jagged. So we’re really excited to move forward with this partnership and provide all of our citizens in unincorporated or incorporated with the best experience possible.”

Services will be phased in. Coffey said that initially the county will operate under an “Animal Control Light” model in the unincorporated area, growing over time to match the city’s service levels once the shelter, personnel and equipment are in place. County documents estimate that could take roughly six months.

The agreement also includes a provision for county inmates to work at the shelter facility. Coffey said the county will provide two to four inmate workers daily, and that it will be the first time inmates have been sent out for work assignments in more than a decade.

• “This is the first time we’ll have our inmates, and they’re proposed to work at this facility,” Coffey said. “They haven’t been out in more than a decade, so we’re implementing that program hopefully starting September 1st, and that’s a big milestone for us on the jail side.”

Commissioner Carolyn Ketchel praised the inmate component. “That’s great for the inmates for so many reasons, and it’s great for the community to have the inmates engaged,” she said. “It’s a shame that’s all disappeared, because it’s good for them to get outside, and certainly to hold animals. It’ll make a huge difference both ways.”

The county will also provide a used pickup truck to Crestview as part of the agreement.

Commissioner Mixon praised the partnership and recognized Crestview Animal Control Officer Katie Healey, who recently received the 2026 Trailblazer in Animal Welfare Award. Commissioner Cox added a personal note, saying Healey helped her family retrieve a rescue dog.

“Katie really went above and beyond to make that happen,” Cox said. “And there’s no question in my mind that she does that on a regular basis.”

The initial term of the agreement is three years beginning Sept. 22, with automatic one-year renewals after that. Either party can terminate without cause with 12 months’ notice. If the agreement is canceled within six years, the city would reimburse the county for its capital contributions on a prorated basis.

Okaloosa County has contracted with PAWS for more than 20 years for animal control in unincorporated areas. The nonprofit’s executive board voted April 30 to end the county contract Sept. 22 with no extensions. At their June 16 meeting, commissioners approved the “Animal Control Light” model and directed staff to pursue a solution with Crestview. Commissioners also approved $600,000 in infrastructure surtax funding at an earlier meeting for animal control startup capital costs.

The Crestview City Council is scheduled to consider the interlocal agreement at its Aug. 24 meeting.