The End of an 18-Year Partnership: What It Means for Billings’ Animals.

Where do the animals go on July 1?

That is the question that kept this community up last night after the Billings Police Department released a statement announcing the reopening of the city-run animal shelter at the old Monad location.

Let us give you some history.

For the past 18 years, Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter has partnered with the City of Billings to provide comprehensive animal services. YVAS has managed the sheltering side of operations, including adoptions, foster placements, reuniting lost pets with their families, and caring for animals in our custody. The City has overseen municipal enforcement, including responding to loose animals, addressing barking complaints, and investigating bites and attacks.

To put it simply, YVAS had a contract with the BPD that reimbursed YVAS for some of the costs associated with boarding lost pets while trying to reunite them with their original owners. This is a contract YVAS has historically lost money on, but we believed it was a critical part of our charitable mission. And, to be honest, we are really good at it.

YVAS has a live-release rate of 96%, which is above the national standard for no-kill shelters. We reunite animals with their original owners at nearly twice the rate of the average shelter, and the average length of time an animal spends at YVAS is approximately 4 days.

City governments are required to go out for an RFP, or Request for Proposals, when a partnership or service is needed. This process is meant to ensure taxpayers have access to the most affordable and comparable services available. It is also a checks-and-balances system to ensure City Council and city administration do not favor friends, family, or specific organizations when awarding contracts paid for with taxpayer funds. It is an important fundamental government process.

In March, the City issued an updated RFP. The process seemed simple. YVAS put pen to paper, completed the application and demonstrated how effective this relationship has been. YVAS was the only organization to submit a proposal. No other sheltering provider stepped forward to offer these services to the City of Billings.

The problem is that September 10, 2025 made that process significantly less simple.

Since 2009, YVAS has been reimbursed for the cost of boarding lost animals found within city limits in two ways: monetary reimbursement for services and rent of the facility located at 1735 Monad at an incredibly discounted cost.

On September 10, 2025, City staff negligently used the crematorium to burn narcotic drugs resulting in the contamination of the building. The Monad facility was no longer a safe option for YVAS to reside in or rent. So, we moved. Twice in four months.

The relationship between YVAS and the City of Billings is understandably strained. We are still working to be reimbursed for damages sustained on September 10. We have employees who are still suffering negative health impacts from meth smoke exposure. And we are now operating out of a warehouse without any additional compensation from the City. So, we asked to be made whole again.

We asked the City to increase our reimbursement fee for boarding services. Since the City no longer has a safe facility to offer YVAS, we calculated the market value of that discounted rent and added it to our monetary fee. In our minds, this was a reasonable request.

The City knew these services would cost more. The problem isn’t that the price went up. The problem is the City didn’t set aside enough money to keep providing the same level of care this community has counted on for nearly 20 years.

Recognizing the importance of uninterrupted animal services, YVAS offered to continue providing these services temporarily while a long-term agreement could be negotiated. The City declined that offer.

Now here we are, just as shocked and concerned as all of you. An 18-year partnership ends today.

So what happens on July 1?

The way we see it, there are two options. We either turn away the lost and homeless animals that arrive at YVAS from within Billings city limits, or we continue to provide those services with zero reimbursement or investment from our municipal leaders.

The second option is not actually possible long-term. It is more complicated than simply opening our doors and taking in animals. The contract with the City of Billings is what gave YVAS the legal authority to provide veterinary care to owned but lost animals. Even more importantly, it gave YVAS the authority to deem an animal abandoned and make that animal available for adoption into a new home.

We are going to take this day by day. Right now, with the Fourth of July around the corner, we are going to continue serving lost animals in this community, even with zero legal protections and zero reimbursement from the City.

In the last two days alone, YVAS has taken in 20 lost dogs. In the City’s mind, the options appear to be that residents either let those dogs continue running loose or take them into their own homes. Additionally, we question the capacity, safety, and level of services that will be offered at the Monad location. All of these are unacceptable options for the largest city in the state of Montana.

The public should understand that this is ultimately a budget decision made by the City. City leaders have chosen how to allocate public resources, and right now they have chosen not to fund animal sheltering at the level required to maintain the services Billings residents have depended on for 18 years.

YVAS remains committed to this community and ready to work toward a solution that keeps these essential services in place. But we cannot solve a municipal public safety problem alone, and we cannot continue to subsidize the City’s responsibility with donor dollars indefinitely.

We critically need your help.

Contact your council members. Contact the mayor. Speak for the animals who cannot speak for themselves.

Tell them this community deserves better. Tell them the animals deserve better. Tell them YVAS is the only affordable, proven, and quality option.

The City Council can fix what City staff has broken.

Let them know you expect them to.

With commitment to the animals and this community,

Triniti Halverson, Executive Director &

YVAS Board of Directors.