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Record of Proceedings

Heartland Pet Connection Contract at Focus of Hastings Special Council Meeting on July 28, 2026

City Council Special — Tuesday, July 28, 2026
BodyHastings, Nebraska
SessionCity Council Special
DateTuesday, July 28, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:53:21

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.

Speaker 1

2:49

Call this meeting to order.

2:51

Tyler, please call the role.

Speaker 2

2:53

Huntley?

2:54

Here.

2:54

Anderson.

2:55

Here.

2:56

Brad Consbrook?

2:57

Here.

2:57

Larry

Speaker 3

2:58

Consbruck.

3:00

Rowan.

3:01

Here.

3:01

Hoffman?

3:02

Here.

3:03

Fong.

3:05

Mayor.

Speaker 1

3:05

Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance.

3:44

Can I get a motion to pass the current agenda?

3:52

Motion by Anderson Second by Larry Consburg, please vote.

5:12

Passes eight to zero.

5:14

Public notice, official notice of the special meeting was published in the Hastings Tribune on Friday, July 24, 2026.

5:21

Pursuant to Nebraska revised statute section 84-1412.

5:26

The public is advising a copy of today's agenda and all reproducible written material to be discussed at today's meeting is available for public review, and a current copy of the Nebraska Open Meetings Act is in the meeting room and accessible to members of the public.

5:42

With that, I'll move to Citizens Communications.

5:48

It looks like we have Diane Duby.

5:51

Will you please come forward?

Speaker 4

6:03

Right off the bat.

Unassigned speaker

6:05

I'm

Speaker 5

6:05

gonna read from my notes because if I don't, I'll be here all night on this subject.

6:10

So

Unassigned speaker

6:11

my

Speaker 5

6:11

name is Diane Duby, and I was on the original committee of women who band together and formed the Capitol campaign, Wonderful Animals, Great Spaces, or WAGs as we referred to it.

6:23

I was on the first board of directors for the Heartland Pet Connection.

6:27

It was the second president.

Unassigned speaker

6:30

This

Speaker 5

6:31

group was very passionate about the animals in the community and realized that the animal control kennels in the back of the old police department were substandard and uh just dismal, dismal for our lost animals.

6:46

And the police department, you know, more pressing issues to attend to than shoveling shit.

Unassigned speaker

6:55

The

Speaker 5

6:56

background I brought to the table was serving as development director, excuse me, a development assistant and eventually administrator of a progressive humane society in Champaign Urbana, Illinois in the 1980s.

7:17

All city and animal control, city and county animal control contracts as well as initiate forms of fundraising events campaigns.

7:27

In 1988, after a two-year capital campaign, we opened the doors to a million-dollar shelter.

7:33

Granted, 35 years ago, a million dollars got you a

Unassigned speaker

7:37

lot.

Speaker 5

7:45

I know firsthand.

8:26

Um spay neuter deposits.

Speaker 1

8:34

I'll have to ask you to kind of try to finish it up.

8:36

You only have two minutes, I'm sorry.

Speaker 5

8:38

Oh, okay.

8:38

I'm sorry.

8:39

Um could the shelter make up that 33% should it lose the contract or anything else?

8:48

Um obviously some changes need to be made.

8:50

It was mentioned that a board of directors is not uh responsible for fundraising.

8:55

I highly disagree with that.

8:58

Um this should be a diverse group of pop uh population serving the community.

9:05

Um lawyers, accountants, fundraisers.

9:09

Um sitting on a board of directors is not a status.

9:16

Should we work with an organization to ensure that successful in the endeavors while keeping it honest and above board?

Unassigned speaker

9:24

There

Speaker 5

9:25

are many sources of income, and I won't go through the whole list since I guess I only have two minutes, but the list is this long of just the things I used when I was an administrator.

9:34

In closing, things require time and effort.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Animal Welfare█████████████████████████████████████████████59%
Pending Litigation█████████████17%
Procedural██████8%
Fiscal Sustainability█████7%
Public Engagement██3%
Community Engagement██3%
Personnel Matters██2%
Budget Equity Analysis█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Hastings City Council Special Meeting: Heartland Pet Connection Discussion (July 28, 2026)

The Hastings City Council held a Special Meeting on July 28, 2026, at the Hastings Municipal Airport beginning at 6:00 PM. The agenda, requested by Councilmembers Anderson, B. Consbruck, L. Consbruck, and Rowan, focused solely on the current situation and possible vote regarding the city's contract and relationship with Heartland Pet Connection (HPC).

Consent Calendar

  • The Council unanimously voted 8-0 to adopt the agenda for the meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Diane Dube: A co-founder of the WAGs capital campaign and former HPC board president. Dube stated the city should not be expected to fund the shortfall when the organization failed to demonstrate sufficient fundraising effort.
  • Tammy Craig: A local resident who questioned HPC's medical protocols, budgeting, and overall management, stating that the city previously ran a more accountable animal control program and urging the council to deny further public funds.
  • Lee Hogan: Chairman of the Adams County Board. Hogan expressed full support for HPC and its mission, encouraging the council to maintain the partnership.
  • Chuck Newman: A multiple-time adopter from HPC. He declared strong public support for the organization, stating that allowing it to fail would be a travesty for Hastings.
  • Craig Hubbard: A taxpayer who argued the negotiations were concluded when HPC rejected the city's final offer. Hubbard warned the council must set a firm precedent to protect taxpayer funds, characterizing the renewed push for funding as an extortion scheme.
  • Patricia Pratt (Later Riser): An HPC board member and volunteer, Pratt gave an extended statement attributing the impasse to miscommunication and high emotions. She corrected what she described as mischaracterizations of the shelter's operations and requested a cooling-down period to allow for productive future talks.

Discussion Items

  • Timeline of Events: City Administrator Mark Funkey provided a detailed timeline from Fall 2025, describing HPC's initial request for an $80,000 increase, council stipulations (including developing a business plan and exploring a merger with Start Over Rover), the drafting of a contentious city contract, and HPC's rejection of the final city offer in late spring.
  • Police Chief Testimony: Chief Adam Story provided a historical overview, confirming that animal control is essential for the city and that the contract was competitively bid. He noted HPC receives approximately $86,000 annually from the city through a flat contract fee and retained fines, which he stated is an uncommon arrangement. Cost per animal rose from $169 in 2024 to $144 in 2025, and is projected at $268 in 2026 amid declining intakes.
  • Mystery Contract: Councilmember Huntley disclosed receiving a counter-proposal drafted by HPC's attorney, which he distributed to some council members but had not been vetted by city staff. Multiple council members, including Councilmember Hoffman, criticized this as circumventing the city's legitimate negotiation structure.
  • Contract Rejection Reasons: HPC Board President Tara McDaneld stated the board rejected the city's final proposal not over funding levels, but primarily due to the contract extension clause, which created legal concerns regarding the lack of a sole-source designation and competitive bidding.
  • Fiscal Responsibility vs. Service Continuity: A significant debate occurred between council members prioritizing strict fiscal restraint and adherence to existing contracts, versus those warning of the exponentially higher costs the city would face if HPC ceased operations.

Key Outcomes

  • Legal Status Affirmed: City Attorney Jesse Oswald confirmed that the existing contract with HPC remains legally binding and runs through 2028.
  • Motion to Postpone: Councilmember Steve Huntley moved to postpone all further negotiations with Heartland Pet Connection until January 1, 2027, to allow for a cooling-down period. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Michael Anderson.
  • Vote Result: Motion Carried (5-3)
    • Ayes: Steve Huntley, Michael Anderson, Larry Consbruck, Maggie Esch, Brian Hoffman.
    • Nays: Brad Consbruck, Marc Rowan, Matt Fong.
  • Next Steps: No further council-level action regarding the Heartland Pet Connection contract or negotiations is scheduled until the conclusion of the cooling-off period at the beginning of 2027. The meeting was adjourned at 7:50 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Call this meeting to order. Tyler, please call the role. Huntley? Here. Anderson. Here. Brad Consbrook? Here. Larry Consbruck. Rowan. Here. Hoffman? Here. Fong. Mayor. Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. Can I get a motion to pass the current agenda? Motion by Anderson Second by Larry Consburg, please vote. Passes eight to zero. Public notice, official notice of the special meeting was published in the Hastings Tribune on Friday, July 24, 2026. Pursuant to Nebraska revised statute section 84-1412. The public is advising a copy of today's agenda and all reproducible written material to be discussed at today's meeting is available for public review, and a current copy of the Nebraska Open Meetings Act is in the meeting room and accessible to members of the public. With that, I'll move to Citizens Communications. It looks like we have Diane Duby. Will you please come forward? Right off the bat. I'm gonna read from my notes because if I don't, I'll be here all night on this subject. So my name is Diane Duby, and I was on the original committee of women who band together and formed the Capitol campaign, Wonderful Animals, Great Spaces, or WAGs as we referred to it. I was on the first board of directors for the Heartland Pet Connection. It was the second president. This group was very passionate about the animals in the community and realized that the animal control kennels in the back of the old police department were substandard and uh just dismal, dismal for our lost animals. And the police department, you know, more pressing issues to attend to than shoveling shit. The background I brought to the table was serving as development director, excuse me, a development assistant and eventually administrator of a progressive humane society in Champaign Urbana, Illinois in the 1980s. All city and animal control, city and county animal control contracts as well as initiate forms of fundraising events campaigns. In 1988, after a two-year capital campaign, we opened the doors to a million-dollar shelter. Granted, 35 years ago, a million dollars got you a lot. I know firsthand. Um spay neuter deposits. I'll have to ask you to kind of try to finish it up. You only have two minutes, I'm sorry. Oh, okay. I'm sorry. Um could the shelter make up that 33% should it lose the contract or anything else?

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