Will County Animal Protection Services Advises Against Multi-Campus Shelter Model

Will County Public Health & Safety Committee Meeting | April 2, 2026

Article Summary: Following a request for research, the Will County Animal Protection Services administrator reported that Will County does not have the population, intake volume, or budget to support a multi-campus animal shelter system like those seen in significantly larger jurisdictions.

Animal Protection Services Key Points:

• Staff consulted the National Animal Care and Control Association regarding counties operating multiple shelter locations.

• Only massively populated counties, such as San Diego, Los Angeles, and Maricopa, utilize a multi-site model.

• San Diego County operates two campuses with a budget of $11.2 million, 66 staff members, and an annual intake of over 6,000 animals.

• Will County currently operates with a $2.29 million budget, 13 staff members, and an annual intake of roughly 900 animals.

The Will County Board Public Health and Safety Committee on Thursday, April 2, 2026, received confirmation that a multi-campus model for the county’s animal shelter is financially and logistically unfeasible.

Following a previous request from the committee, Anna Payton, Administrator for Will County Animal Protection Services, presented research gathered from the National Animal Care and Control Association regarding jurisdictions that successfully operate multiple shelter locations.

Payton explained that the only counties utilizing such a model—specifically citing San Diego County, Los Angeles County, and Maricopa County, Arizona—are vastly larger than Will County in every metric.

Using San Diego County as the closest comparison, Payton highlighted the stark differences. San Diego spans 4,500 square miles with a population over 3 million, handling an annual animal intake of over 6,000. To manage this across two campuses, San Diego utilizes an $11.2 million budget and employs 66 staff members.

By contrast, Will County covers roughly 1,200 square miles with a population just over 700,000. The local shelter manages an annual intake of approximately 900 animals, supported by a $2.29 million budget and 13 staff members.

“My point is there’s not a county in this country that is our size and equivalent that has a multi-site model,” Payton told the committee. “The ones that have multiple campuses or multiple shelters in their county are all significantly larger than ours.”

Committee member Daniel J. Butler (R-Frankfort) noted the massive scale disparity, acknowledging that even a quarter of San Diego’s budget would still exceed Will County’s current allocations. The committee accepted the findings with no further action taken to pursue a secondary location.