Olathe’s new animal shelter will cost $10 million more than when city leaders first approved plans for it two years ago.
The Olathe City Council last month narrowly approved a second budget increase in a 4-3 vote for the new animal shelter, as councilmembers disagreed over how that money should be spent.
When the city council initially approved the project in March of 2023, the city budgeted $15 million of the 2025-2029 Capital Improvement Plan.
City staff requested the project’s first budget increase earlier this year, saying they need the money for “unanticipated land acquisition costs, additional design costs and contracted project management.” They added inflation has been a factor in the increased cost.
This time around, city staff told the city council that additional funding is necessary to address rising land acquisition costs, changing design needs and inflation, while several councilmembers said that money would be better spent on other projects. Total project costs are now estimated at $25 million.
The new shelter will be built at the northwest corner of Ridgeview Road and Santa Fe Street.
Olathe’s current animal shelter, located off Sunvale Drive has not had any major upgrades since it opened in 1988. City staff say the facility, which is about 4,000 square feet, is outdated and too small.
The city has not finalized a design for the new shelter, but it is expected to be about 23,000 square feet — almost six times the size of the current facility.
Mayor John Bacon and Councilmembers Marge Vogt, Dean Vakas and Robyn Essex voted to approve the budget increase. Councilmembers Matthew Schoonover, LeEtta Felter and Kevin Gilmore dissented.
Construction is set to begin in 2026 and wrap up in 2027.
Why the shelter requires additional funding
Tuesday’s vote authorizes the project cost to be capped at $25 million in general obligation bond funding for the project.
The shelter site lies within the Santa Fe and Ridgeview tax increment financing (TIF) district. While the city council authorized the full $25 million, city staff say future TIF revenues could cover up to $2 million of the project cost, reducing the amount the city ultimately needs to borrow.
City documents state the budget needs to be increased for a second time for the same reasons as March’s bump.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Quality of Life Director Mike Sirna said evolving industry standards also played a part in the project’s growing expenses.
He showed examples of animal shelter projects nationwide to prove that Olathe’s experience is not unusual. He cited an animal shelter project in Sugar Land, Texas, that had a cost increase from $9 million to $20 million.
Sirna said animal shelters are particularly expensive to build because of their unique requirements, like disease-resistant floors and walls and special HVAC systems.
City council split on budget
Councilmembers Schoonover and Felter, who cast two of the three dissenting votes, emphasized the need for a new shelter but said the city has more pressing needs for the additional funds.
“In this environment, affordability for our residents has to be a higher priority for me,” Felter said.
Schoonover asked if a “three- or four- star facility would be acceptable” so other CIP projects can receive additional funding.
“We need to make investments down along our 175th Street corridor, as we’ve heard from those residents,” Schoonover said. “We need to make other investments in infrastructure in our city.”
Councilmember Vogt said the city has already scaled back plans substantially and that Olathe needs a new shelter.
“You are not just building for today — you’re building for the future,” Vogt said at the meeting. “A municipal animal shelter is part of public safety.”
Councilmember Vakas agreed, calling the project’s funding “extremely well spent.”
“I very much understand the concern about spending so much,” Vakas said, “but it’s not that much in the scheme of things.”
