Olathe plans to scale back plans for a new animal shelter as the city looks to rein in spending to avoid a future budget deficit, according to a councilmember who’s a key backer of the project.

In March, the Olathe City Council gave the plans for the $25 million animal shelter the final stamp of approval, allowing construction to begin this summer.

It had been a long time coming.

Since approving the design for the project in 2023, staff had come to council multiple times for budget increases, which were all approved, albeit not always unanimously.

The new facility would be more than five times the size of the current shelter at 505 E. Sunvale Drive, which opened in 1988 and hasn’t undergone any major upgrades since.

But construction didn’t start this summer.

Instead, the city said the project was on hold as officials reconsidered its size, cost and location amid efforts to tighten spending and scale back its Capital Improvement Plan.

Now, according to City Councilmember and Mayor Pro Tem Dean Vakas, architects are working on a smaller version of the animal shelter to accommodate the project’s new budget, which has been cut by $6 million.

“Sometimes we may want the biggest best thing possible but in reality if we step back, we can dial down on the cost a little bit, dial down the scope a little bit and still meet all of our objectives and we end up being fiscally responsible with every tax dollar that we take in,” Vakas told the Post.

Vakas said while the council may get an update on the reduced project, there does not need to be another vote since the one earlier this year cleared the way for construction to begin.

Scaling back

Vakas said the city considered other locations but decided the already purchased property at Santa Fe and Ridgeview remained the best option. Architects are now revising the plans.

“Our architect is working on those redesigns and efficiency measures to make the building smaller and less expensive,” Vakas said. “But still of the same quality, something that we can be proud of, and that will serve us for the long-term here in Olathe.“

The original design calls for a 21,600-square-foot shelter with outdoor kennels and a dog-walking trail.

The specific design changes are still being worked out, but Vakas said revised renderings would likely be available this fall.

“I’m sure we look forward to being able to share those drawings with the general public,” he said. “And then certainly breaking ground sometime in the spring.”

Vakas also said the city may create a board to take a broader look at animal control, so fewer animals end up in a shelter.

“It will just be more dynamic on how we handle animal care control here in this part of the county,” he said.

Project history

The project was initially approved in March of 2023 as part of the 2025-2029 Capital Improvement Plan with a $15 million budget.

At the time, a staff report submitted to the city council called the existing 4,000-square-foot animal shelter “woefully undersized, outdated and in need of significant repairs.”

In March 2025, city staff requested an additional $4 million for the project, citing unanticipated land acquisition costs and potential additional design costs.

Then, last December, staff asked the city council for another $6 million in funding, bringing the total project budget to $25 million.

Staff said then that a larger budget was necessary to address still-rising land acquisition costs, changing design needs and inflation.

Olathe’s Quality of Life Director Mike Sirna said then that animal shelters are particularly expensive to build because of their unique requirements, like disease-resistant floors and walls and special HVAC systems.

The city council approved the budget increase 4-3, but several councilmembers called for a smaller, less expensive animal shelter.

Councilmembers Matthew Schoonover and LeEtta Felter, who cast two of the three dissenting votes to raise the project budget in December, emphasized the need for a new shelter but said the city had more pressing needs for the 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 capital projects could receive additional funding.

How it’s being funded

The city council authorized up to $25 million in general obligation funding for the project.

The shelter site lies within the Santa Fe and Ridgeview tax increment financing (TIF) district.

City staff previously said future TIF revenues could cover up to $2 million of the project cost, reducing the amount the city ultimately needs to borrow.