Animal control calls in Hephzibah could once again be handled by Augusta Animal Services under a proposed intergovernmental agreement approved Tuesday by the Augusta Commission.
The vote followed a closed session. The document was not released publicly, but the Augusta administrator’s office issued a statement Wednesday announcing it passed.
The IGA “outlines how Augusta Animal Services could support animal control needs within Hephzibah city limits,” the statement said.
Under the arrangement, Augusta Animal Services would respond to animal complaints, assist with stray or unconfined animals and provide additional services listed in the agreement.
The approval marks the first movement toward resolving a years-long dispute over animal services for the Richmond County town of about 3,800 residents.
Although Hephzibah did not vote to consolidate with Augusta, its residents still pay county property taxes and have expected access to certain services.
In recent years, however, Augusta Animal Services stopped responding to calls in Hephzibah, citing the absence of a service agreement.
Hephzibah Commission Chairman Robert Buchwitz said in 2023 that the town was told it needed to adopt Augusta’s full animal services ordinance to qualify for service. The ordinance was “thicker than all the laws in Hephzibah,” he said.
Then-Augusta General Counsel Wayne Brown countered that Augusta had revised its ordinance multiple times to accommodate the town only to have Hephzibah decline to sign.
Brown noted that the Georgia Constitution bars Augusta from providing services to another municipality without a formal agreement.
The beleaguered Augusta department, which no longer releases euthanasia statistics publicly, has been known for having one of the highest kill rates in the nation.
If finalized, the new agreement would define how Augusta Animal Services serves Hephzibah, a mostly rural area of roughly twenty square miles in south Richmond County.
The IGA must also be approved by Hephzibah before animal control service resumes.
