As of now, the Humane Educational Society of Chattanooga stands to get everything it asked for in the 2016 budget.
But its members aren't counting their chickens yet.
Hamilton County Commissioner Joe Graham
Humane Educational Society Executive Director Bob CitrulloThe society is calling on its supporters to rally Wednesday at the Hamilton County Courthouse an hour before commissioners are scheduled to vote on the budget, which includes $620,000 for the animal service organization.
It is asking residents to call their commissioners, "specifically Commissioner [Joe] Graham of District 6, who has been most vocal with regard to questioning why we need the funding."
The Humane Society's 2016 request is 57 percent higher than this year's request, which was $395,255. Mayor Jim Coppinger included the full request by the animal service center in his budget.
Executive Director Bob Citrullo says the money is needed to meet payroll, hire new staff and make critical repairs to the society's 70-year-old building, which is on the verge of being condemned.
And it's needed to keep the society from operating at a deficit, which he said it has done for years.
Citrullo said Monday he wasn't trying to stage an offensive - although the call to action Monday claimed "a small group of commissioners do not share [Coppinger's] spirit of compassion."
But the trouble is, Graham only has supported the society's budget request. And no other commissioner has taken any public moves to defund the organization, either.
On Monday, Graham said that hasn't changed.
He said he only asked that the Humane Society provide a list of the repairs it needed to make at the building.
"I just asked for a list, and [Citrullo] said they were a private company and weren't accountable to the county commission," Graham said. "I think if we are going to approve this money, they should answer our questions."
But that's just a small misunderstanding, he said.
"They need the funding, there's no doubt," he said. "I support this budget."
Coppinger said Monday he hasn't heard requests from anyone to cut the Humane Society out of the proposed 2016 budget.
"Oh, gosh, no. I'd be just totally shocked if the commission tried to pull out the Humane Society now, that's just not going to happen," Coppinger said.
Contact staff writer Louie Brogdon at lbrogdon@timesfreepress.com, @glbrogdoniv on Twitter or at 423-757-6481.