The future of the animal control program in Lincoln County, Tennessee, remains unclear after the local Humane Society told local governments it will not continue providing animal services in the county.

It's a service the nonprofit organization has been contracted to do for decades.

A sign on the door of the shelter in Fayetteville advises viewers about the group's stance. The Humane Society requested a funding increase this year from the city of Fayetteville and Lincoln County.

The request would have the Humane Society's funding from the city increasing from $75,000 to more than $110,000. Lincoln County said it, too, was asked for a double-digit budget increase.

While the Humane Society provides all animal services for both entities, both refused the budget increase requests.

"For the last 20 years, the Humane Society has provided animal control services for the city, and right now, we are still negotiating to see where that relationship can go. But at the moment we don’t know where that relationship will look like at the end of all this," Fayetteville City Administrator Kevin Owens said Thursday.

The Humane Society was closed and no one returned phone calls from our newsroom Thursday, but the city says the shelter is desperately trying to find forever homes for the dozens of animals still in the shelter before the end of the month.

It is not clear what will happen to any animals left there if the shelter closes, but Owens said the city is working on a short-term plan to keep the city- and county-owned shelter building operating until they can find a solution for handling animal services moving forward.

"We're trying to make sure our stray animals and unwanted animals are taken in and cared for. That's what we're doing right now," Owens said.

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