Frisco Approves $649,942 Interlocal Payment to Collin County for Shelter Services

Frisco will pay $649,942 to Collin County as its share of operations for the Collin County Animal Shelter for fiscal year 2026, a City Council action that keeps the city in the regional animal-sheltering partnership and ensures continued access to county capacity.

The council approved the interlocal agreement at its Feb. 3 meeting, extending Frisco’s partnership through Sept. 30, 2026. City documents describe the payment as Frisco’s proportional share of shelter operating costs based on a 2025 population estimate of 235,615 from the North Central Texas Council of Governments. Those documents say Frisco’s share is roughly 29.78 percent of operating costs and that the total base operations fee for participating entities is $1,823,976 for FY2026. The agreement includes a 3.5 percent annual increase built into a five-year schedule.

The contract also establishes a maintenance and capital contribution pool that begins at $140,000 in FY2026 and increases incrementally to $340,000 by fiscal year 2030. Quarterly payments are due in advance under the scheduled-payment provisions, and a non-appropriation clause ties continuation to each participating city’s annual budget approval.

Operational details emphasize continuing regional access. The Collin County Animal Shelter is located at 4750 Community Avenue in McKinney and offers 24/7 access for participating cities to drop off live and deceased animals. Public hours are 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekends; the facility is closed Mondays. The original collaboration began in 2006 when nine North Texas cities pooled resources to build a shared facility.

The interlocal allows Collin County to assess a capacity surcharge of up to $500 per animal when the shelter reaches 100 percent capacity, though the agreement explicitly exempts Frisco from that charge. Cities with residents living outside Collin County would owe a non-resident surcharge calculated on a pro-rata basis, a provision that does not apply to Frisco because all of its residents live within Collin County.

Some figures in reporting materials do not line up. The stated $649,942 payment and the $1,823,976 total would equate to about 35.6 percent, not the 29.78 percent cited in the same documents. Separate reporting has also suggested different share and intake ratios, for example, an article noting Frisco “accounts for 11% of the shelter’s population but contributes 33% of its funding”, and those numbers have not been reconciled in the materials provided to council. The executed interlocal agreement and the city staff packet should clarify the calculation method and allocation of maintenance and capital charges.

Frisco is simultaneously exploring a proposed $12.8 million city-owned animal facility funded through Community Development Corporation resources, to be leased for 20 years to a private operator. Mayor Jeff Cheney said, “All that due diligence is going to happen,” and “We're at the dreaming stage right now.” Police Chief David Shilson told reporters that “Frisco would continue to pay the $650,000 annual fee to maintain ‘backup’ capacity there, even after the new facility opens.”

For Collin County residents and Frisco taxpayers the vote means the city maintains its place in the regional shelter system and keeps a safety net for overflow cases as it weighs local options. Watch upcoming budget documents and council items for the finalized fee calculations and any shifts tied to the proposed Frisco facility.