Moving quickly to fill the potential void created by the loss of the Island’s only animal shelter, the Dukes County Commission voted without dissent on Wednesday to take over the Katharine M. Foote memorial shelter in Edgartown after the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Animals pulls up stakes and leaves the Island May 1.

County commissioners agreed to provide administrative support and some funding on an interim basis after the MSPCA breaks ties with the facility at the end of next month. Meanwhile county commissioners expect a task force made up of town officials, animal control officers and veterinarians to come up with a permanent plan to make the facility financially viable over the long-term.

The commission agreed to operate the shelter under the auspices of Dukes County, to provide basic administrative support such as payroll services and other resources. But commissioners also warned they do not have the money to fund the shelter over the long-term.

“We all agree something needs to be done, but remember the county has limited funds,” chairman Lenny Jason said. “We will only get involved with the guarantee the towns will support this new process down the road.”

The MSPCA announced on Feb. 5 it would close the Edgartown shelter, along with two other Massachusetts branches, in the wake of a crippling 25 per cent loss in endowment money for 2008. The shelter is on land that was donated in 1947 by Island resident and animal advocate Katharine M. Foote.

According to MSPCA officials, the shelter’s annual average expenses are around $250,000 but the shelter has operated at a loss of around $135,000 for the past few years.

During a meeting of the all-Island selectmen on Monday, town officials were presented with a range of management plans in a 16-page report from the shelter task force. Options include having each town run its own shelter; a shelter run entirely by volunteers and donations; a shelter run using an inter-municipal agreement between towns and support of community; and having no shelter at all.

Monday’s discussion focused on a plan for the shelter to be run by Dukes County with the support of the six Island towns and community. The task force report listed numerous advantages of a county-run facility; a continuity of procedures, the existing county administration, easier licensing and insurance, and the possibility of immediate funding.

In perhaps the clearest advantage, she added, the shelter would receive nonprofit status under the county, meaning donations could be collected immediately and applied to the operation of the facility.

Kate Vanderhoop, assistant animal control officer for Edgartown and coordinator for the task force, agreed the best plan was for a county-run task shelter but also said the entire Island community would have to help keep it running.

“We need the county, we need the towns, we need the community,” Ms. Vanderhoop said.

Carter Luke, chief operating officer for the MSPCA, agreed. “This is a time to talk about new beginnings,” Mr. Luke said. “It appears something good is happening with this coalition. Clearly it’s going to require charitable contributions, but the building and equipment is available.”

But Mr. Luke also pointed out the harsh realities that the shelter is not a money-making operation. “We’ve been losing money for decades,” he said matter of factly.

The shelter would have to be run by a skeleton crew of volunteers or employees, and expenses kept to a minimum.

“It’s not going to be on the same grand scale as the MSPCA, we don’t have the money,” Mr. Jason said. “It will be greatly reduced in scope . . . it has to be.

“We’ve been involved in this process before, where everybody suddenly develops amnesia by the time you start spending the money,” he warned.

Dukes County commissioners did not discuss the shelter task force manangement plan at their regular meeting on Wednesday. County manager Russell Smith said the Martha’s Vineyard Commission already had volunteered to use some of its grant money to hire a professional to formulate a business plan for the shelter.

The commission voted 6-0 in favor of providing administrative support and services to the shelter, with Mr. Jason, Carlene Gatting, John Alley, Leslie Leland, Thomas Hallahan and Tristan Israel voting in the affirmative. With the vote, the county gained the ability to raise donations for running the shelter, which brought instant good tidings.

Oak Bluffs selectman Kerry Scott, owner of Good Dog Goods and member of the shelter task force, gave the commissioners a $1,000 donation from the Martha’s Vineyard Dog Club to kick off the fund-raising.

“We hope this is the start of a long future for the shelter, as it serves the Island and takes care of our animals in need,” she said.