YOUNGSTOWN — The Mahoning County commissioners appropriated $252,000 of the county’s federal American Rescue Plan funds Thursday to Animal Charity of Ohio, which is the humane agency for Mahoning County.

Commissioner David Ditzler, who recommended the allocation to his fellow commissioners, said Animal Charity is a “quasi-government entity and they get zero funds from the government. They get zero funds from taxpayers. Their money totally (comes) from donations.”

He said Animal Charity is “the arm that investigates all of the animal-abuse cases. They are the one that have to bring them to court. They are the ones who have to hire an attorney” to prosecute people charged with animal offenses.

He added: “We are in a difficult time. People don’t treat their children properly, their elderly properly, and animals are no different in that they are not treated well either. We need to help our people first, obviously.”

He said the funding will allow Animal Charity to have a second humane agent for three years.

“They say it is so desperately needed, and we all know that,” Ditzler said.

The cost will be $30,000 per year for the person’s salary and benefits, Ditzler said.

“Whoever is out there working is not getting paid a lot of money to be able to go to Sebring, to Austintown, to Boardman, to Youngstown and everywhere in between to try to address animal abuse cases and bring them to court,” Ditzler said.

When the original announcement was made regarding American Rescue Act funds, Mahoning County was said to be getting $44 million, but the actual number was later determined to be $42 million, Audrey Tillis, county administrator, said.

The county has received about $21 million of the funds so far and will get the other half in May or June, she said. Of the $42 million, the county has about $18 million left to allocate, Tillis said.