By David Madden

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The Delaware County SPCA officially gets out of the business of retrieving stray animals at midnight tonight. Most of the 49 municipalities in the county are on board with a new plan for animal control going forward.

A new shelter is in the process of being built in Darby Township, although a contractor is yet to be selected. Officials are also still looking for an operator, but Delaware County Councilman Mario Civera says an interim arrangement is in place.

“We reached out to Chester County. They were very gracious with us. It’s a little bit more of a distance to take the animals.”

And it’ll now cost towns $250 per animal to be picked up. But 43 of them have signed on, including Chester and Upper Darby, two towns that get a lot of strays. Civera is confident the new facility will be up and running by July 1st, which is when the deal with Chester County’s SPCA is due to expire. Delaware County also has a site on line if you should pick up a stray and are looking for the owner.

For information, visit http://w04.co.delaware.pa.us/lostdogs/