If the Spokane City Council’s squabble over animal control Monday achieved nothing else, it underscored what a mistake it was to adopt a strong mayor form of government eight years ago.

By meeting’s end, the council had agreed to a three-month extension of the city’s animal-control contract with SpokAnimal C.A.R.E., an agency which said a year and a half ago it no longer wants the business. That’s less than the 10-month extension that had been proposed but more than what at least two council members preferred, namely just let the contract lapse.

Meanwhile, pets continue to roam the city, many of them unlicensed, some of them dangerous. SpokAnimal C.A.R.E. impounded 10,000 dogs in 2005. City officials estimate that only 40 percent of dogs and 20 percent of cats in Spokane are licensed.

Too many animals, too little control.

A professional municipal administrator might not easily resolve the long-standing challenge of controlling stray and roving pets in the community, but the job clearly exceeds the ability of the present structure in City Hall.

On Monday, some council members talked about their personal efforts to arrange agreements for a different vendor to assume the work. In other words, they were meddling in an executive task that should fall to a strong mayor.

Problem is, the council – the policymakers – have made it clear they want to farm the business out to somebody. If not SpokAnimal C.A.R.E., then maybe Spokane County’s pricey but professional Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service, or SCRAPS.

But Mayor Dennis Hession is interested in setting up the city’s own agency, an option that would cost an estimated $5 million just for the facility. Operating expenses would be on top of that.

Monday’s meeting did not show governmental deliberation at its finest. Councilman Brad Stark complained of repeated “lies” from the administration. Hession stopped barely short of challenging him to a duel. It was dysfunction like that that motivated the 1999 ballot measure to change forms of government.

If Spokane still had a council-manager form of government, the council could grapple with the issue as a single entity rather than engage in a futile battle between two independent branches of government. Then the administrative details could be turned over to a professional city manager who recognized an obligation to carry out policy.

The ideal solution would be a regional government no more hampered by arbitrary political boundaries than a rambling pack of dogs.

Consider the complications: At present, SCRAPS costs more than the city of Spokane wants to pay, and the county feels no pressure to bargain. Spokane Valley is paying the county’s price but might be interested in joining with the city of Spokane if it came up with its own operation. If that happened, the resulting revenue loss would pose funding problems for the county.

Unfortunately, regional government was voted down, leaving us to struggle with animal control and other challenges under the mishmash of governance still in place.

Hession is right when he says animal control is a complex problem for which there are no quick solutions.

Sadly, there isn’t even a slow one.