The Kirkland Council voted unanimously to stay with King County Animal Control instead of branching out on its own during its Tuesday meeting.

The move was a complete change of pace by the council from a few months ago when it was considering having the city do its own animal control.

“After seven months of negotiations the proposed final 2013 ILA (Inter Local Agreement with the county) represents a marked improvement from current ILA in terms of the level of service to Kirkland residents, the city’s animals and cost containment for the city’s budget,” said Intergovernmental Relations Manager Lorrie McKay.

Startup costs were the biggest expense for the city to strike out on its own and the deciding factor. The county could consider a levy to pay for animal control by 2015, making the service cheaper for local cities.