REDMOND — The Redmond Humane Society spent nearly $500,000 more than it made during the past five years, according to a presentation by the shelter’s board of directors.

During a Wednesday night presentation, a dire financial picture ended with the 2007-08 fiscal year, which ended June 30, and an operating deficit for the year of about $160,000.

The shelter nearly closed last winter and again in July. In the face of about $1.5 million in debt and operating deficits, Deschutes County promised to help the shelter survive the summer. Shelter members backed off an attempt to throw out the current board, its longtime executive director resigned and several staff quit or were laid off in recent months. As part of longer-term help, the county may still lend more money to the shelter, though plans remain in limbo.

In a pep talk during Wednesday’s meeting, Tom Sherwood, a lawyer hired by the board to help save the shelter, delivered a detailed overview of the shelter’s financial situation. Sherwood said during his talk that the shelter can still emerge from its financial hole, but he remained critical of the course leadership took over the years.

A few dozen members sat through the presentation, during which Sherwood said the shelter was in the red and needs between $4,500 and $16,000 more in revenues each month to operate even a slimmed down operation. But cutting staff and operations — including cutting the shelter’s animal welfare officer — won’t bring the shelter out of the red, board President Dale Gilbert said. Though plans are not finalized, the board hopes to start a business in the now unused event center. Gilbert said the shelter may again try opening a thrift store, this time in the center.

“We’re on the edge is where we’re at,” Gilbert said.

Shelter members, staff and leadership have long pointed toward the Alice Teater Trust as another source of income, but during the meeting Sherwood argued the trust money will only pay down some of the debt and not go toward operations.

Along with the Humane Society of Central Oregon, the Redmond shelter is a beneficiary to a trust that owns property in Redmond. But the shelter has incurred about $1.5 million in debt, much of it due to construction of the shelter and event center. The proceeds of a land sale by the trust will pay off some of that debt, Sherwood said.

“(The trust) is your inheritance,” Sherwood said. “You spent your inheritance.”

But not everyone was impressed with the presentation. Some members challenged the board for more details, such as specific fundraising plans. Though not finalized, those could include a golf tournament.

“There was no plan,” said Steve Kessler, who is one of the members that has said he would serve on a new board. “It’s obvious things didn’t work in the past. We have a dysfunctional organization.”

Kessler took particular umbrage to the hiring of Sherwood, who said during the meeting that he will likely charge more than $10,000 — though he has not yet billed the shelter.

“You hire a consultant to tell us what we already knew,” Kessler said.

Despite mention during the meeting of further help from the county, a loan agreement has not been finalized.

During a County Commission meeting earlier on Wednesday, Deschutes County Administrator Dave Kanner briefed the commissioners on the Humane Society’s finances. Kanner recommended against the current version of a proposed $870,000 loan toward construction debt. Kanner later said that a revision of the loan proposal could be ready within weeks. If the county does lend the money, proceeds from the trust could go toward repayment.

The shelter would repay the county once the Teater land was sold.

“The banks have made some bad loans, and we would be substituting ourselves for the banks,” Kanner said. “So we’re stuck right now. I can’t recommend to you that we enter into this agreement.”

But Kanner also acknowledged that the Humane Society’s outlook without some kind of intervention is bleak.

“Can this organization survive past the end of this month?” Kanner asked. “I think the answer is yes, although they may not be able to survive past the end of October.”

Commissioner Mike Daly said the county needs to keep the Humane Society open. “I don’t know how we can let that facility close,” Daly said.