Stanislaus County's pitch to remake its animal shelter faces a delay because one of its primary funders, the city of Modesto, wants to take more time in committing to the project.

The county's proposal could cost $9.9 million to $10.8 million. It wants the city to pay for about 40 percent of the project because Modesto pets account for that proportion of the animals that wind up at the shelter.

Modesto City Council members say they haven't been given enough time to make sure the proposal fits in their budget.

On Tuesday, they unanimously voted to ask the county for a six-month grace period to review the project's financing.

"We all want to do this right," Councilwoman Janice Keating said. "This is a large expense."

The county's animal shelter accepts 20,000 stray or unwanted animals a year, euthanizing about 13,000 of them. It was built 35 years ago to house 262 animals a day, but it usually holds 420.

Modesto Mayor Jim Ridenour said the city should look at teaming up with other communities in the county to build the shelter and lower costs. That could include drawing more cities into the county's proposal.

"We need that time just to see what Ceres, Turlock, Oakdale and Riverbank are going to do," he said.

The county Board of Supervisors voted to move forward with the plan in April.

County Chief Executive Rick Robinson said the city's vote would be a "hiccup" to the project.

"We think it makes economic sense," he said. "They just want an opportunity to look at their various options."

Councilman Brad Hawn said the city likely would settle on the county's plan to expand its shelter because other options would require Modesto to build a new facility. Still, he said he wanted more time to review the plan.

Bee staff writer Adam Ashton can be reached at aashton@modbee.com or 578-2366.