The Humane Society of Indianapolis is planning to open a low cost spay and neuter clinic on the Southside by next spring, Director John Aleshire said.

If all goes well, the proposed Animal Welfare Center will operate near Fountain Square. Officials have a site in mind and will soon start raising about $700,000 needed to launch the facility, Aleshire said. The humane society hopes to eventually raise $3 million to get the facility fully operational.

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“It is truly going to alter the fabric of animal welfare in the city,” Aleshire said. “This has lots and lots of positive implications.”

The goal is to spay or neuter 5,000 animals in the first year and grow to 10,000 animals by year three.

By offering high-volume, low-cost and quality surgeries, Aleshire said, the center should pay for itself within three years.

Pet owners will be charged on a sliding scale based on their income, Aleshire said. The surgeries will cost about a third of what a typical veterinarian would charge.

The center will be similar to the Low Cost Spay Neuter Clinic in Noblesville, where surgery costs range from $30 to $65 for a dog and $22 to $27 for a cat.

Another such clinic has been operating in Indianapolis for the last 10 years.

The FACE Low Cost Spay/Neuter Clinic, 1505 Massachusetts Ave., performs about 14,000 surgeries a year and charges $20 for cats and $30 to $55 for dogs, Director Ellen Robinson said.