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Residents urge Woodbridge to adopt a formal TNR program as volunteers cite shelter shortfalls
Summary
Multiple residents and volunteers urged the council to establish a formal Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program in Woodbridge, saying the municipal shelter lacks traps, staffing and capacity; council staff described current practice for responding to individual resident requests but gave no timeline for an ordinance.
Several residents used the public-comment period to press the Woodbridge Township Council to adopt a formal trap-neuter-return (TNR) ordinance or program.
Speakers described volunteer fundraising and service activity (one speaker said volunteers raised $12,852 in 2024 and spent an additional $16,406 on services) and said they have trapped, spayed/neutered and vaccinated feral cats. They said the municipal shelter has limited capacity for TNR work, is short on traps and staff, and sometimes cannot respond promptly. Residents asked why the township will not institute a dedicated TNR ordinance and requested that the council and animal-control staff provide clearer, proactive support and a coordinated program.
Council staff responded that, per current practice, residents who call animal control will trigger a response: animal control will set traps (when available), transport animals for spay/neuter and return them. Staff said they would follow that procedure when resident requests are received. Several volunteers and residents disputed the sufficiency of current practices and said they regularly encounter shortages of traps and slow responses; one commenter urged the council to allocate funding for a program and to coordinate volunteer groups and the shelter.
Outcome: Council did not adopt a TNR ordinance at the meeting. Residents asked for a definitive plan and for the township to consider funding or formalizing a dedicated TNR program.
