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Residents say animal-control officer logged excessive overtime, allege neglect at Cheshire pound; council hears calls for investigation
Summary
Multiple residents urged the Town Council to examine overtime records and possible neglect at the Cheshire Town Pound, citing a Connecticut Department of Agriculture decree and FOI responses showing large overtime payments to one animal control officer. Council and town attorney said an investigation is ongoing.
Several Cheshire residents told the Town Council on May 13 that town records show an animal control officer logged large amounts of overtime over multiple years and that conditions at the Cheshire Town Pound deteriorated during that time.
The public comments followed disclosure, through a freedom-of-information request, of timekeeping records and e-mail correspondence involving town staff and the regional health district. “Between 2020 and 2024, [the records show an officer] claimed over 1,500 hours of overtime,” resident Jean Melendez said, adding that those entries produced “over $96,000 in additional compensation.”
Why it matters: residents said the overtime and timekeeping patterns coincide with inspections and a formal decree issued by the Connecticut Department of Agriculture that documented failures at the pound. Speakers said the town should…
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