Jillian Miller, a member of the Cotton's Bay and New York Coalition, asked the Union County Board on July 1 for county help funding spay/neuter and vaccination services for street cats and for support trapping cat colonies across the county.

Miller told the board her volunteer group has operated local trap‑neuter‑return efforts for "about 4 or 5 years" and that fundraising alone is "unsustainable without government funding." She said veterinarians charge the group discounted fees—"we pay $100 to spay a female cat, $57.50 to neuter a male cat"—but that the cost and ongoing dumping of cats on county property have overwhelmed the coalition.

A county official responding during the public‑comment period said animal control does not have capacity to intake cats and that accepting them would require building another facility the size of the county's existing animal shelter. The official said, "at this point, we're just not in a position to do that," and that the county will continue to look at options but had no budgeted funds at this time.

During discussion a commenter suggested petitioning state legislators to consider a program allowing new veterinarians to perform low‑cost spay/neuter work in exchange for relief on education costs; the commenter described it as a possible way to expand low‑cost services but did not identify a proposed bill or authority.

The board did not take any formal votes or make binding budget commitments on the issue at the meeting. Commissioners and staff indicated they would continue to review the request and the animal control division later reported the shelter remains full of dogs and cannot accept additional animals until capacity changes.

The discussion combined public comment from a local volunteer group with staff responses; no ordinance, budget amendment, or formal referral was made at the July 1 meeting.