Kankakee committee recommends $35,000 animal-control contract but excludes healthy cats

Kankakee City's Building Code Safety Committee on Sept. 16 voted to recommend that the City Council approve a one-year animal-control contract for $35,000, with healthy cats excluded unless they are sick or injured. The committee's recommendation, approved by unanimous roll call, sends the proposed contract to the full council for final action.

Committee members and the mayor said faster, trained animal-control response would reduce the burden on police and code officers and improve service for residents. "I don't like to spend money. But to me, the $10,000 potentially that would cost us is a service for our residents," the mayor said during the discussion, arguing that the contract would provide specialized staff and equipment for loose or dangerous animals.

Carrie Laird, identified in the meeting as the director for animal control, described the contract's scope and fees. "The contract covers dogs, injured and sick wildlife, and injured and sick cats. Healthy cats are not covered in the contract," Laird said. She explained that impoundment and boarding fees are charged per animal when owners do not reclaim them and that the $35,000 flat fee covers the contractor's annual service for the city; monthly itemized statements would show what work the contractor performed.

Committee members asked how the contract would handle healthy cats, noting local shelter capacity and the number of community "feral" cats. Laird and other staff suggested several controls: retaining the current practice of responding only for sick or injured cats unless the city budgets an additional line item, asking residents to submit photos for remote assessment, and referring callers to local rescues when shelters are full. Laird also noted that newborn kittens should generally remain with their mother and would not be removed unless the mother was injured or dead; "They need to stay with their mom for 8 weeks," she said.

Members discussed financial mechanics. The committee was told the $35,000 fee is the contractor's flat annual charge, and the contractor provides monthly statements showing the animals their crews handled. The contract is written as a one-year agreement that can be adjusted in future years if actual costs exceed the flat fee.

The committee approved a motion to recommend the contract to full City Council with the explicit condition that healthy, non-injured cats be excluded and with a recommendation that the contractor provide phone numbers for shelters and rescues. The motion was seconded and passed on a recorded roll call. The meeting record shows all voting members present and voting in favor.

The committee also discussed related operational details members asked staff to pursue before council consideration, including a form or receipt given to owners who reclaim animals (to document advisories or citations), options for tracking repeat offenders, and coordination with code enforcement for citation follow-up. The committee noted the city's municipal code (Chapter 10, Animals) would remain the controlling ordinance for citations and adjudication.

The contract recommendation will appear on the City Council agenda for final approval. Committee members said they view the measure primarily as a service improvement rather than a revenue source and flagged shelter capacity and healthy-cat handling as items to monitor if the council approves the contract.