Residents and council spar over animal shelter closure and county shared-service deal

Residents and volunteers criticized the township's decision to close the municipal animal shelter and asked the council for clarity about a shared-service agreement with Ocean County.

Julie Adamek, who said she attended the county Board of Health meeting, told the council there is "no signed deal" yet and that the county required certification of funds before renovations could start. "So, obviously, there's no construction going on because there is no deal," she said.

Other residents described service gaps: limited trap availability for low-cost spay-and-neuter programs and increased workload for a single remaining animal-control officer. "Private citizens have now taken over the responsibilities because we have only one animal control officer," Adamek said.

An attendee who investigated town numbers said the township's prior reported annual animal-shelter cost was inconsistent with documents he obtained. "I'm no mathematician, but none of that is a million dollars," he said while citing year-by-year amounts from the clerk's office records.

Mayor Daniel Roderick said a shared-service agreement with the county "is complete" and credited county and township attorneys and the County Board of Health for voting in favor of a lease, but he said renovations and code compliance remain to be done before the shelter can operate. "How long that will take, however long it takes," he said, adding that the delay would have been shorter if the township had moved earlier.

What happens next: The mayor said renovations required by state code must be completed and that the county-filed lease and certification of funds are in process. Council did not adopt a motion on the shelter at the meeting; residents were urged to follow up with the clerk's office and county health officials for status updates.