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Residents push North Hempstead to create a cat shelter and expand TNR services
Summary
Multiple residents urged the Town of North Hempstead to establish a municipal cat shelter and strengthen trap-neuter-return services after several recent regional tragedies; advocates suggested partnering with neighboring towns or funding vouchers as interim steps.
Advocates and residents used the board’s public-comment period on May 6 to press for a municipal cat shelter and larger trap-neuter-return (TNR) program.
Diane Madden, founder of Hope for Hempstead Shelter, told the board the town lacks a cat shelter despite collecting substantial tax revenue and urged the board to put a shelter proposal to a vote. "There is no excuse for that," she said, calling for the Democrats on the board to bring the item forward and let the public decide.
Stewart (Stu) Kroll described a string of recent Long Island tragedies that have affected cats and rescuers, including a sanctuary fire that killed about 150 cats. He said the town’s TNR program is inadequate, that the voucher program is poorly publicized, and that staffing limits and benefit policies have contributed to turnover and program gaps. "These sanctuaries become overcrowded because caring individuals do not wanna see them suffering," Kroll said, and he urged the town to allocate resources rather than dismiss responsibility because it is not legally required.
Other commenters asked whether the town could temporarily contract with neighboring towns’ shelters, reimburse residents who transport cats to outside shelters, or publicly sponsor additional clinic capacity. Michael O'Donnell suggested the town could pay to transport cats to Hempstead or Oyster Bay rather than build a new facility. Roberto Bonelli and Liz Diamond described elements of best practices for TNR, including vaccination and rabies shots for cats processed through clinics.
Board response and next steps: Officials acknowledged the speakers and said staff would speak with advocates after the meeting. Several residents requested a separate meeting specifically to discuss matching funds and program design; the board said staff could meet afterwards but did not commit to a formal, separate public session during the meeting.
Quotes: "This is your responsibility. I ask that you put it up for a vote," Diane Madden said of a municipal cat shelter. "These sanctuaries become overcrowded because caring individuals do not wanna see them suffering and dying on the streets," Stewart Kroll said, describing rescue challenges after recent fires.
Provenance: Public comments and Q&A span SEG 731–SEG 1226 with follow-up exchanges at SEG 1212–SEG 1226.
Ending: Advocates left the meeting seeking a follow-up meeting with staff; the board did not schedule a separate public-session vote during the May 6 meeting.
