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Residents call on North Hempstead to create cat shelter; board cites budget and existing TNR efforts
Summary
Multiple residents urged the Town of North Hempstead to create a municipal cat shelter after a Newsday story; advocates cited unused vouchers and prior grant spending on dog facilities, while town officials pointed to budget constraints and ongoing trap-neuter-release services.
Dozens of residents urged the North Hempstead Town Board on March 4 to establish a municipal cat shelter, saying the town’s current trap-neuter-release (TNR) program and voucher system do not meet the needs of friendly cats whose owners die or become incapacitated.
“Nina Gordon of Great Neck said the town’s response in Newsday ‘indicates a basic lack of understanding of the problem,’ and that advocates have repeatedly tried to explain the difference between feral and friendly cats,” said a resident during the public-comment period. Roberto Bonelli and Stuart Kroll gave detailed examples of owners and rescues they said went without help.
Why it matters: Advocates said North Hempstead is unusual on Long Island in lacking a cat shelter and argued that humane intake for owned cats reduces animal suffering and the burden on volunteer networks. They pointed to past grant awards and capital spending they said favored the dog shelter, and urged the board to reopen conversations about a shelter or interim solutions.
What residents said: Speakers cited voucher and program data during the meeting. Stuart Kroll said the town issued 19 feral-cat vouchers in February, of which three were used, and that the town’s TNR effort accounted for 28 of 31 animals handled that month. Kroll and others also told the board the town received companion-animal grants in 2019 and 2024 and that capital funds had been used on dog-shelter HVAC and flooring work; they presented those allocations as reasons a cat shelter has not been built.
Town response and limits: Board members and staff pushed back where data or authority were uncertain. One town official reminded speakers that some state companion grants require matching funds; the board also said reserve rules and service obligations (for example, senior programming and other town services) constrain available capital. Town staff clarified that voucher availability and appointment scheduling limit voucher use and that the TNR program currently handles feral populations.
Next steps: Advocates asked for a formal dialogue with town staff to explore options short of a full shelter, including changes to voucher availability and scheduling or repurposing town-owned space. The board did not adopt any new policy or funding at the meeting; members encouraged continued engagement and said council members would follow up with the parks/animal-services staff to review voucher usage and program capacity.
Ending: Public-comment discussion on animal services dominated the meeting’s early portion; no ordinance, contract amendment, or budget allocation for a town-run cat shelter was approved during the session.
