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New Iberia approves one‑year animal control contract, binds to parish shelter pact
Summary
The New Iberia City Council approved a one‑year, $65,000 contract with Atchafalaya Trapping LLC for animal pickup and response and introduced a two‑year kennel agreement with Iberia Parish that allocates 25 dog cages and 10 cat cages to the city. Council members pressed for monitoring, cost tracking and clearer access rules for the shelter.
The New Iberia City Council on Jan. 28 approved a one‑year, $65,000 contract with Atchafalaya Trapping LLC to provide city animal control pickup and response, and moved forward with a two‑year agreement with Iberia Parish to use kennel space at the parish shelter.
Mayor (unnamed) summarized the contract: “This is a $65,000 contract. Atchafalaya Trapping furnishes the person, the truck, the fuel, and the insurance.” Under the parish agreement explained in the meeting, the parish will furnish kennels while the city will pay for reserved kennel space and provide medical care for animals the city sends to the shelter.
Why it matters: Council members said New Iberia needs more reliable day‑to‑day response than it has had. The parish shelter will initially allocate 25 dog cages and 10 cat cages to the city (parish capacity cited as 57 total cages). The city will pay $23 per day for each kennel it reserves; vaccinations were discussed at $30 per dog and $15 per cat, and staff said the first night’s combined cost for a dog could be roughly $53 when kennel and vaccination fees are included.
Council members and residents questioned whether the contractor has domestic animal experience and how after‑hours calls and private‑property access will be handled. Contractor Chuck Rossonay said he has worked across nearby parishes and “I’ve been trapping for 10 years… Cats and dogs are no different than coyotes and bobcats,” and said he documents all removals. Staff said day‑to‑day calls will be routed through police dispatch so the city will have a record of response times and outcomes.
Budget and oversight: Council warned the arrangement will increase costs compared with prior city practice. Staff estimated annual parish shelter costs plus the trapping contract in the high hundreds of thousands when medical, vaccination and kennel fees are included; staff said they will monitor expenditures and return to council with reports. The mayor and multiple council members asked for monthly or quarterly tracking of shelter use, vaccination costs and trapper performance.
Next steps: The council approved the immediate one‑year contract with Atchafalaya Trapping LLC and advanced related ordinances to set public hearings on the budget and the formal intergovernmental shelter agreement. Staff said the kennel agreement remains subject to final parish approval and that the city will revisit the arrangement if it does not meet expectations.
