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Animal-care director seeks expanded regional services, low-cost TNR and a full‑time vet
Summary
The animal-care director proposed shared services with Guttenberg and contracts for TNR and veterinary services, described a $10 TNR rate for registered colony caretakers and urged hiring a full‑time municipal veterinarian to reduce costs and improve capacity.
Mark Burns, director of the Division of Animal Care and Control, presented a package of items including a shared‑services agreement to provide animal control and sheltering for the town of Guttenberg (item 10.19), a contract (26-114) for traveling‑vet low‑cost TNR services and a professional services agreement (26-115) with Dr. Mary Altamare. Burns said the minimal fees charged to Guttenberg have offset city costs and that last year the city funded roughly $90,000 in surgeries for registered colony caretakers.
Burns described a $10 TNR service for registered colony caretakers and a $75 per‑animal rate for nonregistered individuals. He said the traveling vet comes with a contained unit, staff and medicine and that last year the division sterlized about 900 feral cats. Councilmembers urged pursuing external grants and corporate sponsorships to defray costs, and several members supported the department’s effort to hire an in‑house veterinarian to lower per‑procedure costs and build operational capacity.
No final vote on these contracts was recorded in caucus; Burns said staff would continue to seek grants and sponsorships and explore organizational-chart changes needed to recruit a full‑time vet.
