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Animal control asks for modest increases and a $10,700 IT upgrade as vet costs rise
Summary
Head animal control officer Scott Ellington asked aldermen for targeted increases to cover growing vet costs and proposed a $10,700 one‑time investment to migrate from a Windows‑95 ARM records system to the police department’s animal control module.
Scott Ellington, Milford’s head animal control officer, outlined operational needs on April 20 and asked the Board of Aldermen for modest increases driven by rising veterinary and wage costs.
Ellington requested an additional $3,000 for temporary seasonal wages, $10,000 for medical fees and services and $5,000 for rabies control, noting vet costs have "gone through the roof." He said some costs are supplemented by donations handled through the department’s animal commission and by a $100,000 annual flat fee paid by the neighboring town of Orange for shared services.
IT and records modernization
Ellington stressed that current records run on an ARM system on Windows 95 and is effectively unsupported, slowing responses to freedom‑of‑information requests. He said the police department offered an animal control module that would cost $10,700 in year one (roughly $7,300 for licensing and $3,400 for annual maintenance thereafter). Aldermen, including Alderman Healy, urged direct coordination with the city’s IT director and suggested the administration explore alternatives or an RFP to ensure best value.
Ending: Ellington said he will pursue coordination with the police and IT director and that donations and Orange’s fee provide some mitigation if the city does not fully restore his requested increases.
