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Council hears calls to speed up response to feral-cat and animal-control gaps while studying a regional shelter
Summary
Health and animal-control staff told council shelter capacity is strained and the city will pursue a feasibility study for a regional animal-control facility; council urged quicker interim measures such as spay/neuter partnerships and temporary incentives.
City staff and council spent a sustained portion of the work session on animal-control capacity and growing feral-cat complaints.
Devin, assistant director at the health department, said the Humane Society currently lacks capacity to accept many feral cats and the department has been unable to place trapped animals. "We're not really taking many feral cats, to be honest with you right now," he said, describing the operational limits that drove the proposal for a regional animal-control feasibility study in 2026.
Council members, led by Mr. Koppel, pressed staff for faster interim steps than a multi-year facility project. Koppel suggested low-cost, short-term programs (veterinary partnerships for trap-neuter-return, limited spay/neuter clinics and incentives) and asked staff to return options that could be implemented sooner than a facility build.
City management said staff had earlier looked for local veterinarians to provide emergency on-call spay/neuter but found few willing to take on the workload; city leaders said they will pursue creative incentives and short-term strategies while moving forward with the planned feasibility study.
Devin said the feasibility study will identify whether a regional facility can meet capacity needs, and staff pledged to report back with proposed interim measures and potential partners.
