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Torrington conservation commission asks staff to draft municipal policy limiting anticoagulant rodenticides after resident presentation
Summary
After a resident-led presentation on wildlife and child poisonings linked to second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides, the commission voted to have the land use office work with proponents to craft a municipal policy and report back at a future meeting; final council action was deferred.
Cassandra McKenna Gassy, a Torrington resident, told the conservation commission she and neighbors want the city to stop using first- and second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides on municipal properties and asked the commission to support a policy restricting those products.
Proponents and outside experts — including Lisa Shirk of Newtown and Laura Kiesel of Arlington, Massachusetts — described municipal steps taken elsewhere and cited local wildlife necropsy testing and academic studies they said show toxic residues in raptors and other animals. Speakers also raised concerns about children and pets being exposed to bait left in public bait stations.
Why it matters: proponents argued a municipal policy would reduce wildlife poisoning and align Torrington with towns that have restricted these compounds. Opponents and some commissioners raised questions about how a ban would work in practice at city facilities that feed or shelter people, how contractors would be affected and whether exemptions or waiver authority would be necessary for acute infestations.
Commission discussion focused on operational details: staff said the city currently subcontracts rodent control and that the facilities manager would be responsible for implementing any municipal policy. Commissioners requested a facilities map showing city-owned buildings, asked for waiver and reporting language that would limit unreviewed exemptions, and pressed proponents for data on outcomes from Newtown and Arlington.
State context: an advocate for statewide action summarized recent Connecticut legislation (SB 9), which restricts sales and bulk purchases of some products but continues to allow licensed pest companies to use anticoagulants. Proponents said SB 9 did not fully eliminate wildlife risk and that local policies can go further on municipal property.
What the commission did: by voice vote the panel moved that the land use office work with proponents to refine a municipal policy (including facility maps and waiver language) and return a finalized draft for the commission to consider at a future meeting. The motion was seconded and carried. The commission did not adopt a final municipal policy that night.
Next steps: staff will compile the city facilities list and work with proponents to draft policy language and potential exemptions; the commission will review the draft at a subsequent meeting before forwarding any recommendation to the city council.
Representative quotes: “On April 20, Newtown made history by being the first town in Connecticut to ban first- and second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides on municipal properties,” Cassandra McKenna Gassy told the commission as she urged Torrington to follow suit.
“Arlington put its municipal ban in place in 2022 and has not seen a rise in rat complaints,” Laura Kiesel said, describing pilot projects the town used to transition away from anticoagulants.
Commission closure: The commission voted to have the land use office work with proponents and deferred a final vote until members can review a drafted policy and facility impact map.
Ending note: The commission framed the vote as a referral for staff work and further review, not a final regulatory change; proponents said they would supply additional data and local test results to strengthen the city’s analysis.
