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Quinton officials push back on Salem County’s $19,427 kennel fee increase and question funding formula
Summary
Salem County requested an additional contribution that would raise Quinton’s annual kennel services cost to $19,427.40; Mayor Hannagan said he could not support the increase and township officials questioned the county’s population-based fee formula given low local animal-service counts.
Quinton Township officials raised objections on June 2 to a Salem County request for additional kennel-service funding that would raise the township’s annual cost to $19,427.40.
Mayor Joseph Hannagan said he could not support the increase after hearing from the Animal Control Officer that Quinton’s animal-control workload is low. "I could not support the increase," Hannagan said. Deputy Mayor James Smith said it is unfortunate the fee is not tied to the number of animals actually serviced.
Acting Clerk Emily Thalwitzer reported licensing and call counts used to illustrate service demand: in 2025, animal control handled five dogs, one cat, four kittens and two deceased cats; in 2026 to date the township recorded responses to three dogs, three cats and one kitten. Clerk Thalwitzer also said about 49 dogs are registered for one-year licenses this year, a figure the township uses when budgeting for animal-control services.
The township Solicitor told the Committee that the county’s fee is based on population and agreed with the members’ concern that the formula may not be rational for small municipalities. Committee members noted the county presented the increase after Quinton’s budget had already been adopted.
No formal vote on the county request was taken at the meeting; the discussion identified concern about the cost and the funding formula and indicated the township will review the shared-services agreement executed May 21, 2025, for details.
