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Freeholders, Towns Agree on Shelter Contract

Animals | 8 weeks 4 days ago | Comments 3

By Al Campbell

CREST HAVEN — Ten municipalities that use the county's animal shelter had freeholders approve, at the Oct. 28 meeting, their service agreements from Jan. 1, 2009 to Dec. 31, 2015.

Sending dogs and cats to the shelter are Avalon, Cape May Point, Lower, Middle and Upper townships, North Wildwood, Stone Harbor, Wildwood, Wildwood Crest and Woodbine.

For its part, the county agreed to provide humane treatment for all animals, provide medical treatment for cats and dogs and “provide additional medical care, including inoculations, to animals being offered for adoption.

“Other” domestic animals will be sheltered on a space-available basis.

The county also pledged to provide for municipal participation through continuation of an shelter advisory board.

That 11-member board is made up of two county administration members, two public citizens, one county-base veterinarian, four municipal government members, one member from each of the two municipalities which contribute the largest annual percentage of proposed budget for animal shelter services. Those members will be either elected officials or senior appointed managers of the respective municipality and two members from the remaining municipalities. In addition, the shelter manager, veterinarian of record and one municipal animal control officer.

Municipal appointments to the board would be confirmed by freeholders.

All municipalities will pay annual spay and neuter contributions that remain the same throughout the contract.

The operating contract is payable annually in four installments.

The following is the spay-neuter contribution followed by the range of operating contract totals from first to sixth contract year:

Avalon, $1,241, $7,446-$9,288.

Cape May Point, $140, $837-$1,045.

Lower Township, $13,287, $79,720-$99,448.

Middle Township, $9,500, $56,998-$71,103.

North Wildwood, $2,858, $17,146-$21,389.

Stone Harbor, $653, $3,919-$4,889.

Upper Township, $7,015, $42,092-$52,509.

Wildwood Crest, $2,305, $13,828-$17,250.

Wildwood, $3,148, $18,887-$23,561.

Woodbine, $1,573, $9,436-$11,772.

Contact Campbell at (609) 886-8600 Ext 28 or at: al.c@cmcherald.com

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Comments (3)

We welcome your thoughts, stories and information related to this article.

Sun, 11/09/2008 - 5:57pm

The entire humane community is looking forward to working with the newly elected Gary Schaffer.

Sat, 11/08/2008 - 11:51am

What happened to Dennis township and Sea Isle City? Isn't the mayor of Sea Isle, Freeholder Desiderio in charge of he shelter? Why hasn't he signed up? This article states that the municipalities will still participate in the Advisory Board. There's just one thing that seems to stand out and that is the inclusion of the requirement that the two largest municipalities must appoint either elected officials or ""senior appointed managers". Why are these two municipalities singled out for stipulations on their representative. If it is important for those municipalities to have those designated individuals why wouldn't it be for the others? Wouldn't it be wiser to have individuals on the Advisory Board who actually have the knowledge, skills and experience to offer advantagious advise? There's something that doesn't add up.

Fri, 11/07/2008 - 8:14pm

Besides the shelter, one of the smartest things the Freeholders did was to institute a spay/neuter program through the shelter. No cat or dog is allowed to leave the shelter unaltered. This makes for a little longer wait for adoption, but it eliminates the continual creation of unwanted animals that have to be killed at tax payer expense.

The county uses part of the spay/neuter money to extend the NJ State Spay/Neuter program throught local participating vets. This money is available quarterly. Novemeber 1 for the latest round of funding. Call a vet, if you have an animal that needs altering.

Good shelters have instituted no adoption until an animal is altered policies; however, this is so important that their is a bill pending in the NJ Congress to institute this practice in all NJ shelters.

Another "first" for Cape May County. Hats off!!!

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