By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
Union Grove officials hope to be ready to make a recommendation later this month about the future of animal control services in the village.
In recent months, Village Board members who sit on the Administration and Finance Committee have been hashing over the issue, following an announcement earlier this year that Racine-based Countryside Humane Society would no longer perform animal control services.
Countryside had been offering those services to many Racine County municipalities, including Union Grove – but that will end Dec. 31.
In May, committee members briefly discussed the status of planning for animal control services in Union Grove in 2013 and beyond.
While no firm recommendation has arisen, Village Board Trustee and committee chair Gordon Svendsen said the village could enter into two separate contracts – one for catching loose animals and another for housing the animals once they are caught.
“That’s been something we’ve been looking at,” said Svendsen, adding that village officials hope to arrive at some decision in June.
Trustee Tim Mallach, who serves on the committee, has been looking into some of the specifics surrounding animal control, including possible vendors.
At press deadline, the village had not yet set the specific date and time for the upcoming Administration and Finance Committee meeting.
Once the committee votes to make a recommendation on how best to proceed, the matter will then be presented to the full Village Board for further deliberation and action.
Regardless of the committee’s recommendation, policy decisions will most likely address the two most common types of pets – dogs and cats – and touch on a number of issues, including noise complaints and vaccinations.
As with any service, one issue to be dealt with involves cost alternatives.
Throughout the deliberations the past several months, committee members have said they would like to offer services that are comparable to those provided by Countryside, and also of similar cost so the village’s budget is not negatively impacted.
-
-
-
-
-