The Collinsville City Council is exploring solutions to a long-time problem in town, an overwhelming feral cat population.
At last week’s City Council meeting, the group heard from citizen and Whitesboro’s Animal Control specialist Chancelor Vance. Vance explained a new program the City of Whitesboro is currently testing, a Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) program that works in partnership with Sandy’s Feral-Fun to capture feral cats, have them spayed/neutered and vaccinated, then released back into the community.
Whitesboro’s program was announced in October and the clinic was held Nov. 17. With the program, fifteen $40 vouchers were available through the City. The vouchers covered spay/neuter, rabies vaccine and ear-tipping, a minor procedure in which a small part of the cat’s ear is surgically removed to indicate that the cat has been altered as part of a population control effort. Additional vaccines were available at the owner’s expense and vouchers were non-refundable.
Citizens could pick up the vouchers from City Hall on a first-come, first-served basis. Cats must be brought to the clinic in a live trap, which the City was able to loan to citizens as needed.
Cats would be dropped off at a certain time/place, transported by the City to Sandy’s Feral-Fun, and then returned to the community the following day.
Vance explained that after a case of distemper broke out among animals in the community in July, the City knew it needed to do something to reduce the feral cat population.
In addition to providing a TNR program to Collinsville citizens, Vance recommended the Council create an ordinance that would hold people responsible for feeding feral cats. In Whitesboro, the first ticket for such an infraction is around $300.
Sandra Estes of Sandy’s Feral-Fun says that in a five-year lifespan of a single healthy cat, that one animal can be responsible for 5,000 lives. If left alone, a feral cat population can become out of control fairly quickly.
The Collinsville City Council asked Vance if he would be willing to look at the city’s current animal control ordinance and make some suggestions. They also asked if he would reach out to the City of Whitesboro to explore opportunities to partner together to make efforts more feasible for Collinsville.
While no firm decisions were made on how to move forward Council agreed that the local feral cat population problem must be addressed, and it will need to be a multi-faceted approach.
Other items on the Council’s agenda included a presentation by Bureau Veritas regarding inspection services for the City of Collinsville.
Any time a piece of property changes hands in the city, it must undergo an inspection. Bureau Veritas is a company hired by the city to handle such requests.
After a recent delay in a building inspection led city officials to question the work of the company, representatives wanted to address the situation.
Ty Chapman, Bureau Veritas Director of Operations, assured the council that the company has re-evaluated its approach to ensure that the work they’re providing is up to the standards they and the City expect.
Chapman said they have eliminated the situation by having a worker close by.
Additionally, when a permit applicant or contractor schedules an inspection, scheduling doesn’t come through the city. Bureau Veritas could notify the city and keep the line of communication open to ensure nothing falls through the cracks.
With these adjustments, Chapman said the city can now get an inspection done when it’s supposed to be done.
“We really want to earn back your trust and respect,” Chapman said to Council.
No action was taken regarding the city’s contract with Bureau Veritas.
In Department Head reports, Keep Collinsville Beautiful thanked the Collinsville Fire Department for their help putting out American flags for the organization’s Veterans’ Day flag project. The group is turning their focus to the holidays, preparing for the upcoming Holiday Tour of Homes on Dec. 13.
Volunteers met to put up new holiday decorations around downtown for the upcoming Christmas On the Square event on Dec, 2. President Betty Graham gave a special thanks to city electric workers for helping to solve some issues during holiday preparation.
The Collinsville Community Library had a new record attendance for October, with a gate count of 561. Its annual Book-or-Treat event saw 279 visitors with most children choosing a book over candy. Director Kelly Smith is excited about the newly renovated building attached to the library as now the library can hold events and simultaneously use the library for reading and checking out books.
The Economic Development Corporation (EDC) has sent its Comprehensive Plan to a sub-committee who is reviewing its points and goals. The organization is excited about the launch of its new website (found at https://collinsvilletxedc.com). There visitors can find a community events calendar and a local business directory.
Council also discussed an idea presented by Mayor Guidera which involves converting East Hughes Street from two-way travel to one-way travel for traffic eastbound to the alleyway behind City Hall.
His hope is that this would alleviate traffic congestion in an already-crowded area.
The Council shared feedback and concerns, but overall approved the Mayor to move forward in gathering information to see what’s possible.