Finance Committee - 08/14/2019 Page 2
Alderwoman Kelly
So | think there were two pieces to that and Alderman Klee can — there was a piece of legislation that will be
coming up that also did the contract. And for me the contract didn’t include chickens so that had been
updated. But the other piece that you are talking about is a piece of legislation that will be coming up, right?
Yeah.
Mayor Donchess
So the contract does suggest that we, under certain circumstances, it is possible that the City would pick up
cats. It is not the City’s practice to do so but the Health Department, Director Bagley is here, | believe thinks
that there are certain circumstances under which, for reasons of health. For example if the cat has got rabies
or something like that, we would need to pick the cat up. And of course, Dr. Stephanie Wolf-Rosenbloom
spoke to that at the last meeting. So of course it the pleasure of the Committee but the only possible
discussion point is are cats removed from the contract? But otherwise it is the same contract that we’ve had
with the Humane Society for years.
Alderwoman Klee
As far as the change to the Ordinance, basically what we did was we just clarified the statement that it did say
that we would basically impound dogs, cats, ferrets and chickens. But the underlying paragraph didn’t
specifically outline that we would do it for whatever the reasons were. So we introduced that, | believe
yesterday, and it will be going on to the appropriate Committee for approval. | don’t think it should hold this up
because there was really nothing wrong with our Ordinance. | just asked for it to be clarified to make sure, in
fact, that we would do that. The biggest hang-up on the contract did not have anything to do with the cats it
was really about the chickens.
Alderman O’Brien
Yes thank you and | am satisfied and thank you for your explanation. | know this has been somewhat
newsworthy of late and having recently had to put down the family pet, our dog and everything, you know? |
think | look back at it as one of the most kindness things that | could for that animal. He was hurt and wasn’t
the same fellow that was with us. He will always be with us in our minds and hearts but sometimes when you
deal with animals they do get sometimes a little bit much. So we need this contract and | support it. Because
at times, | am not going to necessarily going to say a nuisance, but at times they get into some things. The
public does need to have a venue that is available to remove them if that is the case. So! am supportive. But
thank you for your explanation.
Alderman Klee
| just want to add one thing and again | don’t believe it has anything to do with this contract, but that particular
ordinance, the things that we did add were the specific wording of “nuisance stray” or that it was deemed or felt
that this animal was harmed in any way. And just to clarify something else, | did have someone who said to
me, “why don’t we just put animals rather than specific type things”. And the reason for it, if we put something
like nuisance or stray, if someone called and said, “I’ve got a squirrel that’s a real nuisance and feeding at my
roof and so on” we would have to go and pick up every squirrel in Nashua and we really don’t want to do. So
we do want to be as specific as possible. That doesn’t mean that if someone put an alligator into our sewer
system we aren't going to go pick it up because it’s not in the Ordinance; we would, in fact, go and do that. We
would probably call the State to come and take care of that one or a bear or something. But anyways so | just
wanted to clarify that while we are talking about it.
MOTION CARRIED
