was assured by Corporate Counsel that it was not the practice of the Police to impound cats as strays
and that the situation involving my cat was an aberration. | was promised that the Police would never do
this to my cat again. | also convinced the City to change the then existing contract with Humane Society
to remove language from the contract regarding impounding cats and ferrets as strays at the Humane
Society. The revised contract without language about impounding cats and ferrets is dated December
2017. The City agreed to and in fact did remove such language but inexplicably re-inserted the language
into the contract about stray cats and ferrets when the contract came up for renewal in July 2018. I’ve
asked the Mayor and Corporate Counsel for months now why the 2018 contract reverted to the old
contract language. | never received an answer and instead feel | have been stonewalled by the Mayor
and Mr. Bolton every step of the way.
I've come to the Finance Committee because you are the appropriations arm of City
government and must approve the currently proposed contract with the Humane Society. Once again,
the Mayor has included language in the proposed contract before you regarding the impoundment of
cats and ferrets as strays. As I’ve noted, impounding cats and ferrets as strays or for running at large
under current State and City law is illegal, as well as unconstitutional when applied. Since the City is not
legally authorized to seize and impound cats as strays or for running at large, the City may not enter into
a contract with a third party to carry out such illegal or unconstitutional purposes or actions. The
Committee should therefore reject the contract as currently structured. The contract could be approved
by the Committee by simply removing or striking the language in Section 1 of the proposed contract
regarding impounding cats and ferrets as strays.
The Committee should also use its power to reject the contract as currently proposed as a check
and balance on the Mayor and his administration. The Mayor and City, like every other person and
