Why doesn't the NYC Council get it right?!!

they missed the point of the 9/13/24 Council Hearing -- but the public is also at fault

This is an ongoing issue in New York City for those who care about animals: the desperate need for spay/neuter services to help reduce our chronic cat and dog overpopulation crisis, and the uncaring or tone-deaf attitude of most of our City Council and their staff. I am beginning to feel like a broken record.

On September 13, 2024, the NYC Council Health Committee held a hearing on “animal rescue.” It was originally scheduled for several months prior and was listed as being on oversight of the Animal Care Center - the city pound. Why did it change? There was no explanation. I suspect someone got to them, so the ACC would not be under the microscope and remain seemingly untouchable. Many members of the public testified in a hearing that lasted into the early evening. We thought that the Chair of the Health Committee, Lynn Schulman, would issue a response to the overwhelming outcry of the public for spay/neuter services addressing this crisis. That never happened. This is a link to the testimony given at the 9/13/24 hearing.

NYC BUDGET PROPOSAL

On January 16, 2025, the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget issued its budget. It did not include anything on animal issues. No surprise there. Mayor Adams has never addressed the overpopulation crisis of cats and dogs, or the carriage horse issue.

In response, the City Council issued its budget on April 1, 2026. This budget only included one paragraph on animal issues - p.40 "Trap, Neuter, and Release for Stray Animals Citywide Initiative"

"Trap, Neuter, and Release for Stray Animals Citywide Initiative One of the major contributors to the overcrowding at the Animal Care and Control Centers of New York (ACC) is the proliferation of homeless and stray animals that are brought to shelters. One of the most effective measures to humanely reduce the stray cat and dog population is through Trap, Neuter, and Release (TNR) programs. TNR programs provide neutering of stray animals who are then placed in foster homes or back on the streets. However, this procedure is often too cost prohibitive for non-profit animal rescue organizations to provide at a rate that could significantly reduce the homeless animal population. The Council calls on the Administration to allocate $1.5 million in Fiscal 2026 for a citywide initiative to provide resources, support, and assistance for the TNR effort in partnership with non-profit community-based animal rescue organizations. These funds could provide spay and neuter surgeries for over 8,000 animals annually."

THEY GOT IT WRONG!

This proposal ONLY refers to cats who are trapped by TNR rescuers. It does not include any dogs, and it does not include the many residents of NYC who can't afford the high costs of spay/neuter.

The public testimony at the Health Committee hearing on September 13th was either ignored or not understood. The plea made by countless members of the public attested to this. It is not just those who do TNR who need funding for spay/neuter. It is for cats who are not part of TNR rescue, and it is for all dogs. They get pregnant and have litters also!

Not all TNR rescuers are incorporated as a not-for-profit. Yet the proposal refers to the "partnership" between the administration and nonprofits. The proposal also does not address what organization will do these procedures. Will it be the ASPCA, which already gets funding from the Animal Population Control Fund via the Department of Health? Or an - as yet, unnamed entity?

70-75% of the animals coming into the ACC are intact. I know this from information I have FOILed from the ACC -- and the ACC testified to this at the September 13th hearing. That means that many animals have contributed to the overpopulation crisis of cats and dogs, and have come from homes. It is not unusual for someone to surrender two intact cats - male and female - and provide information about their previous litters -- cats they gave away who were also not fixed. Sometimes, it is many cats -- all related and all intact that get dumped; or the stray, but friendly dog on the street who is pregnant. Why is this? One reason is that the cost of spaying or neutering a cat or dog in NYC is much too costly for many people. $1,000 for a cat spay in Manhattan is common -- while dogs cost more. There is no public education about the necessity of spay/neuter from either the ASPCA, ACC, or DoH because there is no point when it is so costly. The few low-cost clinics, like Flatbush or the Humane Society of NY, have long waiting lists.

This is Daphne, a friendly, homeless, pregnant dog who was picked up by the NYPD and brought to the ACC. She was eventually rescued.

IF YOU DON’T VOTE IN ELECTIONS, THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS

Questionable dealings like this contribute to the low rate of registered voters who take the time to vote in elections. People become disappointed in their representatives and feel that they don’t listen to them, so there is no point in voting. I once heard the comment, “I don’t vote. It just encourages them.” Bleak? Disheartening? Perhaps, but the confirming reality is that only 21% of registered voters voted in the 2021 mayoral election, which brought in Eric Adams. In 2023, it was even worse - only 12.8% of registered voters voted in the general election. To put a different face on this, according to a 2/27/24 report from the NYS Board of Elections, there were 5,153,272 registered voters in New York City. 12.8% equates to only 659,618 people who went to the polls in 2023.

But then, as the old axiom goes, people get the government they deserve. Both 2021 and 2023 included a NYC Council election, yet many who were elected have little humility, believe they have a mandate, and don’t have to listen to the public. These are public employees whose salaries are paid with our taxes. Sadly, many members of the City Council think they know everything and don’t need advice from the public. And this is the result. These are the people who represent us and make laws. So, if you want change, show up at the polls and vote — even if you do a write-in.

To be fair, not all Council Members or their staff are like this. Some are very responsive and enjoy mutual respect and an exchange of ideas with the public. But too many are not, which is why this is happening.

Please contact the City Council and let them know your views. And remember this quote from

Senator Elizabeth Warren: "We don't win what we don't fight for."

THE PUBLIC WANTS LOW-COST SPAY/NEUTER SERVICES

The predominant message coming from the public at that hearing was a plea for low-cost/free spay-neuter services.

ACTION - PLEASE MAKE A CALL ( request to everyone who cares about this issue - not just New Yorkers)

Please contact your Council member and reference the NYC Council response to the Mayor's budget. Tell them that it is insufficient to only provide spay/neuter for TNR cats and only to not for profits. There must be a comprehensive approach to the overpopulation crisis of cats and dogs. The budget must cover all dogs, all cats -- and people who cannot afford the high cost of spay/neuter services for their animals in NYC.

This is the link to City Council members. Find your rep, click on their name, and it will bring you to their page. Please call their office. You can follow up with an email to their District office, but a call is better.

• Besides your Council member, call CM Justin Brannan's office -- he is chair of the Finance Committee — 718-748-5200 (he is running for City Comptroller)

• and CM Lynn Schulman - 718-544-8800 (she is running for a second term)

NOTE: If you really hate to make calls, send an email to these two Chiefs of Staff.

• CM Justin Brannan: Chris McCreight cmccreight@council.nyc.gov

• CMLynn Schulman: Jonathan Boucher jboucher@council.nyc.gov

The articles below are from my Substack on Animal Matters:

The Tragedy of Cat and Dog Overpopulation in New York City.... in the wealthiest city in the world!

October 27, 2024

An Exercise in Futility What's the point of the public testifying before the NYC Council

February 1, 2025