HUMANE SOCIETY GAINS TNR FUNDING COOPERATION FROM MORGAN COUNTY COMMISSION

Mr. Edward C. Duncan, Board President of the Humane Society of Morgan County approached the Morgan County Commissioners at their meeting last Thursday, February 7 with a proposal for collaborative funding to address the county’s ever-increasing problem with feral and stray cats through the Humane Society’s recently reorganized and reactivated TNR (trap-neuter-return) program. The Humane Society of Morgan County proposed to invest $2,500 each year toward this humane, comprehensive, aggressive method of dealing with the problem if Morgan County would agree to commit a $5,000 annual investment in the program. Duncan explained that collaborative funding of the program would then enable the Humane Society to multiply the money available for the program through applying for TNR grants that are available to areas where such joint response to the feral and stray cat problem is in effect.

Mr. Duncan and Humane Society Board Treasurer Kelvin Langley satisfactorily answered several questions from the commissioners and from the members of the press who were present at this meeting. Commissioner Brenda Hutchinson, who had already done considerable research into this issue and its potential as a health and safety hazard to the citizens of the county, then moved that the Commission earmark the requested funds in Morgan County’s 2008 budget. The Morgan County Commission passed this motion with the contingency that the funds would be in the 2008 budget unless precluded by unforeseen budgetary constraints that they would not know of until after their budget allocation meeting for fiscal 2008 on March 6th. Following passage of this motion, Board Secretary, Susan Kemenyas commended the commission for wisely investing in positively addressing a county issue in a way that models responsibility for county citizens.

With the county’s commitment to cooperatively fund the TNR program, Duncan is moving forward to secure additional funding to guarantee that the program will continue to operate in the coming years. Because the funds of this program cover only the actual costs of the alteration and a 3-year rabies vaccine for the cats served by the program, the program itself, like all programs of the volunteer-run Humane Society of Morgan County, will be manned by people who volunteer to help in one or more steps of the program. Those who are willing to be trained to be part of one of the TNR teams or to provide transportation for cats to and from the veterinary offices that perform the spay-neuter services for this program are asked to contact Board President, Edward C. Duncan at (304) 258-9410.

Information on spay-neuter and related topics can be found at the Humane Society’s website www.hsmc-wv.org.