Select Board questions renewal of animal-control contract with Winchington

Town Administrator James Ryan brought an intermunicipal animal-control agreement with Winchington before the Select Board for input, prompting several board members to express concerns about service quality and record-keeping.

One Select Board member (S4) said they were “personally not a fan of it,” noting the town already has a truck and building and questioning the value of the shared service given recurring complaints about animals left outside and neighborhood noise. “There’s a lot of issues that have been going on and number complaints that I’ve seen,” the board member said.

A staff speaker (S5) cited the contract language and said, “There is in the contract on page 3. Item n, maintaining an accurate record of the animal control officer activities, providing the police chief or his designee a monthly report in a form acceptable to the towns completing all necessary paperwork required by the towns and keeping a detailed record of action taken. I have never seen that document,” the staff member said, and added they were not in favor of renewing the agreement as currently written.

Board members asked for data comparing in-house animal-control costs and service levels versus the intermunicipal arrangement and said they want to see the reports required by the contract before agreeing to renewal.

The broadcast did not record a formal vote; the exchange indicates the Select Board is withholding support for renewal pending further documentation and cost comparisons.