Selectboard agrees to $3,000 baseline contract for Riverside Rescue, to seek local animal-control officer

Board members raised recurring problems with animal-control responsiveness and discussed whether the town should renew a baseline contract with Riverside Rescue at a higher level than in past years. Committee member (speaker 3) said the current arrangement was a “cluster” that had required town residents to coordinate rescues directly.

The board heard that Riverside Rescue historically billed Concord approximately $300 per year for intake; the organization asked for a $3,000 baseline payment to accept Concord animals going forward. A motion was made and seconded to authorize $3,000 to Riverside Rescue and to reach out to local contact Candace/Candice Dane to see if she would be interested in serving as the town's animal-control officer; the motion passed by voice vote.

One board member questioned whether the town was getting its money's worth from the current animal-control arrangement, saying, “I don't believe we're getting our money's worth out of this,” (speaker 3). Members noted that larger animal events (one cited extraction of 25 dogs from an apartment building last year) are not routine but increase demand on the rescue.

The board charged staff to prepare a renewal contract for Riverside Rescue at the requested baseline and to contact Candace/Candice Dane about the animal-control role. The board also asked staff to review how other nearby towns handle animal-control coverage and costs.