Newmarket may go solo on animal control

Town considering ending shared services with Aurora and Georgina, with cost savings forecast in 2022 budget

Newmarkettoday.ca
Nov. 11, 2021
Joseph Quigley

Newmarket could be going on its own again next year on animal control, ending a partnership with the towns of Aurora and Georgina.

The three municipalities have had a joint animal services department since 2019. Although no formal decision has been made to end the partnership, the town's yet to be approved 2022 budget includes approximately $127,317 toward an animal control officer in 2022, with a salary of $79,935.

Director of legislative services Lisa Lyons told council during a Nov. 8 budget session that staff has identified significant cost savings by going in-house on animal control. She said besides hiring a staff person, parking enforcement staff would also do some animal control.

“We actually think we’d have a better level of service because we do have parking staff on the road almost 24/7 in some cases,” Lyons said.

The three municipalities entered into a two-year partnership on animal control in 2019, which they extended an extra year due to the pandemic. The partnership was a first of its kind in the province, originally started in an attempt to improve service quality, with a seven-day-a-week service.

The contract is set to expire in December 2021. Currently, residents can call the Town of Aurora, including after hours, to have an animal control officer dispatched dedicated to Newmarket. The town would pay an estimated $161,995 if the service is extended to 2022.

The town estimates after 2022, the cost for animal control could be about $94,643 annually if they switch service models. A budget report also said it could provide increased control to “allow staff to tailor services to our community.”

The current service has 1.5 bylaw officers allocated to Newmarket, which Lyons said would be met in part with parking enforcement support. She also said the present service hours would be maintained, though calls would go through the Newmarket customer service department instead of Aurora.

But Councillor Jane Twinney said she was concerned about incorporating parking staff into animal control.

“We’re a growing community, and certainly there’s more and more calls coming in (for parking),” Twinney said. “I'm a bit concerned to say, to save a little bit of money, we’re going to be spreading ourselves thin … This is an important service to our community, along with our parking bylaw officers.”

Mayor John Taylor confirmed a staff report would come to council before any changes are implemented.

Councillor Trevor Morrison spoke positively about staff finding savings in the area.

“Overall, I'm happy to see that this has been closely looked at in terms of the contract with the other municipalities, and overall there is a net savings,” he said.