An Ordinance Addressing the City’s Community Cat Population Moves Forward

An Ordinance Addressing the City’s Community Cat Population Moves Forward

ROCK SPRINGS — An ordinance allowing for the city to include a trap, neuter, return (TNR) program to help with the community’s cat population moved forward after being read for the first time at the Rock Springs City Council meeting tonight.

The ordinance states that “the City of Rock Springs recognizes that community cat populations can swell to huge numbers if they are not managed in some meaningful way, and that large numbers of free-roaming domestic cats can adversely affect local wildlife populations and be a general annoyance to citizens of the city.”

Under the proposed program, community cats will be humanely trapped, sterilized, vaccinated, ear tipped, and returned to its original location. Ear tipping is the removal of 1/4 inch of a community cat’s left ear while the cat is under anesthesia. This will allow the cat to be easily identified as a sterilized and vaccinated community cat, the ordinance states.

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“Hopefully, this will be a good program for the City of Rock Springs,” Mayor Tim Kaumo said after the first reading.

Councilor Tim Robinson wanted to publicly thank Councilor Tim Savage for all of his time in getting this ordinance ready for review.

It takes three readings to pass an ordinance. To review the entire ordinance, click here.

Other Business

The Council approved a memorandum of understanding between the Rock Springs Police Department (RSPD) and Sweetwater County School District No. 1 for the School Resource Officer (SRO) program. Under the MOU, District No. 1 and the City of Rock Springs agree to split the cost of three SRO positions 50/50.

To Council also approved a request from the RSPD to apply for a 2022 Wyoming Department of Transportation ARPA grant funding to purchase mobile radios for its vehicles.

After listening to a short presentation on the Wyoming Region 4 Hazard Mitigation Plan from Emergency Management Coordinator Emily Covey, the Council approved the plan.

A resolution revising the city’s fee schedule was also approved by the Council.