About a dozen residents urged Plainsboro Township officials on December 8 to forego approval of a shared services agreement with Helmetta for animal control services, despite the savings it would bring.
Under the agreement, which was ultimately approved, the township will pay $18,000 — a savings over its prior agreement with West Windsor, which cost the township $65,000 for the same services.
The agreement will take effect on Saturday, January 1, at the beginning of the new year. Under the agreement, Helmetta officials will respond to Plainsboro for “sick, attacking, or abnormally acting wildlife,” explained Plainsboro Police Lieutenant Troy Bell.
They will also respond to domestic animals who are attacking or threatening public safety. Under the agreement, Helmetta will also respond in incidents involving an arrest or incapacitated person accompanied by an animal — whether it is at a residence or vehicle — and move the animal to the appropriate shelter.
“They will do an investigation or follow-up on any wild or domestic animal bite,” said Bell.
Helmetta, another Middlesex County town, is approximately 15 minutes from Plainsboro.
Residents, however, shared positive personal experiences they had with West Windsor Animal Control Officer Bettina Roed, who is an employee of West Windsor, although the former agreement, officials stressed, had been with West Windsor — and not Roed personally.
One resident said Roed once chased his dog on foot from Plainsboro, down Route 1, back to the Princeton Junction train station, and finally caught up to it to bring it back to his home.
Residents said the quality of her work should justify continued use of her services, and they asked the Township Committee to retain the agreement the township has had with West Windsor for more than 15 years.
Another resident called the move “unfair” and said that Roed “has been a total asset to the town.”
The quality of the animal control services provided to Plainsboro under the new agreement was also called into question, as residents pointed to the possibility that response times could be longer, as Helmetta officials are also responsible for providing the same services to residents in Sayreville, Monroe, and South Brunswick.
But Plainsboro officials maintained that none of the services would change and that Helmetta had three Public Works employees dedicated to serving as animal control officers.
Plainsboro Police Chief Richard Furda also explained that Helmetta is in the process of building its own animal shelter that is scheduled to be completed by April — a factor that contributed to the lower cost to Plainsboro under the agreement. Until that facility is up and running, rescued animals would be brought Blumig Kennel in East Brunswick.
Residents questioned the conditions at Blumig as well as the quality that would be provided by Helmetta’s animal control officers, but Furda said that the agreement that was up for approval carried the same requirements as the one with West Windsor — that rescued animals be held for a mandatory period of seven days. “We will monitor the kennels for the animals that go” from Plainsboro, he told the residents.
Said Furda of Helmetta’s animal control officers: “They’re all ASPCA-certified. They run a very clean organization.”
He also said that Plainsboro police officers researched the issue and tried to find alternate care facilities for rescued animals — as veterinary and animal hospitalization costs have contributed to most of the high costs associated with the shared services agreement with West Windsor, which sends animals to the Princeton Animal Hospital on Alexander Road.
West Windsor Business Administrator Robert Hary said that West Windsor uses Princeton Animal Hospital for its quality and convenience. He confirmed that the veterinary services are a big part of the animal control costs. Also, “if we used another vet, we would have transportation and timing issues,” he said.
Plainsboro was also assured that the response times would be no longer than 15 minutes, Furda added. Added Furda: “They’re going to provide exactly the same services.”
Plainsboro Mayor Peter Cantu said that Plainsboro officials have been discussing their concerns with West Windsor over the past six to seven months.
Cantu said the cost savings — which average out to about $60,000 on average over a period of several years — were drastic.
He said that Plainsboro has been “very satisfied with the services we have” received from Roed. But “it’s hard for us to assume we can’t get adequate services at a substantial cost savings elsewhere,” Cantu said.
“We have a financial responsibility to the community to provide the most efficient way to deal with this,” he added.
Because the agreement will be reviewed and renewed on an annual basis, there is still an opportunity for the township to look for alternatives if officials are not satisfied with the quality of the services, Furda said.
