NYC Budget Crisis brings out the worst in Mayor and City Council --
Mike Bloomberg, Gifford Miller and Christine Quinn reduce shelter hours
and adoption program with no public notification or discussion.

On Monday, July 1, 2002, a holiday week, Mayor Michael Bloomberg conducted an early morning bill signing to which animal advocates were neither invited, nor informed. This sneaky approach to quashing dissenting opinion smacks of a Guiliani-style approach to governing. The bill was sponsored by Health Committee Chair Christine Quinn, whose staff SRAC has had recent discussions with. The Coucilmember did not see fit to seek advice from the humane community on this bill, nor did Speaker Gifford Miller when he sent it to the floor for a vote. The text of the bill follows.

[Mayor's office press release]

MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG SIGNS BILL
CHANGING OPERATIONS OF CITY'S ANIMAL SHELTERS

Testimony by Mayor Bloomberg During Public Hearing on Local Law

"The bill before me today is Introductory Number 234, which was sponsored by Council Member Quinn at my request, and adopted along with the budget. The budget adopted on June 21st reduces spending across the board at all City agencies. Intro. 234 amends various provisions of the Administrative Code that govern the operation of the City's animal shelters to conform to the realities in the budget. In particular, it reduces the number of hours that the City's full service shelters must accept dogs and cats-from 24 hours, seven days a week to 12 hours a day, seven days a week. It also reduces the number of days the City's shelters must operate their adoption program-from 7 days a week to 5 days, which must include the weekends. This reduction in hours of operation reflects the public's actual utilization of the facilities.

"Now shelters must devote a minimum of six hours a day to the adoption program during those five days a week, further demonstrating the City's commitment to adoption as a means of reducing the demand for animal control services. In addition, the statutory 48-hour period a shelter must keep lost animals before it can euthanize them must consist of actual hours of shelter operation.

"This bill also extends the period of time the City has to build full service shelters in the Bronx and Queens from July 1, 2002 to July 1, 2006. The original legislation, enacted in 2000, put the City on a timetable that was overly ambitious at best given the complexities associated with the site selection process. The Department of Health has been actively engaged in the site selection process, but was unable to comply with the legislation as written. The City now has more realistic goals that will require site selection and completion of ULURP by July 1, 2004 and complete construction by July 1, 2006.

"Finally, I would like to note that the City is working with the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and animal care organizations to create the Mayor's Alliance for Animals that will facilitate a City-wide adoption network to coordinate and maximize animal adoptions efforts to reduce the demand for animal control. As I said earlier, the City remains committed to adoption as one means-the other being an aggressive spay-neuter program-of reducing the demand for control services. The City's participation in the Alliance will provide the care community (of which the Center for Animal Care and Control is also a member) with access to grants from private foundations. The Alliance will provide a responsible forum for the City to engage in discussions with the animal care community in a productive way. I look forward to working with the care community through the Alliance."

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[bracketed text is deleted]

Int. No. 234

By Council Member Quinn (by request of the Mayor)

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to full-service shelters housing lost, stray or homeless animals.

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

Section 1. Subdivision c of section 17-802 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as added by local law 26 for the year 2000, is amended to read as follows:

c. "Full-service shelter" shall mean a facility required to have a permit issued pursuant to subdivision (b) of section 161.09 of the New York city health code that houses lost, stray or homeless animals and:

(1) accepts dogs and cats [twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week] pursuant to section 17-809 of this chapter;

(2) has an adoption program open [seven days a week] pursuant to such section 17-809; and

(3) provides sterilization services for dogs and cats and any other veterinary services deemed necessary by a licensed veterinarian at such shelter or at a veterinary facility.

Sec. 2. Section 17-805 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new subdivision h to read as follows:

h. Provided, however, that the department shall report to the council each month the number of adoptable animals that were humanely euthanized at each full service shelter during the previous month.

Sec. 3. Chapter 8 of title 17 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 17-809 to read as follows:

Sec. 17-809 Hours of operation and adoption program at full-service shelters. From July first, two thousand two until December thirty-first, two thousand four a full service shelter shall accept dogs and cats twelve hours per day, seven days per week and shall operate an adoption program during weekends and three additional days during each week. The adoption program shall be operational for a minimum of six hours during each day the adoption program is required to be operational as provided by this section. After January first, two thousand five, a full service shelter shall accept dogs and cats twenty-four hours per day, seven days per week and shall operate an adoption program seven days per week.

Sec. 4. Chapter 8 of title 17 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 17-810 to read as follows:

Sec. 17-810 In determining when a full-service shelter may euthanize a lost, stray or homeless animal held by it, such shelter shall exclude from the calculation of the number of hours that such shelter is required by law to hold such animal before euthanizing such animal those hours when such shelter is not required to accept dogs and cats pursuant to sections 17-802 and 17-809 of this chapter.

Sec. 5. Section 2 of local law number 26 for the year 2000 is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 2. This local law shall take effect one hundred eighty days after its enactment; provided, however, that Section 17-803 shall take effect January 1, 2001 with respect to the boroughs of Brooklyn, Manhattan and Staten Island[;] and [provided further, that such section shall take effect] July 1, [2002] 2006 with respect to the boroughs of the Bronx and Queens, and provided, further, that with respect to the boroughs of the Bronx and Queens, the city shall acquire the sites and comply with the provisions of section 197-c of the New York city charter by July first, two thousand four, and shall complete construction of the shelter facilities by July first, two thousand six.

Sec. 6. This local law shall take effect immediately.