LIVINGSTON MANOR - The Town of Rockland adopted their 2018 budget at their most recent meeting by a 3-1 vote. It totaled $3,437,710, $33,626 more than last year's budget. However, the town's property tax decreased by 0.24 percent.

Town Supervisor Rob Eggleton and Councilmembers Glen Carlson and Edwin Edwards voted for the budget. Councilwoman Joann Ryder voted against it.

FERAL CATS

According to Eggleton, the town has received numerous complaints regarding feral cats in the past couple years. There was a discussion on the best ways to deal with the problem. There are currently no town ordinances in Rockland in regard to cats. The board looked at the Town of Callicoon's Cat Law, to see what they've put in place.

“We have a serious problem,” Eggleton said of the feral cats. Later on he added, “I don't know if having a law is the answer, but I think we need to come up with something.”

“When you get into legislating domestic animals, whether its cats, dogs or domestic fowl, it's a slippery slope,” Glenn Gabbard, Town of Rockland Code Enforcement Officer said. “People have strong attachments to the animals, whether or not they're doing the right thing by the animal. They're often blind to the impact it places on their neighbors.”

Gabbard added, “It's difficult to legislate against without getting into certain personal freedoms.”

The board decided to table the discussion for now and do more research on how other muncipalities have dealt with feral cat issues. In the meantime, the board encourages people to reach out if they have any ideas or information. You can email them to supervisor@townofrocklandny.com.