MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — South Orange and Maplewood may soon be entering into an agreement to share animal control services, but not before South Orange finds a permanent animal sheltering service to replace the shuttered Jersey Animal Coalition.
South Orange Deputy Administrator Adam Loehner told the News-Record the village is currently drafting a Request for Proposals for organizations that can provide sheltering and other animal-related services to occupy the former JAC building. Loehner said the RFP should be ready to go out in a month, with proposals likely being accepted for 30 to 60 days thereafter.
But just because the RFP will be structured in favor of animal sheltering services does not mean that the South Orange Board of Trustees has officially decided how to use the JAC building, Loehner pointed out. He said the board is even seeking input from nearby communities as to how to use the building.
“We are really trying to figure out what is going to be best for South Orange,” said Loehner in a phone interview Wednesday, Feb. 11.
Still, Loehner said finding a permanent animal sheltering arrangement is paramount for South Orange at this point. Though he confirmed the village is in early discussions with Maplewood regarding the possibility of entering into a shared animal-control services agreement, he said no deal will be reached until South Orange has ironed out its sheltering. In fact, he said Maplewood entered into its contract with the Associated Humane Societies of Newark primarily because South Orange did not have a sheltering service in place.
In the future, however, there seems to be a good chance South Orange and Maplewood will enter into a shared services agreement. Once the sheltering situation is ironed out, he said a deal might follow soon after.
“I think we are both on the same page, that we would like to do a shared service agreement with Maplewood,” Loehner said.
“We have had some very positive discussions,” he added. “When we are ready, they have shown a positive interest.”
Maplewood currently has a one-year, $41,802 contract with the Associated Humane Societies of Newark to provide both animal control and sheltering services, which it entered into before firing Debbie Hadu, its former animal control officer, last month. The agreement, however, does have a 60-day termination clause.
If an arrangement is reached between South Orange and Maplewood, Loehner said it will probably entail Maplewood contracting with South Orange to provide its animal services. It is too early to speculate on what such a deal would cost, he said.
Other than an initial interest, Joseph Manning, the Maplewood township administrator, said the municipality has nothing else to report on its end.
“Maplewood is in the very early stages of discussing a shared service for animal control services with South Orange,” Manning told the News-Record in a email on Wednesday, Feb. 11.
What is certain, according to Loehner, is that South Orange wishes to retain its own animal control officer, Melanie Troncone. He said the village actually decided not to sign a new contract with AHS, which provided animal sheltering services from the JAC’s closure through Dec. 31, because it was expanding into providing animal control services as well, which meant it would have had to let Troncone go to save money. Since the village was so pleased with her work — which ranges from handling strays and removing wild animals from houses to giving educational talks in schools — it chose to keep her, he said.
As a result of not having a shelter and in the absence of AHS, Troncone told the News-Record she has been bringing stray animals to the Puppy Love pet groomer in Maplewood and the South Orange Animal Hospital since January. She said they are both required to hold strays for seven to 10 days, in case the owner retrieves them, before releasing them to a rescue organization or shelter.
If South Orange’s RFP procures a sheltering service for the JAC building, Troncone said she would likely resume bringing animals there.
“That would be my preference, so that we have a local shelter that we could bring the animals to,” Troncone said in a phone interview on Wednesday, Feb. 11.
And if South Orange and Maplewood do come to a shared services agreement, Loehner said Troncone would take over all animal control work for both towns. That might sound like a lot, but he said it should not be a problem, since it would just involve expanding South Orange’s effective protocol for a larger area. Plus, he added, a second experienced animal control officer would probably be hired to work for Troncone to help carry the workload.