Lake County Gazette

Animal care and control will be the focus for Highwood’s City Council meeting set for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 17 Highwood Ave.

Lake County Animal Care and Control Services will be front and center for new business in a discussion of a motion authorizing Highwood’s mayor to execute a revised fee for service agreement and schedule with the Lake County Health Department.

Currently, Lake County provides Highwood with animal care and control services under its ordinances. Highwood calls on them for service as needed and provides a 24-hour emergency service. The agreement outlines the responsibilities between the two agencies, with one change made to this agreement as a fee reduction for feral cats to promote municipal participation for the service.

Robin Van Sickle, program coordinator for Animal Care and Control in Libertyville, commended the “positive working relationship” between her agency and the city of Highwood. In order to encourage municipalities to take part in the agency’s mission of caring for feral cats, she outlined an attractive fee package to Lake County jurisdictions.

“One of our primary goals in revising the fee schedule is to encourage the pickup and impoundment of stray roaming cats within your municipality by reducing the fees to impound these cats,” Van Sickle said. “Under the revised fee schedule, contracted agencies will not be charged transportation, boarding, and disposal fees for stray cats being picked up at a secure municipal location.”

The proposed fees would mean a $35 charge for each stray cat impounded instead of the customary $90 to $110 rate, and service visit fees will only be assessed when an Animal Care and Control warden responds to assist in the investigation or complaint of an animal-related manner.

Instrumentation will also receive attention as the council considers Crystal Lake-based B&W Control Systems Integration (BWCSI) as a vendor for a contract of up to $14,180.00 to replace three flow meters. BWCSI handles municipal technology applications, working with instrumentation and controls such as SCADA, telemetry and sensors.