Montgomery County may soon have a department to deal with animal abuse and cruelty.
District 1 Legislator Martin P. Kelly, chairman of the Legislature’s Budget and Finance Committee, proposed the new Department of Animal Welfare and Cruelty Prevention at Tuesday’s committee meeting. County Executive Matthew Ossenfort had asked Kelly to chair a task force on animal abuse and cruelty since a large number of cases have been reported.
Kelly suggested a system of permits and inspections for animal owners, a trap/neuter/release program for feral cats, and an animal abuse registry for offenders. The program would be financed through licensing fees, he said.
Kelly suggested holding two informational forums in addition to the public hearing that would be required before the program was established.
“My plan is that the towns will buy into this,” he said.
