A feral cat lies on a chair behind a vacant home in North Olean.

File photo

OLEAN — City officials hope to revive a feral cat control program this year.

The Common Council on Tuesday authorized Mayor Amy Sherburne to enter into a $5,000 contract with Olean-based nonprofit Purrfect Kitty Mission for trap-neuter-release and emergency feline care services.

“There’s a lot of love for the stray cats in this community, and the citizens want us to do something about the colonies that are becoming larger and becoming problems,” Sherburne said.

“They have a good track record, they have good connections with vets,” she said. “This will help us get a handle on our cat population.”

Crawford, who pushed for the city to start TNR operations in the late 2010s, voiced his support for the measure.

“Rounding them up (for relocation or euthanasia), you effectively create a vacuum effect,” which is then filled by more cats, Crawford said. “To successfully bring down a stray cat population or reduce colonies is to eliminate their ability to reproduce and run a TNR.”

TNR includes trapping feral cats, taking them to be sterilized, and then returning the cats to where they were trapped. Many animal welfare groups like the ASPCA and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals support TNR as an effective way to control feral cat colony sizes. However, some environmental groups such as the National Wildlife Federation oppose TNR, noting that feral cats continue to have negative effects on small mammals and birds.

Crawford noted the city previously worked with another nonprofit for several years, which was successful before the COVID-19 pandemic hampered efforts. Later, the city worked with the SPCA in Cattaraugus County, but that agency could no longer assist due to being at capacity for cats.

IN OTHER BUSINESS, the council approved a resolution calling on state leaders to “Energy State of Emergency” related to escalating energy costs.

Crawford, who authored the proposal, said rising electric costs have impacted many homes in the region.

“Some of us, including myself, have received monthly bills in excess of $600, $800 or even $1,000,” he said. “This is a resolution really asking our state representatives to step up and do what they have to do to figure out this crisis before we all turn on our air conditioning units this summer.”

He noted the council had authored similar resolutions in the past calling on state action on a number of topics, and acknowledged that the resolution is “fairly symbolic in nature.”

He noted increased demand in electricity for AI data centers and the costs of green energy initiatives have led to the spike.

McCall noted that high gas prices have also been an issue, and urged the state to take action on that topic, as well.

THE COUNCIL ALSO confirmed the approval of the mayoral appointment of Frank Caputo as city clerk retroactively to Jan. 2.

Caputo, a former state Department of Agriculture and Markets economist, was first appointed city clerk by then-Mayor Bill Aiello in November 2021.