Date: Fri 25-Apr-1997

By STEVE BIGHAM

Published: Aug 11, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

town-clerk-rabies-vaccine

Full Text:

Town Clerk Slates Rabies Vaccine Clinic

The town clerk's office will be conducting a low-cost anti-rabies vaccination

clinic Saturday, May 10, for dogs and cats.

The clinic will be held in the Edmond Town Hall gymnasium from 1 to 3 pm.

There are no residency requirements.

The cost of the clinic is $9 per animal. Cash only.

State law requires all cats and dogs three months of age or older to be

vaccinated against rabies. The incidence of rabies in cats is now over 10

times higher than in dogs. Cats run free, are natural hunters and can easily

be bitten by a bat, raccoon or skunk.

Rabies moved up the East Coast into Connecticut in 1991 and has been detected

in every town in the state. As of this month, there have been 3,213 cases of

rabies in Connecticut: 2,718 raccoons, 54 cats, 5 dogs, 374 skunks, 23

woodchucks, 18 red fox, 2 gray fox, 3 sheep, 4 horses, 6 cows, 1 coyote, 1

deer, 1 otter, 1 ferret and 1 bobcat. These figures are for animals that have

tested positive and do not reflect the number of possible rabid animals in the

state.

Although rabies is rare among humans, it is almost always fatal. The rabies

virus, in the saliva of infected animals, enters a victim through a skin

puncture or open wound, affecting the central nervous system. Post-exposure

vaccinations must be given before the onset of symptoms since there is no cure

once they appear. Since rabies is a threat to public health, the clinic is

being sponsored by town officials and the Connecticut Veterinary Medical

Association, whose members are donating their time as a public service.

Due to the increasing incidence of rabies, written proof (not tags) of prior

vaccination for rabies or a current dog license must be presented to qualify

for a three-year certificate. A one-year certificate will be given to all

others.

State law requires that all pets vaccinated for the first time in 1996 must be

revaccinated in 1997.

Collar tags and certificates of vaccination will be provided as required by

law. All dogs must be on leashes and cats must be in carriers.

For more information, call the town clerk's office at 270-4210.

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Well that is some spin. The Democrats have a super majority on the LC and passed the Education Budget without serious consideration of if the voters could afford the multi million dollar increase. "Was the request justified?" rather than "is this needed?" and "can the voters shoulder yet another large increase?" The voters rightly sent it back. Then for some reason all the discussion around reductions to the increase seemed to be coming from the classroom, rather than administration and overhead costs. Is this a coercive tactic to manipulate parents into supporting the budget like tacit threat of cutting freshman sports was two years ago? Who believes the Democrats did not caucus privately before the meeting and came in with a number already worked out? This is the Dems budget, they own it.

Education Cuts: Who Voted For What

I think it is important that we do not villainize every black box seen around a home, business, farm, or municipal property. A black exterior station does not always mean rat poison is being used. These stations can hold a number of different products, including monitoring blocks, snap traps, non-toxic bait, anti-tick bait stations, organic salt- or cornmeal-based control products, and newer fertility-control approaches intended to reduce rodent populations without traditional poisons. The better conversation, in my opinion, is not simply “black boxes are bad,” but rather: what is inside them, who is maintaining them, and whether the rodent issue is being managed responsibly. Exclusion, sanitation, trapping, habitat reduction, and careful monitoring should all be part of a responsible IPM strategy. To be fair, on my own property I do use rodenticides, including Bromethalin and Bromadiolone, in secured bait stations. But that is a choice I make for my property, based on my circumstances and the risk I am trying to manage. I also believe property owners should understand the tradeoffs and be encouraged to use the least harmful effective method whenever possible. I support protecting Newtown’s wildlife. I also support giving residents accurate information and not assuming that every black box represents reckless or unsafe pest control. The goal should be responsible rodent management, not fear of the box itself.

Discusses Policy Against Rodenticides

Debora, thank you! I accidentally doubled the project prices by adding the bond to the appropriation. Thank you so much for catching that and pointing it out. With the corrected numbers, the voters approved a combined $1.32 million for a salt shed ($600k) and library pavement ($720k), while rejecting the $1.12 million replacement turf. Regarding the 80s, I truly respect the hurdle of 14% mortgage rates. My point is simply that the math has shifted: in 1980, while the rates were higher, the price of a home relative to earnings was significantly lower. We are facing a different, but equally crushing, financial wall. Ultimately, it is disheartening that voters who recognized safe sidewalks and parking lots as essential, dismissed a playing field in the exact same condition. The turf has passed its life cycle and is just as much of a liability as the library’s pavement, the only difference is that this safety concern affects thousands of children who, coincidentally, cannot vote. These are apples-to-apples needs. I was hopeful our community would agree that all Newtown residents deserve safe conditions, regardless of which facility they utilize. Again, I would be remiss not to mention that when 82% of residents don’t show up, we have to deal with the interests of those who did. Hopefully, the next referendum will have a bigger turnout.

The ‘Me’ Generation

Thanks for the reply. I meant the numbers you presented in your letter. I found one place where other numbers were listed: https://www.newtownbee.com/04232026/get-out-and-vote-on-the-2026-27-proposed-municipal-and-school-budgets/?q=\\\%22advisory%20questions\\\%22. In that article, the numbers were cited as: Treadwell field: $1,125,000 Library: $720,000 Salt Storage: $600,000 As one who started out in the early 80's when inflation was double digits, my 1985 mortgage rate was 14%, and child care costs were comparable (in present value), I shared your grief but never considered the voters ironic or shameful. PS. I agree college tuition is ridiculous. Thankfully, universities are offering (or considering) waiving all or most tuition for middle class families (upwards of $200,000 incomes). Hopefully, they'll also reconsider their need for those funds in the first place.

Sure! Child care costs: https://www.ffyf.org/2022/10/13/data-child-care-prices-continue-to-rise-ahead-of-midterm-elections-outpacing-inflation/ (also from 2021-2025 we had 2 children in a local daycare in Newtown and it cost us $3200 a month, so that's a number I am very familiar with) Home price / median price vs income source: https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/home-price-income-ratios Tuition increase vs inflation: https://feed.georgetown.edu/access-affordability/noting-a-decline-in-middle-class-students-colleges-provide-more-aid/ Hope this helps :)

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Date: Fri 25-Apr-1997

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