Woodbury, Monroe clash over animal control contract before June 30 deadline

Woodbury warned Monroe that dog-control service could stop on June 30 unless Monroe paid last year’s $31,000 contract amount.

Woodbury’s two full-time and two part-time animal control officers handle the work from 71 Schunnemunk Road in Highland Mills, where the shelter is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The officers are dispatched through the Woodbury Police Department, and Woodbury’s April animal-control report lists Monroe impounds and Monroe returns handled that month, along with funds from impounds, boarding, donations and vaccine- and spay-related services.

The draft 2026 intermunicipal agreement would raise Monroe’s base annual fee to $33,000, up from the $26,201.25 listed in the 2021 agreement. It ties that figure to a historical average intake of about 20 dogs per contract year and covers up to 25 dogs, or 125% of that average, before additional per-dog fees kick in. Those overage charges would be due within 30 days of invoice, and the draft says the towns should begin talks on a successor agreement no later than June 30, 2026 and try to finalize it by Aug. 1, 2026.

Jacqueline Hernandez told the Woodbury Town Board on June 18 that Monroe should pay the earlier amount by June 30 or Woodbury would stop the long-running service that has operated through the shelter for seven years. Hernandez said Woodbury had continued providing the work while negotiations dragged on, but that no payment had been received. Maureen Richardson, Monroe’s supervisor, called the move a “public stunt” and said months of talks over both the animal shelter contract and Dial-a-Ride had left the towns unclear about what each owed.

Richardson said Monroe delayed payment because Woodbury had floated several different pay structures while also signaling that it wanted to release Monroe from the contract. She had also proposed a “capacity safety valve” clause that would trigger extra compensation if animal intake rose above historical levels.

Monroe terminated its Dial-a-Ride service with Woodbury in June 2026, ending a program that had operated since 2009 and helped Woodbury residents reach Monroe’s senior center and shopping areas.

Woodbury’s shelter also received a separate boost this spring, when New York State awarded it a $490,000 Companion Animal Capital Fund grant.