Coun. Clara Norgaard called for a bylaw to help stem the stray cat population at the City of Merritt regular council meeting on May 28.
Norgaard said she is aware that stray cats are a problem in the city, and that other cities have created bylaws to address their often rapidly rising populations.
“It seems to be an issue for all municipalities, but some of them have come up with bylaws that seem to have alleviated some of the problem, and I’d like to know what those are because we are being bothered by feral cats,” Norgaard said after the meeting.
“When they’re well-fed, they just multiply, and it creates a problem for the people in the downtown core, basically.”
City staff will research other cities’ bylaws and come up with recommendations for Merritt’s council.
Sign inventory before replacement: council
Coun. Kurt Christopherson recommended city staff compile an inventory of the city’s signs on the highways before council moves on revamping or removing them.
“We thought we should know what we have first before we plunge ahead and get new signs,” Christopherson, who serves on the Directional Signage Committee, told council. “We’d also like to know where they’re located so that we don’t duplicate existing signs.”
Christopherson said he doesn’t know if there’s a maintenance policy on the highway signs, just that they’re reported if they’re in disrepair.
Coun. Alastair Murdoch recommended that staff look at the cost of fixing up and replacing the teepee signs on the highway as well.
“Given the discussion of the teepee signs, it might be useful to know what maintenance costs are on these things and replacement costs. Not immediately, but I think it might help council,” Murdoch said.
