He said Mayor Juan B. Tudela’s authority over the licensing and regulation of pets should be extended not only to dogs but also to cats and other common house pets.
“As a full-time resident of Saipan I can attest to the ever-present problem that stray dogs and cats pose to pedestrians, visitors, household pets, wild fauna, domestic fowl and livestock, and the environment in general,” said Reyes, R-Saipan, in a letter to acting Special Assistant for Management and Budget Esther S. Fleming.
Reyes informed the Office of the Governor through Fleming about his position regarding Tudela’s request for financial assistance in the construction of an the animal shelter.
Tudela declined to comment on Reyes’s letter.
“For the amount of assistance sought under the [mayor’s] proposal, the proposed solution hardly begins to address the problem statement,” Reyes said.
He said the animal shelter is badly needed but the problem is that pet owners are not being held more accountable for the way they control their pets.
“The Office of the Mayor should vigorously enforce dog licensing regulations,” he added.
He doubts whether the Division of Procurement and Supply can require contractors to hire in the manner proposed by Tudela.
In his proposal, the mayor said employment will be created during the construction phase by asking Procurement and Supply to mandate the contractor to employ two resident workers for every one nonresident worker.
Reyes said the Office of the Mayor should conduct a more thorough analysis of the annual cost of maintaining an animal shelter, including the possibility of hiring a veterinarian.