To the Editor:

I write in response to the letter “I remain optimistic that unnecessary town fees can be removed,” [The Altamont Enterprise, Jan. 9, 2025], and appreciate the editor’s note and response to that letter.  

I write with regard to the letter’s suggestion that fees for dog adoptions and the use of the town’s dog parks might be “unnecessary.”  

Nearly all dog adoptions in the town take place in public kennels, like Mohawk Hudson Humane Society, and through private arrangements. The town has no role and charges no fee for these adoptions.  

For over 50 years, the town has operated the Richard Murray Animal Shelter, the only state-registered municipal animal shelter in Albany County devoted to the care of unwanted or abandoned dogs in our community.

I am very proud of the dedicated service of Animal Control Officers Bob Meyers and Kathy Foley, and have enjoyed ride-alongs to better appreciate their hard work and thoughtful care for animals.    

The town’s animal shelter averages five adoptions per year which, under Town Code § 120-22 (“Adoption of Dogs; Fees”), charges a fee ($75) for the cost of state-mandated dog licensing; rabies vaccinations; neutering/spaying; microchips; tests for heartworm disease, Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, and anaplasmosis; and other veterinarian fees — and loving 24-hour care, often for an extended period.  

By state law, that fee must be used for the control of dogs, has been around for decades, and was not changed in the new fee schedule. The town’s fee is far less than dog adoption fees charged by Mohawk Hudson Humane Society ($250) and the Saratoga County Animal Shelter ($121).   

The town’s fee ($10) for use of the dog park covers the town’s dog tag, which shows that the dog is vaccinated and licensed, and for fencing, water, lighting and other resources. The town fee is far less than charges for the use of dog parks in the town of Bethlehem ($30), Colonie ($35), and Niskayuna ($30). It was also not changed in the revised schedule.  

In sum, most town fees are based on state-mandated safety and licensing requirements, and like the fees for dog adoptions and use of the dog parks, are not “unnecessary town fees.”

Peter G. Barber

Town Supervisor

Guilderland