Animal volunteers draw attention to East Valley TNR program

By Jason W. Brooks
Mail | X: @JasonWBrooks2

It wasn’t immediately clear exactly how many city of Chandler dollars will be put into an animal program after Thursday’s Chandler City Council meeting in the budget year ahead.

But suffice to say, local animal volunteers have drawn much more attention to one effort to reduce a feral population.

Jennifer McTighe, who says she’s the director of Ladder of Life: A Kitten’s Journey, and others spoke at the meeting during the hearing on the city’s then-proposed $1.87 billion fiscal 2027 budget.

Fiscal 2027 starts July 1; Council unanimously voted May 21 to tentatively approve the budget and will cast final votes on the budget June 11.

Ladder of Life’s website states it’s “Chandler-based 501(c)(3) rescue focused heavily on feral kittens discovered through TNR (trap, neuter, return) efforts.”

Council member Matt Orlando said he wanted to amend the FY27 budget to add $20,000 to bring a total city allocation for a TNR program to $50,000.

But McTighe and others who spoke at the May 21 meeting said that isn’t enough.

Orlando’s proposed amendment to the budget wasn’t acknowledged in the reading of the motion to approve the budget and capital plan.

Sue Harrington, another Chandler resident and volunteer, said she was surprised when, despite having met with City Manager John Pombier back in March, she was confident the city would put at least $100,000 into trap-and-release in FY27.

“I was taken by surprise when I found out the city was only putting in $30,000,” Harrington said. “The program is needed to stay ahead of the curve. This year, the program ran out of funds twice, and on the streets, we see the birth boom from those gaps.”

McTighe, Harrington and others met with Pombier in a side room adjacent to the Council chambers while the meeting was still going on, after Council had voted on the tentative budget. It wasn’t immediately clear what TNR program funding will look like as a final budget line item.

McTighe, during her time at the podium, pointed out how inflation affects everything from veterinarian fees to fuel costs.

McTighe said she personally trapped and took in for neutering 75 cats over the past 12 months through the program.

“This issue does not fix itself, McTighe said. “Without intervention, unaltered cats keep reproducing and the problem grows exponentially.”

Email Jason W. Brooks at jbrooks@iniusa.org. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.

INDEPENDENT NEWSMEDIA

Jason W. Brooks
News Editor | Chandler Independent

Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.

Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.

Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.

Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.

Community: He supports animal shelters.