Selectboard approves FY 2018 police contract
PUTNEY — PUTNEY - At the June 7 regular Selectboard meeting, the Board authorized Town Manager Cynthia Stoddard to sign the Fiscal Year 2018 contract with the Windham County Sheriff's Department for the town's law-enforcement.
The new contract includes revisions, some of which were recommended by the town attorney.
According to Stoddard, the additions clarified the scope of services and specified a rate - including time charged beyond the contracted hours. The new contract also noted which town officials are authorized to request services: the town manager and the Selectboard chair.
The FY18 contract, which will cost the town $70,000 for the year, provides Putney 40 hours per week of law-enforcement coverage.
This year, Putney will get a new deputy, but Stoddard said the name hasn't yet been confirmed. “We are working on setting up a meeting with a couple of members of the Public Safety Committee and the possible new deputy,” she said.
Watch out for rabies!
PUTNEY - Rabies. It's out there.
According to the Vermont Department of Health's Web page on rabies outbreaks, Windham County has seen five cases of rabid animals in 2017. Although all of them are in Brattleboro, Putney officials say rabies has come to their town, too, mostly from raccoons.
At the June 7 regular Selectboard meeting, Board members and Town Manager Cynthia Stoddard discussed the outbreak and, in the absence of an animal control officer, what to do about it.
Board member Josh Laughlin suggested forming a “raccoon patrol” of individuals with firearm experience who can shoot and dispose of the animals if they menace or bite a human, livestock animal, or pet. According to Stoddard, the game warden said this is allowed.
“Rabid animals show a change in their normal behavior, but you cannot tell whether an animal has rabies simply by looking at it. Animals may show unusual aggression, extreme depression or bizarre behavior,” says the Vermont Department of Health's rabies Web page.
The department urges pet owners to get shots for their dogs and cats.
If you have contact with an animal that may have rabies, call the Department of Health at 800-640-4374.