State Warns Wilton about the Town’s Animal Control Facility: Fix Current Conditions and Plan for New Regulations

Wilton officials have been put on notice by state animal control representatives about the conditions at the Town’s Animal Control facility.

The issues are both short- and longterm in nature. In addition to some “simple fixes” to current conditions, the Town will have to meet a new set of regulations that will go into effect in 2029. If those regulations were in effect now, Wilton’s current facility would fall short of numerous construction, maintenance, and animal health/safety standards.

Animal Control, which is located at the Town Hall Annex, is a division of the Wilton Police Department that enforces state laws for domestic pets as well as Wilton’s dog ordinances. It is charged with housing and caring for lost, homeless or abandoned domestic cats and dogs, and finding them suitable homes.

Wilton’s violations were found Jan. 9 — coincidentally the same date a private dog kennel, Bone and Bark Inn, was shut down by the state inspector for being unlicensed along with a number of health and safety violations.

The issues with the facility were discussed at two recent meetings — one held by the Town and School Needs Assessment Priorities Committee (TSNAP) on Jan. 15 and more recently, the Board of Selectmen (BOS) meeting on Jan. 21.

Short Term: Simple Maintenance

The warning notice from the state, issued to Wilton by the Connecticut Department of Agriculture’s Animal Control Division, stated:

“You are hereby warned that this facility was found to be in violation of the laws and regulations listed below:

22-336-16 PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: Interior & exterior walls, concrete or cement block.”

Specifically, the warning notice indicated some physical conditions were not “maintained in good repair” and the Town could face fines or closure if it failed to rectify the problems before re-inspection in one year.

Town Administrator Matt Knickerbocker told GOOD Morning Wilton he does not anticipate such a penalty.

“The state will work with municipalities,” he said. “We may have to make some immediate repairs, in which case we’ll put together a list and get going on it.”

At the time of GMW‘s inquiry, Knickerbocker was not familiar with the details of the specific repairs needed for next year’s inspection. GMW reached out to the state Animal Control authority, which issued the warning, for details about the violations.

Rebecca Eddy, the state Agriculture Department’s director of communications, explained that the violations included minor “cracks and divots” in the concrete flooring.

“That’s a simple fix which just requires it to be resealed,” Eddy said.

While she offered assurances that “larger, structural changes” are not required immediately, she noted that Wilton is going to have to deal with those “down the line” in order to be in compliance with new regulations by 2029.

Knickerbocker acknowledged the bigger question facing the Town.

“Does it make sense to fix things, or do we need start moving toward building a new one?” Knickerbocker said. “There’s a lot to cover [in the new regulations].”

Longterm: A Bigger Question

The Animal Control facility would be a key consideration in any conceptual planning for the Town Hall Campus.

Almost from the start of her tenure, First Selectman Toni Boucher has spoken about her vision for an expanded Town Hall building, which would house the departments currently located in the Annex, thus eliminating the need for the decrepit structure. However, early discussions have generally set aside the question about where to relocate an animal control facility.

The most recent assessment by consultants studying the facilities and space requirements on Town Hall Campus estimated a new animal control facility would cost roughly $2 million — and that was before the Town learned of new regulations for 2029.

Boucher called the new regulations “an unfunded mandate” that would require the Town to essentially rebuild a facility.

“It’s not a ‘want to’ — it’s legislative changes that were put in place during this last legislative session,” Boucher said at the Jan. 15 TSNAP meeting. “At least we’ve got a heads up, but we are going to have to do something.”

“I don’t believe the square footage that we currently have is going to be sufficient to meet the new code,” Assistant DPW Director Jeff Pardo told the TSNAP committee. “So I think it really needs to move somewhere else, either on a Town Hall Campus or somewhere else in town. In the next few years, we do have to address the [animal control facility], whether Town Hall is expanded or the Annex building is renovated, it doesn’t matter. We will have to build a new animal shelter.”

Any solution for the animal shelter is just one of hundreds of building repairs and upgrades needed over the next 10-15 years that town officials will have to consider.

TSNAP has already deliberated on and finalized its recommendations for capital spending projects for FY 2026. None of the recommendations pertain to Town Hall Campus.

Boucher informed the selectmen that the cost to the Town would be “very, very expensive.”

Town officials say they will investigate possible alternatives, such as outsourcing to other municipal or regional facilities, or even to a private facility, such as the new Connecticut Humane Society headquarters currently under construction in North Wilton.

At the Jan. 21 BOS meeting, Knickerbocker said that outsourcing also posed challenges for Wilton to fulfill the Town’s obligations, considering the fact that Wilton’s animal control personnel must have 24-hour access to the facility, and such a facility must also have space available to safely quarantine, treat and house the animals.