LOCKPORT – State Supreme Court Justice Richard C. Kloch Sr. signed an order Friday barring the SPCA of Niagara from carrying out its plan to cease dog control services in the City of Niagara Falls as of Monday.
The SPCA had announced Thursday that it would shut down the service because talks on a new contract with the city were going nowhere and the service was costing the agency far more than the $6,960 per month that the city has been paying since 2009.
The city, which has no dog control officer and no alternative arrangement for housing strays, promptly went to court, seeking a temporary restraining order, and Kloch granted it. He scheduled a hearing on the dispute for 10 a.m. Thursday in his Lockport courtroom.
The city claims that the SPCA needed to give it 30 days’ notice before terminating the contract. The SPCA contends that the city dragged its feet on negotiations and wanted the SPCA to increase services without charging more.
The SPCA had announced Thursday that it would shut down the service because talks on a new contract with the city were going nowhere and the service was costing the agency far more than the $6,960 per month that the city has been paying since 2009.
The city, which has no dog control officer and no alternative arrangement for housing strays, promptly went to court, seeking a temporary restraining order, and Kloch granted it. He scheduled a hearing on the dispute for 10 a.m. Thursday in his Lockport courtroom.
The city claims that the SPCA needed to give it 30 days’ notice before terminating the contract. The SPCA contends that the city dragged its feet on negotiations and wanted the SPCA to increase services without charging more.