Safe House Animal Rescue League representatives told the LaSalle County Public Safety Committee they have run TNR operations across the county for more than a decade and urged officials to favor humane trap-neuter-return approaches rather than removal and euthanasia. "The feeding of feral cats, when done properly, is not a public safety health risk, and in fact, it's a necessity," said Sandy Knott, the group's president, describing thousands of spay/neuter procedures and more than 2,000 adoptions the group said it has facilitated.

Volunteer Hannah Scoma said she has worked independently and with Safe House for five years and offered the committee a model from Cook County, where a managed-care ordinance governs feral-cat care. "To be able to get them spayed and neutered, to be able to educate them on the responsibility of feeding and just be able to control and manage these cats better," Scoma said, urging the county to consider a local ordinance that protects established TNR caregivers and clarifies when communities can enroll in managed programs.

Board members raised concerns about legal authority and funding. Some members warned that a county-run program could reduce private donations that currently support rescues; others cited high euthanasia rates at some shelters and asked whether TNR could be used in partnership with existing animal-control processes. Ray, a board member who described conducting TNR on his own property, said of his experience: "It worked." County legal staff noted that any change to the ordinance would require either an amendment or repeal at a full board meeting.

The committee agreed on two near-term steps: first, to have Safe House work at an operational level with the sheriff's department (liaison/lieutenant level) to create a standard operating approach for responding to feral-cat complaints; second, to invite Safe House to make a presentation to the full board on December 8 so all members can review details and evidence. Several members proposed monitoring outcomes for roughly six months before making substantive ordinance changes.

Why it matters: LaSalle County's existing ordinance has generated concern that feeders could be penalized even when they participate in TNR. Committee discussion focused on creating clear exemptions or protocols so caregivers who cooperate with public-safety partners are not inadvertently penalized, while preserving options to act when colonies become unmanaged or public nuisances.

What happens next: Safe House will meet with sheriff's staff to outline operational procedures and will present program materials to the county board on Dec. 8. The committee asked staff and legal counsel to draft possible ordinance language clarifying how established TNR programs would be recognized and when enforcement would apply.

Sources: Presentation and answers by Sandy Knott (Safe House Animal Rescue League) and Hannah Scoma during citizen comment and subsequent committee discussion.