Rodents cause millions of dollars in damages to field crops, stored grain and farm equipment each year. In addition, they are the major carrier for more than 60 diseases that are transmissible to humans, companion animals, and livestock.                 Mercer County is revising the county animal control ordinances. One of the most notable changes is that, starting January 1, 2017, all cats will have to have a current rabies vaccination and owners would pay an annual county registration fee.  The animal control board has approved the ordinaces and they now need approval by the full county board at the next full board meeting on July 5. At the last full board meeting, June 7, the board decided to place the ordinaces out for public viewing. They can be seen in the court house in the county board room on the second floor. Public comment will be heard at the next animal control meeting to be held on Wednesday, June 22, 2016 at 5:30PM at the county highway department building.               We the people of Mercer County Illinois do not feel that having a forced vaccine and registration aka money, is in the best interest of our community. We are in large a farming community. Most of us do live and work on farms in order to care for our families.                 Rodents are responsible for substantial damage to food and cashcrops world wide. They adversely affect rural communities bydamaging agricultural crops in the field and by eating andcontaminating stored grain. In some cases, the damage can be soenormous that it not only threatens individual farmers, but alsonational and international food security The amount of crop damage in fields estimated by the large majority of the farmers was alarming. The figure might seem small but for  small-holding farming communities a 8.9–44.7% loss in annual production is hard to tolerate. Diseases directly transmitted by rodents:  Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome expandedHemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome collapsedLassa Fever collapsedLeptospirosis collapsedLymphocytic Chorio-meningitis (LCM) collapsedOmsk Hemorrhagic Fever collapsedPlague collapsedRat-Bite Fever collapsedSalmonellosis collapsedSouth American Arenaviruses (Argentine hemorrhagic fever, Bolivian hemorrhagic fever, Sabiá-associated hemorrhagic fever, Venezuelan hemorrhagic fever) collapsedTularemia Live on a farm,you more then likely will have mice in your home. Now not all of the residents of Mercer County are using cats for rodent control, or farm use. Some are used for companion animals kept strictly indoors. Some people rescue cats and kittens that others have abandoned. So are they to pay to rescue, medicate, care for, and now register these cats that other people have just thrown away? Or are our already overly crowded pound and overworked single animal control officer  suppose to take in all these unregistered cats? What will come of this? More strays left and dumped all over the country, resulting in more breeding, more sickness among these colonies and more of a feral issue then we have now. Let's be honest, how many people are going to do the right thing if they can't afford the fees? How many will be dumped on a side road? And how much money will be spent in animal control going after violators, capturing these cats, housing them and more then likely euthanizing them. This to me screams quick money scheme that has not been thought through properly and in turn will end up costing our tax paying community. Please take a minute and sign this petition if you agree that Mercer County DOES NOT want be forced to vaccinate nor register every cat in Mercer County. Contact the Mercer County Board and plan on attending the meeting. NO TO REGISTRATION OF Pet CATS!! Has been brought to my attention that the ordinance is to only vaccinate and register your pet cats.Barn and stray cats will not be included in the ordinance. My question still is, how will this be carried out by one animal control officer? Where will all the violation"pets" be housed if owners can't or refuse to pay? What happens after the holding days are up on the "pet" cats? Euthanasia would be my guest.How does one tell a pet from a barn or stray if people feed them all? If you feed the strays are they then labeled a pet? Will this limit strays in the area or increase them as people can't afford registration and dump pet cats on country roads or what about the pet cats that were thrown out and people don't want them showing up on there step so they shoot,poison or drowned them? I think the outcome is the same if it be pet cat,barn cat,or stray cat. Only people penalized are the good pet owners. Only gain I see is in the color green for board. You are able to read the ordinance at the courthouse and strongly suggest you do. Attend the meeting June 22, ask questions and make up your own mind.What are you comfortable living with?Thank you for your time.