In April 2014 a group of concerned citizens came together in protest after it was brought to our attention that the City of Fairborn had signed a contract with a wildlife trapper in January 2013 who was trapping and gassing cats in his garage. Most of these cats were strays, not ferals, and it is very likely that some of these cats were beloved family members! After many emails, phone calls, interviews with news stations, articles written, and a petition to stop the trapping and killing of cats within the city, the Fairborn Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program was founded. For almost 10 years the Fairborn TNR program has been trapping, spaying/neutering, vaccinating, feeding, and providing vet care for the stray cats and managing the feral colonies in the city. Over 8,000 cats have been TNR'd through this program - with minimal assistance and funding from the City of Fairborn. I find it important to mention, also, that in 2014 Dan Kirkpatrick was one of the city council members who secretly agreed to this contract with the "wildlife" trapper. It was such a secret that even one of the other council members was unaware it was happening!

Fast forward to 2024, with Dan Kirkpatrick now mayor of the City of Fairborn. The Fairborn TNR program has gotten wind that the up to $20,000 funding the city provides to cover the cost of altering and vaccinating up to 300 cats per year will be yanked away from them. The City of Fairborn has decided to enter into a contract with Greene County Animal Control to trap wildlife and cats, including all of the colony cats that the Fairborn TNR program has worked tirelessly for nearly 10 years to alter and vaccinate. For many years the Fairborn TNR Program has begged the city to double the number of clinics that are provided, so that 600 cats per year could be altered and vaccinated, in addition to the ones that TNR voluteers and donors pay for. The city has refused. TNR does work! It has been proven time and time again! We need your help to support the TNR program and let the city know we will not stand for this happening.

The City of Fairborn needs to:

• allow the Fairborn TNR Program to continue in their current building location under the current lease/stipulations
• continue to provide monthly clinics to have stray cats altered and vaccinated
• provide the additional monthly clinic they have been asking for (they could even make one clinic low cost for citizens to have their pets altered and vaccinated - they describe the City of Fairborn as "Innovative" and "A city in motion" - PROVE IT!)
• specify in the contract with Greene County Animal Control that they will NOT touch ear-tipped cats unless they are critically ill or injured, as was agreed upon back in 2014
• specify in the contract with Greene County Animal Control that they will work in tandem with the Fairborn TNR Program to assist in getting cats and kittens adopted (since they stated they have many available resources)
• specify in the contract with Greene County Animal Control that they will provide a place for newly altered cats to recover during the months of January and February so that TNR can safely run clinics during these months, also

We want to make it clear that we do not have a problem with Greene County Animal Control coming in and assisting where it is needed, we have a problem with the City of Fairborn making these decisions for their citizens behind their backs, with zero regard as to what the citizens actually want to see happening in their city. The Fairborn TNR Program would be more than happy to work with Greene County Animal Control. Animal control coming in to assist with critically ill, injured, or deceased cats would be a great assistance to the Fairborn TNR Program, allowing them to focus solely on trapping, altering and vaccinating, and caring for the cats in the city.

The Animal Control contract will cost roughly $65,000 per year.

As of last month the City of Fairborn has only contributed $52,385 to alter and vaccinate cats within the city - about 660 cats - but the program has managed to spay/neuter and vaccinate over 8,000. if the clinics were doubled, they would cover 600 cats per year (that's another 5,000 cats that could have been fixed over the last 10 years).

Please sign this petition and share it with everyone you know. Time is of the essence since there is a City Council meeting on Monday, April 1st and we would like to present the petition at that time.

Thank you!
 

Fairborn Trap-Neuter-Return Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/FairbornT.N.R?mibextid=ZbWKwL