Nine Berkshire County towns are considering whether to combine their individual animal control resources into one regional program that would serve them all.

Currently, animal control responsibilities throughout the towns are split up between two officers. Kacey Hatch serves Otis, Becket, Lee and Lenox, while John Drake serves Stockbridge, West Stockbridge, Richmond, Tyringham and Alford. Each officer is currently paid through a series of individual contracts with each town, where they respond to calls about everything from runaway dogs to cows that have wandered into the road.

John Drake serves as the animal control officer for Stockbridge, West Stockbridge, Richmond, Alford and Tyringham. He supports expanding the region as a way to upgrade the kennel in Lee, which serves all nine towns.

Stockbridge Town Administrator Michael Canales is spearheading the effort to regionalize local animal control by having each town contribute financially to a shared program. A draft of the program structure, which has been sent to leaders of the towns in question, stipulates that towns would collectively provide compensation for two employees, as well as cover other animal control costs.

“We need a professional, reliable and fair animal control across all our towns to ensure we're all contributing,” said Canales, who developed the plan in collaboration with town administrators in Lee and Lenox.

Kacey Hatch hold badges from Becket and Otis — two of the communities for which she serves as the animal control officer. Hatch also serves as the ACO for Lee and Lenox.

The plan estimates an overall budget of $157,000 for regional animal control in fiscal 2027, which would include the salary of a full-time animal control officer and wages for a part-time officer and kennel manager, among other costs. Individual towns would be asked to contribute proportionately based on their property valuation.

However, some towns are skeptical about whether the arrangement would be financially feasible. The Otis Select Board briefly discussed the proposal at its regular meeting on Tuesday before deciding to postpone a decision until a later budget meeting.

“I'm not opposed to it, but it does about triple our cost for [animal control], which is, I guess, not unreasonable these days,” said Selectman Gary Thomas.

“I think going from $6,000 a year to $17,000 is quite a change for basically subsidizing other towns,” Selectman Larry Southard added, in reference to the financial contribution proposed for Otis.

Canales said that the increase in cost is mainly the result of proposed benefits for animal control officers, including health insurance.

“We’re trying to create a salary structure that creates an attractive position,” he said, especially as demands on animal control officers have risen. Ollie’s Law, a state law passed in 2024 that mandates new safety regulations for kennels and training requirements for animal control officers, has resulted in increased responsibilities, he said.

“It’s harder and harder to find people who are qualified to be an [animal control officer],” said Chris Brittain, the Lee town administrator. And because of the current pay structure for animal control officers, “most of these people have to work another job” to supplement their income, he said.

A space behind the Lee kennel has been cleared, with a proposal to utilize it as fenced-in outdoor space for dogs picked up by animal control in the towns of Lee, Lenox, Otis, Becket, Stockbridge, West Stockbridge, Richmond, Alford and Tyringham.

All nine towns currently rely on a single kennel in Lee to house runaway pets and stray animals, which Brittain said is due for a major renovation in fiscal 2027. The proposed budget for the regional animal control program includes funding for kennel maintenance.

“It’s simply a very good idea that the towns get together,” said Drake. He added that improvements to the Lee kennel, originally built in the 1950s, would be one of the regional program’s main benefits.

Animal control officers are in favor of a plan that would create a regionalized animal control program that serves Lee, Lenox, Otis, Becket, Stockbridge, West Stockbridge, Richmond, Alford and Tyringham. All those towns rely on the kennel in Lee, which would be upgraded as part of a regionalization plan.

For the regional program to officially take effect, towns will need to enter into an inter-municipal agreement yet to be drafted. Notably, Canales’ plan proposes that towns that do not agree to contribute to the program will forfeit access to the Lee kennel.

“I believe that it's time that animal control is treated as a professional item,” Canales said. “You don't know when a dog incident, animal incident is going to happen. You basically want [animal control] available 24/7.”