Overview
- The FY2027 city budget approved Tuesday directs $1.5 million total, split into $750,000 for expanded free and low-cost spay-and-neuter services and $750,000 to launch a yearlong pet-food pantry pilot.
- Of the pantry money, $250,000 is routed to the Department of Social Services while the remaining funds sit in City Council discretionary accounts and must be apportioned to nonprofit providers.
- Flatbush Cats is reported to receive a $500,000 baseline grant to serve as a primary provider of the subsidized spay-and-neuter services funded by the budget.
- Advocates and groups such as the ASPCA welcomed the new funding as a step to prevent owner surrenders but said the $1.5 million is only a fraction of the larger sums they originally requested.
- The city says the investments target high shelter intake and the risk of owner surrenders; the next key steps are council decisions on which organizations will run pantry sites, the rollout schedule, and eligibility rules for pet owners.