MONTEGO BAY, St James — There may soon be fewer stray cattle on the streets of Montego Bay as the St James Municipal Corporation is now taking applications for licences to operate an animal pound within parish limits.

Mayor of Montego Bay Richard Vernon explained the thinking behind the new approach.

“Nothing has changed in the legislation or municipality. The difference is in approach, a State-operated pound was tried before but proved unsuccessful. The [Pound] Act allows for private operators, and the corporation is now exploring this option as part of its strategic approach to city management,” he told the Jamaica Observer Wednesday.

Once received, applications will take about a month to be processed as the municipal authority moves to address what has been a long-standing problem.

“Pounds will be strategically located within municipal boundaries to maximise accessibility and enforcement. We believe outsourcing services such as pound operation will optimise city and municipal management,” said Vernon.

“Pound locations must be established within the parish as prescribed by the Pound Act. The exact sites will depend on the licensees selected, so specific locations cannot be confirmed at this stage,” he added.

While annual pound licences will each bring in $100,000 in revenue, Vernon stressed that it is not about the money.

“This is not a revenue-driven initiative, the focus is public order, safety, and management of roaming livestock and stray animals,” he said.

The municipal corporation has often been lambasted for its failure to address the issue of stray cattle in sections of Montego Bay. In April, Deputy Mayor Dwight Crawford vowed to personally visit owners of cattle that left mounds of faeces as they freely roamed the Fairview commercial area. However, as he conceded then, there is no pound in which animals seized could be held.

“This will help us to restore some level of safety to our streets and also to reduce the inconvenience that is associated with stray animals in the communities,” Vernon told the most recent meeting of the municipal corporation at which he announced that applications for licences would be open on May 18.

“We’ve heard the cries, we have received many calls and letters, persons asking what we are doing about the stray animal situation. This is our response and we are committed to ensuring that as soon as the persons who want to operate the pound have applied, we give the relevant support so that they can get them operational immediately, or as quickly as possible,” he added.

The Pound Act of 1897 (updated in 2004) gives local authorities the right to “grant a licence to a company registered under the Companies Act or any other persons to operate a pound”.

“The Keeping of Animals Act will reinforce pound operation and give operators more teeth to impound stray and unpermitted animals within the restricted area,” said the mayor.

Since 2012, when the one operated by the then St James Parish Council closed its doors, there has been no active animal pound within the municipality. While the issue of stray cattle often makes the headlines as they pose a danger to motorists, stray dogs are also a problem in many communities. The problem is not unique to St James and there had been a suggestion, in the past, that a number of parishes would take a joint approach in setting up a pound. Vernon explained why going that route was not possible.

“A regional pound would not be feasible, as the law requires pound operations to be conducted within the municipality,” he told the Observer.