Ridgewood’s proposed two-year TYCO contract would cost $71,400, while budget discussions will determine whether the village also considers a trained Border Collie and handler for goose control. The village has had preliminary conversations with the school district but has not begun looking for a dog handler, according to TAPinto Ridgewood’s report on the council work session.
The budget discussions include a proposed two-year TYCO agreement running from January 1, 2027, through December 31, 2028, at a total cost of $71,400. TAPinto reported that the annual charges would be $30,700 for animal control and $5,000 for waterfowl management—$1,500 more per year than the village paid in 2026, with the waterfowl fee unchanged.
Geese at Veterans Field were part of the discussion about whether to add another approach. Village Manager Keith Kazmark said TYCO has served Ridgewood for more than 17 years and that geese have become accustomed to the contractor’s schedule. Pamela Perron said she values TYCO’s work but continues to see geese at the field, according to TAPinto.
One possibility raised was for a village or school-district employee to work with a trained dog during the day and keep it at home afterward. Kazmark cited his experience in Parsippany, where a parks supervisor had a Border Collie with him through the workday for goose hazing. The village and school district might share expenses such as food and veterinary care; Perron also raised the question of who would care for the dog if its handler went on vacation, TAPinto reported.
Context on the proposed approach
Colorado Parks and Wildlife says trained Border Collies with skilled handlers have deterred geese at properties when the method is used consistently and allowed. The agency cautions against trying it with an ordinary pet; its guidance applies to Colorado and does not establish New Jersey requirements, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Federal permitting for nonlethal hazing
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lists dogs among nonlethal measures for addressing bird damage and says a federal depredation permit is not needed simply to harass or scare birds, except eagles and federally listed threatened or endangered species. That guidance addresses federal permitting; it does not establish whether separate New Jersey or local requirements apply.
A Ridgewood Village Council agenda from July 2024 records a TYCO contract covering July 1 through December 31 of that year, with $14,000 for animal control and $2,500 for waterfowl management. The agenda lists those amounts in its contract award entry.
What the public records establish
Village Council work-session minutes show that the previous TYCO agreement covered 2025 and 2026, with annual totals of $33,600 and $34,200, including $5,000 per year for waterfowl management, according to the Village of Ridgewood. Compared with the reported $35,700 in proposed annual charges for 2027 and 2028, the records show the contract amount rising over those terms. Separate Village Council work-session minutes state that Veterans Field is Village-owned. The Ridgewood records cited here document TYCO agreements and the field’s ownership, but do not establish whether other New Jersey municipalities have used trained dogs or describe their program arrangements.
