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Motion Expected For Falconer Woman Hoping To Keep Cats

FALCONER – A village woman hoping to keep her rescue animals may have to wait for a New Year’s resolution.

Brenda Goodwill returned with her attorney to Ellicott Town Court on Tuesday, the latest in a months-long process that has seen dozens of village residents come to her support. Goodwill was hoping to receive an answer from Town Justice Marilyn Gerace whether she’d be granted permission to keep more than two dogs and two cats inside her Park Avenue home.

The village woman is known locally for helping to find rescue cats new homes. She also traps feral animals and has many spayed or neutered before finding them their “forever homes.”

The entire process means Goodwill sometimes has up to 17 cats inside her home. This caught the attention of the village, which issued Goodwill a summons in June for violating village code on harboring animals.

“These cats are my life. They’re my babies,” Goodwill said in July. “I could never give them up. I’ll stop getting more, if that’s what they want, but I don’t think I could ever give them up.”

The Falconer Village Board reviewed Goodwill’s request for a special use permit allowing her to keep more animals, but denied it during a meeting Aug. 12.

On Tuesday, Goodwill’s attorney, Scott Humble, again met with Gerace and village attorney Greg Peterson after the trio held a conference in mid-August. At that meeting, Gerace said she wanted both sides to “research some different things.”

The three met for more than an hour in Gerace’s chambers on Tuesday. In the courtroom, Goodwill came armed with a dozen supporters as well as a change.org petition signed by more than 1,400 people from as far away as Austria.

After their meeting, Gerace said Humble had until Oct. 22 to file a motion with the court. It wasn’t made public what that motion would entail, and afterward Humble said he couldn’t discuss its details.

Gerace said the village would have until Nov. 19 to respond to any motion filed on behalf of Goodwill, with a response to that response required by Dec. 3.

Court was adjourned on the matter until Tuesday, Dec. 10, at 6:30 p.m.

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