Fred Warchol: Why isn’t Atwater using local veterinary service?

“You Can Get It Here.” That’s the motto used by the Atwater Chamber of Commerce to encourage residents to patronize small, local businesses. Many of them struggle to survive. Supporting local business is crucial, because buying locally keeps jobs and tax dollars here – where they belong.

The city of Atwater has teamed with the Atwater Community Cat Network and assumed most of the costs to capture the numerous feral cats roaming the streets, and transport them to the Monte Vista Animal Hospital in Turlock for spaying and neutering.

Unless city officials have a new motto – “You can find it in Turlock” – the city needs to spend those Atwater dollars in Atwater. That money would better be spent at our own Atwater Veterinary Clinic. This new, state-of-the-art facility has communicated to city officials its readiness to provide service, if given the chance. The Atwater City Council should direct the city manager to start returning our local veterinarian’s inquires and negotiate a money-saving agreement that benefits our community.

City Hall’s motto should be: If you can find it here, you should buy it here!

This story was originally published April 13, 2015 at 1:55 PM with the headline "Fred Warchol: Why isn’t Atwater using local veterinary service?."