REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: ALMA TORRES, Interim Director
Animal Center Department
BY: MAIRA AGUILAR, Business Manager
Animal Center Department
SUBJECT
Title
***RESOLUTION - Adopting the 582nd amendment to the Master Fee Schedule No. 80-420 to establish the new Animal Center Department Section, adjust various fees, and establish new fees (Subject to Mayor’s Veto)
Body
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended the City Council approve the resolution adopting the 582nd amendment to the Master Fee Schedule No. 80-420 to establish the new Animal Center Department Section, adjust various fees, and establish new fees
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Fees related to animals have not been revised or updated since May 1, 2010. These existing fees do not account for the insourcing of animal control duties by the city and the respective accounting for city salaries, materials and fees paid to vendors. Through approval of these actions, the Council will establish a fee schedule with new and existing fees that align with current trends and costs in the new Animal Center Department section of the Master Fee Schedule.
BACKGROUND
Historically, animal control duties have been outsourced to vendors, however, in September of 2023, Council approved the creation of the Animal Center Department (Department) and in-house operations began on December 1, 2023. Due to insourcing the mandated animal control operation, the Department is proposing various revisions to animal related fees, as well as the addition of several new fees. The Department proposes the following:
• Establishing an Animal Center Department section of the Master Fee Schedule: The Department is proposing moving animal control related fees out of the General Government Fee section of the Master Fee Schedule, into a new Animal Center Department section. The proposed move is due to the fact that operations are no longer being outsourced and are instead, being performed by the Animal Center Department.
• Deleting Outdated Fees: The Animal Center Department is also proposing the deletion of four outdated and/or unused fees:
o The 3-year license fee option for unaltered dogs aged 4 months or older
o The concurrent license fee
o The final inspection fee
o The other government/per dog fee
• Add Eight (8) New Fees: The following are the new fees being proposed:
o Breeding Permit fee, which is in response to Ordinance 2024-26 adopted by Council on 08/29/2024 which aims to regulate the breeding and transfer of dogs and cats in the City.
o Health Certificate fee allows for cost recovery to provide health certificates for animals that will be transferred to adoption partners located outside of the state of California as required by the receiving states and/or the United States Department of Agriculture.
• Additional fees are proposed as a range to allow the Department the flexibility to provide these services at low or no cost price points. These subsidies are offered when there is funding availability via grants and donations or through Department approved appropriations that increase responsible pet ownership and reduces the intake of animals in the shelter as a public benefit.
o Microchip fee allows for the implantation of these mini devices that store information about an animal owner to quickly reunite lost animals with their owner.
o Sterilization Surgery fee allows for the medical procedure that will permanently sterilize animals and prevent them from reproducing and reducing the population of unwanted animals in the city.
o Sterilization Surgery Deposit, this fee is in alignment with the sterilization fee and is being used as a conduit to reduce the amount of no shows to the limited sterilization appointments. The deposit will be applied to the services received but is not refundable when there is a no show.
o Owner Requested Euthanasia to allow for the public service of medically or behaviorally necessary euthanasia as the best and most affordable outcome for the animal.
o Adoption Deposit fee to increase the opportunity for a live outcome for animals in the shelter. This fee allows an interested party to provide a deposit for an animal that has not served its mandated hold time and ensures that when and if the animal is available, they can proceed with adoption. Deposits will be applied to the adoption fee or refunded when the transaction is completed. It is not refundable if the adoption is not completed.
o Adoption fee to recover a portion of the cost to care for an animal that enters our Center as well as generate marketing interest.
Increase Existing Fees: In addition, the Department is proposing to increase five (5) existing fees:
o Animal Resource Officers Services,
o Per Day Boarding (Dogs/Cats),
o Per Day Boarding /Per Animal (Horses/Livestock),
o Trailer Fee/per haul
o Public Owned Animal Vaccines fee
The current fees are not aligned with the increase in labor and material costs of an in-house operation. Additionally, since the Center is not equipped to house horses and larger livestock, the Center will have to outsource some of the services related to livestock.
The establishment of these fees will allow for full or partial cost recovery for services, however, the Department will remain committed to eliminating barriers, and increasing education, to responsible pet ownership by waiving or reducing fees when it is the best outcome for the animals or the best use of services to the community as approved by the City Manager or their designee.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
By the definition provided in the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines Section15378 this item does not qualify as a "project."
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference was not implemented as this does not involve this or award of a construction or services contract.
FISCAL IMPACT
Approval of the proposed fees will provide authority to the Animal Center to charge for services, thereby adding to the General Fund.
Attachments:
582 MFS Amendment Resolution & Exhibit A
582 MFS Amendment Exhibit B