Receive presentation, approve Animal Services transition framework and Animal Services Reserve Account policy; and direct staff to take necessary actions to address deferred maintenance needs. (No general fund impact) (Pinedo/Tengolics/Rowe)

Background

Animal Services in Yolo County is provided under the authority of the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office. The mandated service area of the Animal Services division is the unincorporated area of Yolo County, but the Sheriff’s Office also contracts with UC Davis and the cities of Davis, West Sacramento, Winters, and Woodland for the provision of services to those jurisdictions.

On February 25th, 2020, Yolo County and the Cities of Davis, Winters, and Woodland formed the Yolo Animal Services Planning Agency Joint Powers Authority (JPA). The purpose of this body was to function as a planning JPA which would explore new options for Animal Services in Yolo County and potentially develop an operational JPA to take over the provision of Animal Services.

Due to numerous factors, including disruptions from COVID-19, the effort to review and adjust Animal Services operations were delayed over the next three years and in that time operational challenges began to emerge. On December 6, 2022, on staff’s recommendation, the Board of Supervisors directed the County Administrator’s Office (CAO) to “develop plans for the transition of Animal Services from the Yolo County Sheriff's Office to the County Administrator's Office,” with the intention being that the CAO would take responsibility for Animal Services, devote its staff and resources to address operational concerns, strengthen key relationships with UC Davis and city partners, and then determine a permanent placement for the division. Staff is recommending that Animal Services Management transitions to CAO, reporting to the CAO and/or designee, with Animal Services Operations such as dispatch, patrol, and other functions that are closely linked to the Sheriff’s infrastructure, temporarily remaining within the Sheriff’s Office for the time being to avoid unnecessary costs and operational inefficiencies.  Animal Services and Management would then subsequently transition to a permanent placement. The Sheriff’s Office is supportive of this approach; and the CAO commits to continuing the partnership and close collaboration with the Sheriff throughout the entire process.

Proposed Framework

The CAO is proposing the following framework to guide the transition process:

1) Animal Services Management will transition to CAO, reporting to the CAO and/or designee, with Animal Services Operations such as dispatch, patrol, and other functions that are closely linked to the Sheriff’s infrastructure, temporarily remaining with the Sheriff’s Office during the interim period.  Once a final plan is presented and approved by the Board of Supervisors, then Animal Services Management and Operations will transfer concurrently to a permanent placement.
2) In the immediate term CAO staff will focus on successor Animal Service agreements with the cities and UC Davis, a successor agreement with UC Davis for veterinary services, and addressing immediate deferred maintenance needs at the animal shelter that are impacting operations. After those items are addressed, staff will analyze available options for the final disposition and operation of Animal Services, which may include operating as a standalone department, transitioning to an existing department, or augmenting the existing JPA.
3) It is anticipated that the entire transition process will be completed within a timeframe of 6 to 18 months.  The CAO recognizes that time is of the essence and shall treat this transition as a very high priority.
4) This transition process will focus on operational issues and will be separate from ongoing discussions regarding a new animal shelter. The CAO recognizes that the facilities issues are also of utmost importance, and the objective will be to develop options for Board consideration in the near future.

Animal Services Comparative Survey

To provide a comparative context, CAO staff conducted a brief survey and analysis of Animal Services operational costs from similar and/or neighboring jurisdictions (Att. C.). Staff reviewed publicly available documents and data from multiple nearby jurisdictions; all figures reflect the most recent data provided by the jurisdictions listed in the survey.

The goal of this analysis was to determine if there were any notable budgetary or FTE differences between the County’s Animal Services program and selected peers. The findings of the analysis show that among the selected jurisdictions Yolo County maintains both below-average and at-median per capita expenditures and comparable service offerings despite operating with fewer FTEs than peer jurisdictions.

Animal Shelter Deferred Maintenance

The Yolo County Animal Shelter buildings were initially constructed in the 1970s and it is widely agreed that the facility needs significant renovations or outright replacement. However, discussions regarding updating or replacing the Shelter have been ongoing for more than a decade, with no final decisions being reached regarding a location, architectural plans, or funding. While these discussions have continued, the facilities maintenance needs have grown resulting in the current backlog for various reasons.

On February 8th, 2023, CAO, General Services, and Animal Services staff completed a facility walkthrough of the Yolo County Animal Shelter and assessed the facility conditions. A list of identified maintenance and facility concerns can be found in Attachment B, along with known cost estimates and a priority ranking for addressing the items. Some work, such as the replacement of the roof and gutters, is already planned to be completed this year. Staff is seeking approval to begin addressing the remaining needs, along with any direction the Board would like to provide regarding the prioritization of these facility issues.

Animal Services Reserve Account Policy

Whenever the Animal Services division finds itself with a budget surplus, typically as the result of unanticipated underspending on contracts or other budgetary items, the funds are placed into what is referred to as the Animal Services Reserve Account (“Reserve Account”). These funds have been used in the past to procure necessary equipment for Animal Services operations that are not otherwise budgeted. Some examples include the purchase of a new AC Unit for the Cat Annex and a new forklift to aid shelter staff with the movement of supplies.

To date, there is no official policy guiding the usage of these funds, and Staff is seeking approval of a new policy (Att. A). This policy was developed by the CAO in collaboration with Animal Services, the Department of Financial Services, and the Sheriff’s Office. Feedback was also solicited from the cities and UC Davis. As proposed, the policy provides opportunity for the jurisdictions to provide their input regarding future usage of the funds, and their written support of or objections to proposed expenditures will be presented alongside any requests for usage of Reserve Account funds.

The current Reserve fund balance is estimated to be in the range of $930,000 at the end of FY23. Per the policy, the Reserve Fund will maintain a reserve not to exceed 10% of annual operational expenditures. Staff anticipates utilizing the remaining portion (approximately $600,000) to cover costs associated with identified deferred maintenance needs. In addition to deferred maintenance, there are additional capital improvements such as space planning/optimization and dog kennel replacement that will likely be needed but are not immediate needs.

Current Actions and Next Steps

With Board approval, CAO will focus its efforts as follows:

Staff will update the Board as these items progress.

The County Administrator is working directly with the Sheriff's Office and communicating regularly with local city and UC Davis representatives regarding the transition.