Regular-General Government # 35.
Board of Supervisors
County Administrator
- Meeting Date:
- 02/10/2026
- Brief Title
- Yolo Animal Services Planning Agency JPA Governance Models Analysis
From:
Michael Webb, County Administrator, County Administrator's Office
Staff Contact:
Yen Nguyen, Associate Management Analyst, County Administrator's Office, x5776
Supervisorial District Impact:
Countywide
Subject
Receive presentation on joint powers authority (JPA) governance models for animal services and provide direction on potential next steps. (No general fund impact) (Webb/Tengolics/Nguyen) (Est. Staff Presentation: 10 mins)
Recommended Action
Receive presentation on joint powers authority (JPA) governance models for animal services and provide direction on potential next steps.
Strategic Plan Goal(s)
.png) |
Thriving Residents |
.png) |
Collaborative Community |
.png) |
Operational Excellence |
 |
County Mandated Service |
Reason for Recommended Action/Background
At the May 20, 2025 Yolo County Board of Supervisors meeting, staff provided an update on the Yolo Animal Services Planning Agency Joint Powers Agency (YCASPA JPA), and reviewed examples of Joint Powers Agency (JPA) governance models for consideration. The Board of Supervisors directed the County Administrator’s Office (CAO) to complete an analysis of potential governance models for the YCASPA JPA. The goal of this presentation is to provide the Board with insight and assist with deliberations in potential models that meets public expectations, limits public costs, and maintains positive outcomes for the animals within Yolo County. The analysis provides the foundation for understanding the historical formation of the YCASPA JPA, including previous efforts to determine if alternative governance models could be more cost effective, such as the 2012 Yolo County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) study of animal services, completed by the Animal Protection League, and the 2013 LAFCo study to determine a method of providing animal services, completed with the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program (UCD KSMP). The analysis highlights how transitioning the current Planning JPA to a different model could present opportunities to engage in shared governance in order to improve outcomes.
Overview of Animal Care and Control
In California, legislative mandates require cities and counties to provide certain animal control services. The main requirements include an animal shelter for stray animals, enforcement of animal laws, rabies control and licensing, and the spaying or neutering of animals prior to adoption placement. The County, through the Animal Services Division, currently provides animal sheltering and control via contracts with the jurisdictions of Woodland, Davis, West Sacramento, Winters, and the UC Davis campus, as well as the unincorporated areas of Yolo County. Sheltering services include animal sheltering, pet adoptions, lost & found, pet licensing, Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) surgical services, low-cost vaccination clinics, and volunteer/foster opportunities. Field services provide the law enforcement, nuisance abatement and primary public health/rabies control aspects of an animal control and sheltering program. All services other than the state-mandated rabies control program are provided by the Yolo County Animal Services program on a fee-for-service contractual basis. Below are links to current agreements between the County and local jurisdictions, which expire in June 2026:
Overview of Animal Care and Control
In California, legislative mandates require cities and counties to provide certain animal control services. The main requirements include an animal shelter for stray animals, enforcement of animal laws, rabies control and licensing, and the spaying or neutering of animals prior to adoption placement. The County, through the Animal Services Division, currently provides animal sheltering and control via contracts with the jurisdictions of Woodland, Davis, West Sacramento, Winters, and the UC Davis campus, as well as the unincorporated areas of Yolo County. Sheltering services include animal sheltering, pet adoptions, lost & found, pet licensing, Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) surgical services, low-cost vaccination clinics, and volunteer/foster opportunities. Field services provide the law enforcement, nuisance abatement and primary public health/rabies control aspects of an animal control and sheltering program. All services other than the state-mandated rabies control program are provided by the Yolo County Animal Services program on a fee-for-service contractual basis. Below are links to current agreements between the County and local jurisdictions, which expire in June 2026:
- UC Davis $68,721* per year
- City of West Sacramento $949,029* per year
- City of Davis $604,576* per year
- City of Winters $86,068* per year
- City of Woodland $1,184,000* per year
*less any licensing/fee revenues received during the service period
Yolo County covers the portion of costs associated with animal services provided to the unincorporated areas of the County. The total budget for animal control services for FY 2024-25 was $5 million, with a net county cost of $1.3 million. Below are the Animal Service Calls statistics for FY 2024-25 to illustrate the service demands and cost associated with County contracted services delivered to the jurisdictions.
Yolo County covers the portion of costs associated with animal services provided to the unincorporated areas of the County. The total budget for animal control services for FY 2024-25 was $5 million, with a net county cost of $1.3 million. Below are the Animal Service Calls statistics for FY 2024-25 to illustrate the service demands and cost associated with County contracted services delivered to the jurisdictions.
| Calls for Service FY 24/25* | |
| County of Yolo | 1,668 |
| Davis | 1,064 |
| UC Davis | 178 |
| West Sacramento | 2,674 |
| Winters | 279 |
| Woodland | 2,890 |
| No Response Area | 399 |
| Total | 9,161 |
In determining the cost effectiveness of the County's animal services operations, staff completed a comparative analysis of operational costs from similar/neighboring jurisdictions. The analysis show that Yolo County’s spending is in line with the median budgeted for animal services, however, a jurisdiction’s organizational structure may affect per capita costs.
| Jurisdiction | Annual Budget (FY2025) | Population Served | Area Served (sq mi) | Per Capita Costs | Median Household Income | FTEs |
| Yolo County | $5,032,358.00 | 225,251 | 1015 | $22.34 | $88,818.00 | 22 |
| City of Sacramento | $9,233,229.00 | 520,407 | 99 | $17.74 | $80,254.00 | 63 |
| Sacramento County (unincorporated areas of Sacramento County and the Cities of Citrus Heights and Galt) | $21,641,015.00 | 718,000 | 735 | $30.14 | $88,724.00 | 67 |
| San Luis Obispo County | $5,333,160.00 | 278,348 | 3299 | $19.16 | $90,216.00 | 24.5 |
| El Dorado County | $4,741,787.00 | 192,823 | 1708 | $24.59 | $106,190.00 | 18 |
| Solano County (animal control for unincorporated Solano County and the City of Vallejo & excludes sheltering for Vallejo’s impounded animals) | $6,611,941.00 | 455,101 | 822 | $14.53 | $99,994.00 | 29 |
| Santa Cruz County JPA | $6,403,261.00 | 262,572 | 445 | $24.39 | $109,266.00 | 31 |
| City of Lodi* | $958,810.00 | 66,509 | 14 | $14.42 | $78,468.00 | 4 |
| City of Rancho Cordova (does not operate a shelter) | $914,988.00 | 81,117 | 35 | $11.28 | $77,044.00 | 3 |
| Average | $6,763,394.33 | 311,125 | 908 | $19.84 | $90,997.11 | |
| Median | $5,333,160.00 | 262,572 | 735 | $19.16 | $88,818.00 |
*The City of Lodi FY 2025 budget does not include the $4 million towards an estimated $13 million for the replacement of the animal shelter set to open in March 2026.
Potential Models for Animal Care and Control Services
The benefits of an operational JPA potentially include reduced administrative overhead, streamlined services, and increased collaboration between each jurisdiction. Below is a chart of potential governance options for animal services, where the JPA board would be operational and the governing body for animal services:
Potential Models for Animal Care and Control Services
The benefits of an operational JPA potentially include reduced administrative overhead, streamlined services, and increased collaboration between each jurisdiction. Below is a chart of potential governance options for animal services, where the JPA board would be operational and the governing body for animal services:
| Model | Details/Features | Examples |
| Status Quo | Each jurisdiction contracts with the County to provide sheltering and field services, and may dissolve the planning JPA. County staff meet with partner cities for periodic financial reporting and may incorporate suggestions from partner cities in its operations, at the County’s discretion and budget permitting. |
|
| JPA contract with County | The JPA contracts with Yolo County for both sheltering and field services with a sheltering facility and animal control staff already in place. |
|
| Self-Sufficient JPA | The JPA would be responsible for administering the entire animal services program, hiring employees, and providing services to all participating jurisdictions. |
|
| JPA contract with Non-Profit | The JPA contracts with a non-profit (or for-profit) organization to provide animal services, and the JPA would have little or no staff. |
|
| Hybrid Model | The JPA contracts with various service providers, which may include the County, non-profits, private organizations, and UC Davis. |
|
Request for Information
To determine the feasibility of contracting with a private, non-profit organization, the County issued an Request for Information (RFI) on August 25, 2025 to capture current potential providers in the region to better understand the services offered. The County received four (4) total submissions by November 30, 2025. And on December 30, 2025, the CAO received a Letter of Interest from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in response to the issued RFI.
| Respondent | Details |
| Best Friends Animal Society | Seeking to partner with YCAS and is unable to provide sheltering and field services. |
| Animal Community Alliance | Proposal states that they can provide sheltering, licensing, and veterinarian services within a 90-day timeframe of signing a contract. |
| Jenee Rawlings | Provided input regarding operational efficiencies and community engagement. |
| Unleashing the Possibilities | Provided draft proposal for an Adoption Education Center. |
| UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine | Expressed interest in providing limited clinical services, such as spay/neuter. |
Findings
Here are some of the key findings from the analysis:
- The per capita cost of Yolo County’s animal services operation is in line with the per capita costs of local jurisdictions, including those with an operational JPA and private, non-profit partners.
- There are currently limited operational capacity for non-profit organizations interested in partnering with the County in providing animal services.
- An operational JPA may better enable collective governance and decision-making and foster greater engagement and responsiveness to issues related to animal services in partner jurisdictions as each jurisdiction could control the cost and level of services provided. However, a potential disadvantage of forming an operational JPA include diminished autonomy and control by individual member agencies.
- If the JPA does not move forward, YCAS should prioritize improving partnerships with jurisdictions in order to create more collaboration within the existing service model.
If the Board is interested in pursuing an operational JPA model for animal services, the most expeditious approach would be for an operational JPA to contract with the County for continuity of services due to the current capacity of private, non-profit organizations. This option would also likely have lower start-up costs than other models and would not preclude the possibility of other JPA models being considered in the future.
Next Steps
CAO staff intend to present this analysis, along with any direction from the Board of Supervisors, to the YCASPA JPA at its February 18, 2026 meeting to capture the feedback and concerns of individual member agencies and the community. All participating jurisdictions will need to have a high level of commitment to an operational JPA for it to be successful, should the planning JPA transition. Staff will report back to the Board on the outcome of any YCASPA JPA deliberations. Regardless of whether the Board determines to move forward with an operational JPA, CAO and YCAS staff will follow up with the RFI respondents to explore the potential for future collaborative opportunities.
Finally, YCAS staff intend to return to the Board in March to provide an update on YCAS operations and process improvement efforts.
Next Steps
CAO staff intend to present this analysis, along with any direction from the Board of Supervisors, to the YCASPA JPA at its February 18, 2026 meeting to capture the feedback and concerns of individual member agencies and the community. All participating jurisdictions will need to have a high level of commitment to an operational JPA for it to be successful, should the planning JPA transition. Staff will report back to the Board on the outcome of any YCASPA JPA deliberations. Regardless of whether the Board determines to move forward with an operational JPA, CAO and YCAS staff will follow up with the RFI respondents to explore the potential for future collaborative opportunities.
Finally, YCAS staff intend to return to the Board in March to provide an update on YCAS operations and process improvement efforts.
Collaborations (including Board advisory groups and external partner agencies)
County Counsel
Department of Community Services
Department of Community Services
Attachments
Form Review
| Inbox | Reviewed By | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Yen Nguyen (Originator) | Yen Nguyen | 02/02/2026 05:52 PM |
| Mark Bryan | Mark Bryan | 02/03/2026 09:32 AM |
| County Counsel | Phil Pogledich | 02/05/2026 12:15 PM |
| Michael Webb | Michael Webb | 02/05/2026 01:01 PM |
| Cindy Perez | Cindy Perez | 02/05/2026 01:26 PM |
| Yen Nguyen (Originator) | Yen Nguyen | 02/05/2026 03:55 PM |
| Cindy Perez | Cindy Perez | 02/05/2026 04:22 PM |
| Cindy Perez | Mark Bryan | 02/05/2026 04:33 PM |
- Form Started By:
- Yen Nguyen
- Started On:
- 10/21/2025 02:13 PM
- Final Approval Date:
- 02/05/2026