Regular-General Government # 28.
Board of Supervisors
County Administrator
- Meeting Date:
- 01/23/2024
- Brief Title
- Animal Services - Transition Update
From:
Gerardo Pinedo, County Administrator, County Administrator's Office
Staff Contact:
Alexander Tengolics, Director of Strategic Operations, County Administrator's Office, x8068
Supervisorial District Impact:
Countywide
Subject
Receive update on Animal Services transition, approve amendment to Animal Services Planning Agency Joint Powers Authority agreement, and direct staff to proceed with transitioning Animal Services from the Sheriff’s Office to the Department of Community Services. (No general fund impact) (Pinedo/Tengolics) (Est. Time: 15 min)
Recommended Action
- Approve amendment to Animal Services Planning Agency Joint Powers Authority agreement;
- Direct staff to proceed with transitioning Animal Services from the Sheriff’s Office to the Department of Community Services; and
- Request the Animal Services Planning JPA to consider its collective interest in a shared governance model of Animal Services.
Strategic Plan Goal(s)
 |
Thriving Residents |
 |
Safe Communities |
Reason for Recommended Action/Background
Background
Animal Services in Yolo County is currently provided through the Yolo County Sheriff's Office. The mandated service area of the Animal Services division is the unincorporated area of Yolo County, and 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. In that time, operational challenges began to emerge. On December 6, 2022, on staff's recommendation, the Board of Supervisors (Board) 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, and then determine a permanent placement for the division.
In March 2023, staff returned to the Board with an update and a proposed framework for completing the previously approved transition. The framework proposed that, in the immediate term, staff would focus their efforts on addressing operational issues with the provision of animal services, including agreements with local jurisdictions, veterinary services, and deferred maintenance needs. Once those operational concerns were addressed, staff would make recommendations to the Board regarding a permanent placement for the Animal Services division. Staff previously updated the Board on progress in July 2023.
Status Update and Reporting Framework
This report includes status updates on contractual agreements with local jurisdictions for the provision of animal services within their incorporated areas, veterinary services at the animal shelter, deferred shelter maintenance, and the transition of animal services. Each topic area will include a rating of Green, Yellow, or Red, with the following definitions for each status:
· Green – Progress is satisfactory, and the item is set to reach completion with no unanticipated delays or costs.
· Yellow – Progress is delayed or is subject to unanticipated obstacles that need to be addressed for timely completion.
· Red – The item is on hold until issues that are preventing progress have been addressed.
Agreements with Local Jurisdictions - Green
New agreements have been reached with all contracting jurisdictions. Pursuant to the agreements, a fee study for animal services will be conducted this fiscal year, and staff has begun work on a social media toolkit to enhance public engagement on animal services issues. Finally, while not a contractual obligation, staff is in the process of onboarding a third-party pet licensing vendor which will offer online pet licensing and renewal services which will reduce administrative burden and streamline the licensing process for pet owners.
Additionally, the City of West Sacramento approved joining the Animal Services Planning Agency JPA in November 2023. Two-thirds of the existing JPA members must affirm amending the JPA agreement to include West Sacramento. As such, staff recommends the Board approve the amendment (Att. A), which the other members' governing bodies will be considering in the coming weeks.
Veterinary Services - Green
The County recently hired a full-time permanent DVM for the Yolo County Animal Shelter and is in the process of filling three RVT vacancies, which will allow the shelter to resume higher volumes of spay/neuter surgeries and other procedures. Staff will continue to evaluate operational veterinary needs at the shelter going forward.
Yolo County also maintains an active partnership with UC Davis in regard to animal healthcare. The County's agreement with the UC Davis Veterinary Hospital for the provision of emergency services at its site in Davis remains active through June 30, 2024. Furthermore, the County was recently awarded $363,450 in grant funding from the Regents of the University of California Koret Shelter Medicine Program to support animal spay/neuter programs in Yolo County. $135,360 would be available for funding in-house surgeries (i.e., procedures completed at the Yolo County Animal Shelter), and $228,090 would support spay/neuter surgeries performed by partner clinics within the County. The funding would allow for significant short-term expansion of the availability of spay/neuter procedures within Yolo County and would aid the County in reducing the significant surgical backlog resulting from high post-pandemic demand.
Additionally, the County is close to finalizing a licensing agreement with the Yolo Spay Neuter Group, which would provide access to the vacant lot south of the Bauer Building at the Health and Human Services campus off Cottonwood Street. CAO staff continues to work with the City of Woodland to provide water/wastewater utilities and with General Services to address power needs.
Deferred Maintenance – Green
As part of the prior update on animal services in July 2023, the Board of Supervisors received a report on deferred maintenance items for the Animal Shelter. Since that last update, General Services staff have been developing project scopes, sourcing bids, and completing necessary repairs. An updated list with current project status is attached to this report (Att. B. Deferred Maintenance Update)
Transition – Green
With near-term operational matters having been addressed, staff believes it is an appropriate time to consider options for the permanent placement of Animal Services. At this time, staff is recommending that Animal Services transition to the Department of Community Services (DCS). DCS already engages in similar functions, such as Code Enforcement and Cannabis Code Enforcement, and has a robust administrative capability. No other internal department is as well suited to administer Animal Services going forward. The Sheriff's Office and DCS agree with this analysis and recommendation. Staff also considered a standalone Animal Services department, but overhead costs and administrative inefficiencies would likely result in cost increases both internally and externally to partner jurisdictions. Staff is sensitive to cost concerns from our partner jurisdictions and, as such, does not recommend this approach (conversely, staff anticipates the proposed internal transition to be cost-neutral). Staff recommends the Board direct staff to proceed with this transition of Animal Services from the Sheriff's Office to DCS with the understanding that the full transition would likely take around 12 months and that staff would return to the Board if at any time it is determined that such a transition is not feasible.
In parallel, staff also recommends the Board request the Animal Services Planning JPA (which is contemplated to soon consist of the County and all four cities) to formally consider its collective interest in a shared governance model of Animal Services. Such a model could allow for the JPA to directly contract with the County for Animal Services while the JPA could collectively make decisions related to desired service levels, the allocation of costs across jurisdictions, and funding strategies for a new shelter. Staff raised this concept at the January JPA meeting, to which the JPA requested additional information on the concept and that the County discuss it with the city managers. Staff believes the JPA is particularly well positioned to have this policy discussion as all cities will soon be represented. Following discussion at the JPA, which staff anticipates could occur within the next few months, staff can return to the Board with the JPA's feedback, and the Board could further deliberate on such a model.
Animal Services in Yolo County is currently provided through the Yolo County Sheriff's Office. The mandated service area of the Animal Services division is the unincorporated area of Yolo County, and 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. In that time, operational challenges began to emerge. On December 6, 2022, on staff's recommendation, the Board of Supervisors (Board) 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, and then determine a permanent placement for the division.
In March 2023, staff returned to the Board with an update and a proposed framework for completing the previously approved transition. The framework proposed that, in the immediate term, staff would focus their efforts on addressing operational issues with the provision of animal services, including agreements with local jurisdictions, veterinary services, and deferred maintenance needs. Once those operational concerns were addressed, staff would make recommendations to the Board regarding a permanent placement for the Animal Services division. Staff previously updated the Board on progress in July 2023.
Status Update and Reporting Framework
This report includes status updates on contractual agreements with local jurisdictions for the provision of animal services within their incorporated areas, veterinary services at the animal shelter, deferred shelter maintenance, and the transition of animal services. Each topic area will include a rating of Green, Yellow, or Red, with the following definitions for each status:
· Green – Progress is satisfactory, and the item is set to reach completion with no unanticipated delays or costs.
· Yellow – Progress is delayed or is subject to unanticipated obstacles that need to be addressed for timely completion.
· Red – The item is on hold until issues that are preventing progress have been addressed.
Agreements with Local Jurisdictions - Green
New agreements have been reached with all contracting jurisdictions. Pursuant to the agreements, a fee study for animal services will be conducted this fiscal year, and staff has begun work on a social media toolkit to enhance public engagement on animal services issues. Finally, while not a contractual obligation, staff is in the process of onboarding a third-party pet licensing vendor which will offer online pet licensing and renewal services which will reduce administrative burden and streamline the licensing process for pet owners.
Additionally, the City of West Sacramento approved joining the Animal Services Planning Agency JPA in November 2023. Two-thirds of the existing JPA members must affirm amending the JPA agreement to include West Sacramento. As such, staff recommends the Board approve the amendment (Att. A), which the other members' governing bodies will be considering in the coming weeks.
Veterinary Services - Green
The County recently hired a full-time permanent DVM for the Yolo County Animal Shelter and is in the process of filling three RVT vacancies, which will allow the shelter to resume higher volumes of spay/neuter surgeries and other procedures. Staff will continue to evaluate operational veterinary needs at the shelter going forward.
Yolo County also maintains an active partnership with UC Davis in regard to animal healthcare. The County's agreement with the UC Davis Veterinary Hospital for the provision of emergency services at its site in Davis remains active through June 30, 2024. Furthermore, the County was recently awarded $363,450 in grant funding from the Regents of the University of California Koret Shelter Medicine Program to support animal spay/neuter programs in Yolo County. $135,360 would be available for funding in-house surgeries (i.e., procedures completed at the Yolo County Animal Shelter), and $228,090 would support spay/neuter surgeries performed by partner clinics within the County. The funding would allow for significant short-term expansion of the availability of spay/neuter procedures within Yolo County and would aid the County in reducing the significant surgical backlog resulting from high post-pandemic demand.
Additionally, the County is close to finalizing a licensing agreement with the Yolo Spay Neuter Group, which would provide access to the vacant lot south of the Bauer Building at the Health and Human Services campus off Cottonwood Street. CAO staff continues to work with the City of Woodland to provide water/wastewater utilities and with General Services to address power needs.
Deferred Maintenance – Green
As part of the prior update on animal services in July 2023, the Board of Supervisors received a report on deferred maintenance items for the Animal Shelter. Since that last update, General Services staff have been developing project scopes, sourcing bids, and completing necessary repairs. An updated list with current project status is attached to this report (Att. B. Deferred Maintenance Update)
Transition – Green
With near-term operational matters having been addressed, staff believes it is an appropriate time to consider options for the permanent placement of Animal Services. At this time, staff is recommending that Animal Services transition to the Department of Community Services (DCS). DCS already engages in similar functions, such as Code Enforcement and Cannabis Code Enforcement, and has a robust administrative capability. No other internal department is as well suited to administer Animal Services going forward. The Sheriff's Office and DCS agree with this analysis and recommendation. Staff also considered a standalone Animal Services department, but overhead costs and administrative inefficiencies would likely result in cost increases both internally and externally to partner jurisdictions. Staff is sensitive to cost concerns from our partner jurisdictions and, as such, does not recommend this approach (conversely, staff anticipates the proposed internal transition to be cost-neutral). Staff recommends the Board direct staff to proceed with this transition of Animal Services from the Sheriff's Office to DCS with the understanding that the full transition would likely take around 12 months and that staff would return to the Board if at any time it is determined that such a transition is not feasible.
In parallel, staff also recommends the Board request the Animal Services Planning JPA (which is contemplated to soon consist of the County and all four cities) to formally consider its collective interest in a shared governance model of Animal Services. Such a model could allow for the JPA to directly contract with the County for Animal Services while the JPA could collectively make decisions related to desired service levels, the allocation of costs across jurisdictions, and funding strategies for a new shelter. Staff raised this concept at the January JPA meeting, to which the JPA requested additional information on the concept and that the County discuss it with the city managers. Staff believes the JPA is particularly well positioned to have this policy discussion as all cities will soon be represented. Following discussion at the JPA, which staff anticipates could occur within the next few months, staff can return to the Board with the JPA's feedback, and the Board could further deliberate on such a model.
Collaborations (including Board advisory groups and external partner agencies)
Animal Services
Sheriff's Office
Department of Community Services
Sheriff's Office
Department of Community Services
Fiscal Impact
No Fiscal Impact
Fiscal Impact (Expenditure)
- Total cost of recommended action:
- $
- Amount budgeted for expenditure:
- $
- Additional expenditure authority needed:
- $
- On-going commitment (annual cost):
- $
Source of Funds for this Expenditure
- General Fund
- $0
Attachments
Form Review
| Inbox | Reviewed By | Date |
|---|---|---|
| County Counsel | Phil Pogledich | 01/18/2024 02:15 PM |
| Mark Bryan | Mark Bryan | 01/18/2024 02:26 PM |
| Cindy Perez | Mark Bryan | 01/18/2024 02:57 PM |
- Form Started By:
- jrowe
- Started On:
- 10/11/2023 10:56 AM
- Final Approval Date:
- 01/18/2024