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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 04/17/1989For Agenda Item No. Dated: April 17, 1989 STAFF TO BE CONTACTED Dennis DeWitt, Chief of Police REQUESTED COUNCIL ACTION Approve RFP concept to research alternatitives to providing Animal Control Services. RECOMMENDATION Recommend approval of action BACKGROUND See attached report ALTERNATIVES Continue as we are CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ACTING Possible increased expense to the City over the long range. ACTION FOLLOWING ADOPTION Staff will prepare RFP and a recommendation report PETALUMA POLICE DEPARTMENT Memorandum April 12, 1989 TO: Dennis DeWitt, Chief of Police FROM: Patrick T. Parks, Captain SUBJECT: ALTERNATIVE DELIVERY OF ANIMAL CONTROL SERVICES The purpose of this report is to update you as to the status of our Animal Control Center and to examine possible solutions to problems currently being experienced at the center. This report addresses the City Councils goal of examining alternative means of animal control service delivery. The report recommends that proposals for alternative service providers be sought prior to implementing any major changes at the Animal Control Center. The Petaluma Animal Control Center is a full service provider of Animal Control Services to the City of Petaluma. The center falls under the supervision of the Administrative Services Division of the Police Department. Services provided at the Animal Control Center include: Shelter of stray animals, adoption services, criminal investigation of animal related complaints, trapping wild animals, caring for sick or injured animals, disposal of animal carcasses, quarantine of animals involved in bite incidents and generally responding to calls concerning domestic and wild animals. Employees at the animal control center clean kennels, patrol city streets, respond to calls, euthanize animals that cannot be'placed in a home and handle all animal control licensing for the City of Petaluma. The Petaluma Animal Control Center also houses animals that are picked up in the City of Cotati under a contractual agreement. The Petaluma center is generally respected by other area animal control centers as an agency that is professional and effective. While the Petaluma Animal Control Center generally has a good reputation in the County of Sonoma, it is not an agency without its problems. As the population of Petaluma has grown, so has its population of domestic animals. As the developed areas of the city have encroached on local pastures and woodlands wild animals displaced by loss of habitat have also created additional work- load for Animal Control Staff. The Animal control facility is operating near functional capacity and in need of repair and enlargement. Attracting and keeping qualified animal control personnel has been a problem primarily due to general working conditions and the necessity to euthanize animals that are sick or cannot be placed in homes. Animal control is currently working short staffed due to one vacancy that the Police Department has had difficulty filling and the stress disability of one employee. Problems at the Animal Control Center are not a new phenomenon. In past years stress disability, low moral, and employee turnover have occurred sporadically at the center. Workload demands created by these problems are often shifted directly to patrol officers at the Police department, causing an additional strain on emergency response personnel. Needless to say, Animal Control TO: Dennis DeWitt, Chief of Police April 12, 1989 RE: ALTERNATIVE DELIVERY OF ANIMAL CONTROL SERVICES PAGE Two related duties are not popular with most Police Officers who are not dressed, trained, or equipped to handle many animal related calls. Given the past and current problems at the Animal Control Center, as we 11. -as the strain of handling Animal Control Services on the Police Department, the time to search for a long range solution to Animal Control Services has arrived. Prior to adding personnel to animal control and the construction of a proposed 1.5 million dollar new facility (or the addition of office space at the center as a temporary solution) the City must first examine its commitment to maintaining its own Animal Control Center. An examination of Animal Control priorities and researching alternative delivery systems, at this time, may prove very useful to current budget planning and long range financial planning. The primary area that should be studied as a result of this report is the contracting out of all or part of Petaluma animal control services to an outside provider. Many cities such as Santa Rosa, Novato and San Rafael currently contract with the Humane Society for these services. Rohnert Park contracts with the Humane Society to run their shelter. Contracting out all or part of the City of Petaluma's animal control services may actually save the city money in the long run with little, if any, loss of service to the community. There are two providers in our area who are interested in bidding on services for the City of Petaluma. These agencies are Sonoma County Animal Control and the Sonoma County Humane Society. Representatives from both agencies have been contacted and have expressed genuine interest in contracting with the City of Petaluma to provide animal control services. In conclusion it is apparent that, while the Petaluma Animal Control Center has provided excellent service to the City in the past, the ability of the center to continue this level of services to the community will be directly proportional to the financial commitment the City is willing to make to animal control. Given problems of City growth, employee turnover, disability, and the need for a new facility the financial commitment will be substantial. Under present circumstances and based on the experiences of other cities, it makes good business sense to look at alternative providers for animal control services for the City of Petaluma. RECOMMENDATION - A Request For Proposal should be drawn up by representatives of the Personnel Department, the Police Department and City Attorney's Office to solicit bids for providing Animal Control Services to the City of Petaluma. Once these bids are received the Police Department will prepare a report to the City Council comparing costs and advantages of providing our own Animal Control Services vs. contracting with an outside provider. Various alternatives will be examined by the Police Department with recommendations made to the City Council by June 15, 1989. Patrick T. Parks, Captain Administrative Services Division Commander PTP:bem