1 MEMORANDUM
TO: Sarah Henry, Communications & Legislative Affairs Officer, City of Alameda FROM: John L. Lipp, FAAS CEO
RE: Budget Adjustment for FAAS Fee for Service Contract DATE: May 8, 2025
Thank you for the opportunity to submit this mid-year budget request to address the projected deficit of $267, 692 for the FY 24/25 budget.
As we shared previously, the contract is not keeping pace with the true costs for core, state-mandated Animal Care services. This is the result of several factors including:
• General Inflation and the need for additional animal care staffing.
• The increase in the number of incoming animals; strays and owner-surrenders. (Table A)
• Increasing costs of veterinary care.
• An aging and out-of-date facility, and the condition of the animals coming into the shelter; both behaviorally and medically.
Table A - Intake
July 2024 – March 2025 Total Animals = 759 Average Live Release Rate = 97.53%
Live Intake Adoptions Transfers
Returned to
Owner Euthanasia Died
TOTALS 759 521 97 172 20 17
Dogs 279 136 21 131 7 2
Cats 457 370 55 39 13 14
Other 23 15 21 2 0 1
Live Release Rate 97.53%
Exhibit 1
2 July 2023 – March 2024 Total Animals = 733 Average Live Release Rate = 96.55%
July 2022 – March 2023 Total Animals = 632 Average Live Release Rate = 96.47
Live Intake Adoptions Transfers
Returned to
Owner Euthanasia Died
TOTALS 733 564 28 107 25 17
Dogs 297 173 13 87 9 4
Cats 425 372 12 20 16 12
Other 11 19 3 0 0 1
Live Release Rate 96.55%
3 July 2021 – March 2022 Total Animals = 462 Average Live Release Rate = 96.09
Table B – City Contract YTD
Table B shows actual reimbursements to date. Through March 2025, we have billed actual costs (with no overhead as is typical in other government contracts) of $1,113,494 or 96% YTD of the available funds.
The biggest variable in managing an open-intake animal shelter is the number of animals coming in and their medical and behavior status. As a nonprofit, FAAS is able to be flexible in our staffing models, but we have a core responsibility to maintain public safety, meet community standards for outcomes, and provide hands-on care 7 days/week, 365 days/year.
Although we were able to reduce spending by not filling some vacant positions, the biggest expenses are for essential animal-care staffing and medical services.
FAAS fundraises and pay for additional positions including 50% of the CEO/Executive Director, the South Shore Adoptions/Outreach staff, the Healthy Pets/Healthy People staff that work closely with social services providers and address city priorities, as well as administrative and marketing/development positions.
In addition, FAAS pays for the Medical Director position.
SHELTER STATS
Live Intake Adoptions Transfers
Returned to
Owner Euthanasia Died
TOTALS 462 290 44 133 19 6
Dogs 183 76 10 101 10 0
C
ats 232 192 8 28 9 6
Other 47 22 26 4 0 0
Live Release Rate 96.09%
4 Table C shows the additional costs we anticipate occurring in Q4.
Salaries 210,000.00
Shelter Expenses 76,000.00
Occupancy 19,000.00
Insurance -
Professional Services 6,500.00
Operating/Admin -
TOTAL Q4 $311,500
$ Remaining $43,808
$ Requested $267, 692
Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter
FY24-25 PO 2500209
Budget E xpenses Total Exp Exp % Budget Balance
July August Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb March April May June Salaries & Wages 788,414$ 83,335.50$ 123,715.06$ 81,894.41$ 82,419.84$ 81,462.39$ 79,044.96$ 105,897.73$ 72,868.80$ 75,584.54$ 786,223.23$ 99.7% 2,190.77$ Shelter Expenses 246,257$ 18,794.89$ 26,241.73$ 31,209.31$ 36,288.30$ 30,578.29$ 25,691.06$ 28,892.07$ 24,572.62$ 26,848.49$ 249,116.76$ 101% (2,859.76)$ Occupancy 63,788$ 3,527.77$ 4,379.27$ 2,787.90$ -$ 3,662.94$ 7,504.51$ 6,949.05$ 8,936.07$ 6,479.39$ 44,226.90$ 69% 19,561.10$ Insurance 15,939$ # -$ 5 ,313.29$ -$ -$ 5,313.29$ 33% 10,625.71$ Professional Services 41,108$ 2,129.37$ 3,438.90$ 4,438.29$ 2,200.78$ 2,171.24$ 7,206.31$ 2,985.15$ 2,027.25$ 2,016.60$ 28,613.89$ 70% 12,494.11$ Operation/Admin 1,796$ -$ -$ -$ -$ 0% 1,796.00$ Total 1,157,302$ 107,787.53$ 163,088.25$ 120,329.91$ 120,908.92$ 117,874.86$ 119,446.84$ 144,724.00$ 108,404.74$ 110,929.02$ -$ - $ - $ 1,113,494.07$ 96% 43,807.93$ 5 FAAS continues to privately fundraise and significantly leverage public support to sustain innovative programs that help keep people and their pets together (and out of the shelter) and we provide exceptional care and positive outcomes for our community’s lost, homeless, and abandoned animals. The prevention-based programs save the city money by keeping animals out of the shelter system.
The opening of our privately funded Animal Medical Services & Training Campus (scheduled for June 2025) will help offset the rising costs of care by bringing these critically needed medical services in-house.
Thank you for your support as we work together to maximize our private-public partnership and continue the life-saving work that makes Alameda a model of human and animal support services.