Fremont City Council Meeting: 04/02/24 07:00 PM
3300 Capitol Avenue Div/Dept: Police Department
Fremont, CA 94538 Category: Presentations
SCHEDULED
Sponsors:
COUNCIL STAFF REPORT (ID # 5107) DOC ID: 5107
Updated: 3/29/2024 12:28 PM by Dina Lewis Page 1
RESPONSE TO COUNCILMEMBER KASSAN REFERRAL – Regarding Animal Shelter Services
Contact Persons:
Name: Sean Washington Lance Brede
Title: Police Chief Deputy Chief
Div/Dept: Police Department Police Department
Phone: 510-790-6969 (510) 790-6930
E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Executive Summary: This report is responsive to a recent Councilmember referral related to Tri-City Animal Shelter staffing and service delivery. The report details the completed actions which have been taken to address concerns about service delivery raised in the referral, outlines the status of actions that are partially completed or in-process, and provides the City Council with the information needed to consider additional potential action(s) to address subsidized spay and neuter services if desired.
BACKGROUND: The City of Fremont operates the Tri-City Animal Shelter serving the cities of Newark, Union City and Fremont. The Tri-City Animal Shelter and Fremont Animal Services’ mission is to promote and support keeping people with their pets by offering services and resources with respect, kindness and compassion and to provide safe shelter and care for animals lost from their homes or in need of finding a new home. Over the last five years, the shelter has impounded an average of 1,961 live animals annually and field services staff have picked up an average of 1,515 deceased animals annually, requiring disposal. Additionally, officers have investigated an annual average of 140 animal bites to humans.
In January 2019, in response to community requests for service, the Shelter undertook a Community Cat Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) Program, in partnership with Ohlone Humane Society, expressly dedicated to spaying and neutering cats that had been impounded and would otherwise be subject to euthanasia. The City applied for and received a grant of $42,000 to support the TNR Program via provision of supplies, materials, and outreach.
Shortly after beginning the program, the COVID-19 pandemic began and further limited staff’s ability to provide services to the public.
Also, during this time, the shelter experienced significant staffing shortages including the resignation of the contract veterinarian and the staff veterinary technician. In December 2021, the MOU with Ohlone expired and was not extended due to continuing staffing shortages and the need to prioritize emergency veterinarian care for shelter animals. Animal Shelter staff continue to provide trap and release services in lieu of euthanasia to healthy community cats on a much more limited basis.
Prior to the pandemic (March 2020), the Animal Shelter allowed for unscheduled drop-in services Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. At the start of the COVID-19 quarantine period in 2020, staff ceased providing “drop-in” unscheduled services at the shelter and implemented a scheduled triage-based system for provision of animal related Council Staff Report (ID # 5107) Meeting of April 2, 2024 Updated: 3/29/2024 12:28 PM by Dina Lewis Page 2
services to the public. These changes were initially implemented due to the need to isolate staff and were consistent with pandemic protocols. As the pandemic continued, the shelter experienced significant staffing vacancies and has struggled to fill these vacancies with new hires. Given the staffing shortages, the shelter has been unable to return to the pre- pandemic hours of operation for unscheduled drop-in services.
Throughout the cessation of drop-in services, staff continued to provide service to the community, including returning animals to their owners, scheduling adoption appointments, licensing pets, taking in found dogs and sick and injured cats, and sending animals to foster homes seven days a week. The shelter’s triage and appointment-based admission system has maintained service to the community and its animals and is modeled on a program developed by researchers at UC Davis’s Koret Shelter Medicine Program.
On February 13, 2024, the City Council discussed a referral from Councilmember Kassan directing staff to:
• Create a full-time employment classification for a veterinarian with competitive salary and benefits and recruit for a full-time veterinarian as an employee for the animal shelter
• Expedite the hiring of front desk staff to respond to the animal shelter’s high volume of calls
• Review vet tech position salaries and benefits to ensure that they are competitive • Reduce backgrounding requirements on potential volunteers and paid staff • Reinstate the trap-neuter-release program to address cat overpopulation in partnership with local community organizations
• Provide sufficient free and low cost spay and neuter services for the Tri City community
• Open the animal shelter in the evenings and on weekends
After discussion, the City Council directed staff to analyze each component of the referral and to return to City Council on April 2, 2024, to present the status of ongoing efforts to address unmet animal services interests and to identify the resources and budgetary decisions necessary to resume services that have been reduced or suspended.
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS: As discussed verbally by Police Command staff during the Council Meeting on February 13, 2024, several actions to address elements of the Council referral are already underway. City staff have already taken several actions to improve Animal Shelter service delivery and these updates are substantially responsive to the referral. This report also identifies yet unaddressed aspects of the referral, as well as other potential options and expenses that the City Council may wish to consider.
Full-Time Veterinarian (authorized)
The City Manager has authorized the addition of one full-time veterinarian and City staff are in the process of finalizing the classification and commensurate salary range. While staff cannot accurately estimate when a qualified veterinarian will be hired, the Police Department and Human Resources will prioritize its recruitment.
Additionally, City staff have procured/renewed the services of a contract veterinarian to provide necessary veterinarian services and oversight in the interim. The City’s veterinarian contract includes weekly shelter rounds, over the course of three years, not to exceed Council Staff Report (ID # 5107) Meeting of April 2, 2024 Updated: 3/29/2024 12:28 PM by Dina Lewis Page 3
$99,000 during the duration of the contract. This contract provides for the core expertise and licensing necessary to operate the shelter and provide care to animals. The contract veterinarian is currently providing consultation for cases, examining animals in the shelter’s care, performing surgery as needed, holding the premise permit and providing the licensing oversight necessary for the Shelter to administer medications. In January 2024, the shelter contracted with a second contract veterinarian to increase capacity. This contract allows for spay/neuter services for shelter animals over the course of two years, not to exceed $99,000 during the duration of the contract. Contract veterinarians are limited in their overall availability to the shelter and the addition of a full-time in-house veterinarian is expected to bring long-term stability.
Note that the addition of one full-time dedicated veterinarian will create additional capacity to provide services to the community but will not immediately create adequate capacity to perform free or low-cost spay and neuter services as additional resources would be required.
Expedited “Front Desk Staff” Hiring (underway)
Animal Services has seven budgeted clerical staff members including:
• One Animal Services Supervisor(filled)
• One Senior Office Specialist (filled)
• One Office Specialist II (filled)
• Four temporary Public Service Assistant II (vacant/active recruitments).
Human Resources staff have partnered with Police Department management to prioritize staffing Animal Shelter positions and have slowed some other citywide hiring activities to create capacity for this work on an urgent basis. Backgrounding requirements for new administrative employees at the animal shelter have also been reduced from the level required of public safety staff and are now consistent with the backgrounding requirements of most non-safety city positions.
Review Veterinary Technician Compensation (underway)
At the City Manager’s direction, the Human Resources Department is currently reviewing the Veterinary Technician position salaries and benefits. Human Resources is performing a special, off-cycle review of this classification and will bring forward any resulting recommendations for potential salary adjustment during the 2024/25 budgeting process.
In parallel, the Police Department proposed, and the City Manager approved the conversion of one 0.5 FTE Veterinary Technician position into a 1.0 FTE Veterinary Technician position.
Reduce Backgrounding Requirements (complete)
The Human Resources Department and Police Department administration have substantially reduced the background requirements for administrative and clerical staff hired to work in the animal shelter. Backgrounding requirements for clerical, customer service and support positions at the Animal Shelter have been aligned with the conventional City of Fremont standard background process employed by other non-safety City departments. Prospective shelter staff are no longer subject to pre-polygraph or enhanced backgrounding activities associated with the Police Department’s normal hiring process.
Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) Program (subject to additional action/direction) Council Staff Report (ID # 5107) Meeting of April 2, 2024 Updated: 3/29/2024 12:28 PM by Dina Lewis Page 4
For the purposes of this referral item, the City is analyzing two options for cats. If the City Council determines that the shelter should subsidize spay and neuter services to the public, the following programmatic recommendations and alternatives are options for Council and the City Manager to consider. If directed to conduct a TNR program, a one-time allocation of approximately $75,000 will likely be required to hire a consultant to fully develop the program and assess its environmental impact.
Staff Recommendation: Voucher Program for owned pets and cats as allowed by Fremont Municipal Code up to $100 per spay and neuter activity capped at $48,000 per year. The $100 voucher per animal is in-line with industry standards and would cover approximately half to a quarter of the spay and neuter service fee charged at low cost spay/neuter clinics in the Bay Area. The $48,000 per year cap anticipates an average of 40 spay and neuter procedures provided per month. The shelter’s donation account could potentially fund the first year of the voucher system, with additional funding sources like grants, continued donations, or a regular General Fund line item needed for the future. The voucher system would be restricted to Fremont residents and each household would be eligible for vouchers based on the maximum number of pets allowed by the municipal code. The shelter would establish a list of veterinarians and clinics who would accept the voucher, and a process for the clinics and veterinarians to get paid for the City’s part. The clinic would send the voucher to the shelter for reimbursement. The primary drawback to this model is that services may be limited by the availability of regional skilled veterinarians, however, this model will be sustainable from a City of Fremont staffing perspective.
Alternate option: Conduct a Trap-Neuter-Release Program using in-house City staff to perform services and coordinate volunteers. This level of service delivery would result in the need for an on-going General Fund budget increase of $75,000 with the goal of delivering 1,000 TNR operations per year. The associated cost of supplies to conduct one TNR is approximately $75. To conduct 1,000 TNR operations per year, staff estimates 40% of the full-time veterinarian and veterinary tech would be dedicated to providing this service (two working days per week). This option is less desirable from a budgetary and workload perspective, as it is contingent upon the Animal Shelter being at, or close to, fully staffed, and reduces the shelter’s capacity to perform other services such as general shelter operation activities and special projects (like support of homeless encampment mitigations) The enhanced service level will be difficult to maintain on an ongoing basis.
Provide Free and Low Cost Spay and Neuter Services (subject to additional action/direction) The Animal Shelter has not historically provided this service and is not currently budgeted or staffed to provide free and/or low cost spay and neuter services to Fremont residents for their owned dogs at this time. The recommended spay/neutering expense for owned cats is included in the voucher program language described earlier in this memo. In-house service provision of additional spay and neuter for owned dogs would at minimum require that the shelter successfully fill its approved (but unfilled) veterinarian and veterinary technician vacancies.
Upon hire of approved staff members (inclusive of the proposed veterinarian and 1.0 FTE veterinary technician), if directed to do so, staff anticipates the shelter would be able to perform spay and neuter of owned dogs on a limited basis, conducting one spay/neuter per Council Staff Report (ID # 5107) Meeting of April 2, 2024 Updated: 3/29/2024 12:28 PM by Dina Lewis Page 5
week for owned dogs at first, eventually increasing to five spay/neuters per week. The cost of supplies and materials associated with this service is $450 to spay and $300 to neuter. 250 anticipated subsidized spay/neuters per year would result in a $94,000 General Fund budget increase for supplies and materials. This offering would constitute a new level of service to the public, would reduce capacity for other shelter activities, and its ongoing provision would be contingent upon the shelter acquiring new staff and remaining approximately fully staffed.
Animal Shelter Hours of Service (underway/subject to additional action) Police Department management has assessed current staff progress. Upon hiring and training new Public Service Assistant II (Customer Service) employees, the Animal Shelter will resume consistent, but limited drop-in operating hours one day per week with additional hours of drop-in public service commencing later this year. Expanding the hours of service for the Animal Shelter is dependent upon the securing of adequate staff. • On May 6, 2024, the shelter will commence open/drop-in hours to the public from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays.
• On June 7, 2024, the shelter will open to the public from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
• The Police Department will expand the shelter’s service hours again as newly hired staff are onboarded and trained.
FISCAL IMPACT: The activities and program enhancements described in this document are largely already funded or are being proposed and accomplished via the reallocation of existing resources. Potentially unfunded activities are limited to the TNR program and the potential to subsidize free or low cost spay and neuter activities as identified in the referral.
If Council directs staff to pursue one of these service options, staff estimates that some combination of the following General Fund expenses will be incurred. If City Council provides direction, staff will prepare corresponding budget actions for consideration in the development of the Fiscal Year 2024/25 budget.
Council Staff Report (ID # 5107) Meeting of April 2, 2024 Updated: 3/29/2024 12:28 PM by Dina Lewis Page 6
$100 Voucher Program (staff recommended)
Program Elements
One Time
Expense Ongoing
FY 2024/25
Budget
Increase
$100 Vouchers $48,000 $48,000
Consultant
Support $75,000 $75,000
$75,000 $48,000 $123,000
Community Cat Trap-Neuter-Release Using In-House Staff (alternate option)
Program Elements
One Time
Expense Ongoing
FY 2024/25
Budget
Increase
Supplies and
Materials $75,000 $75,000
Consultant
Support $75,000 $75,000
Add 0.5 Veterinary
Technician $35,593 $35,593
$75,000 $109,000 $185,593
Low Cost Spay and Neuter Services to Pet Owners
Program Elements
One Time
Expense Ongoing
FY 2024/25
Budget
Increase
Supplies and
Materials $94,000 $94,000
Add 0.5 Veterinary
Technician $35,593 $35,593
$129,593 $129,593
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: The recommended actions are exempt from and not subject to review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because, without limitation, it is not a “project” as defined in CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(2) and/or 15378(b)(5) and as it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity may have a significant effect on the environment per CEQA Guidelines section 15601(b)(3), each as a separate and independent basis for CEQA compliance.
ATTACHMENTS: None.
RECOMMENDATION: Accept this referral response updating the status of staffing and service restorations and enhancements underway at the Fremont Tri-City Animal Shelter. If Council Staff Report (ID # 5107) Meeting of April 2, 2024 Updated: 3/29/2024 12:28 PM by Dina Lewis Page 7
desired, provide the City Manager with programmatic direction related to currently unbudgeted Community Cat Trap-Neuter-Release and low cost spay and neuter activities or consideration in the 2024/25 budgeting process.