DATE: October 11, 2022
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Chief of Police
SUBJECT: Adopt a Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Accept and Appropriate $55,000 in Grant Funding From the University of California Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program’s “California for All Animals” Grant to the Hayward Police Department’s Animal Services Bureau
RECOMMENDATION
That Council adopts a resolution (Attachment II) authorizing the City Manager to accept and appropriate $55,000 in grant funding from the University of California Davis (UCD) Koret Shelter Medicine Program’s “California for All Animals” grant, to be used by the Hayward Police Department’s Animal Services Bureau.
SUMMARY
The Hayward Police Department’s Animal Services Bureau (ASB) applied for and was awarded $55,000 in grant funding from the UCD Campus School of Veterinary Medicine’s Koret Shelter Medicine Program as part of their California for All Animals Spring 2022 Grant. The funds will be used for ASB’s Trap, Neuter, and Return (TNR) program. Through TNR, feral (unsocialized) community cats are humanely trapped, spayed or neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, and/or ear-tipped, and then returned to their outdoor homes. Through this grant, free TNR services will be offered to community members in project neighborhoods and low-income community cat caregivers to provide TNR services to 400-500 feral community cats. The trapping, neutering, and returning of feral community cats keep these cats out of the shelter where they would be euthanized. It also immediately stops the cats’ ability to reproduce, stabilizing cat colonies and reducing populations over time.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
The ASB applied for and was awarded $55,000 in grant funding from the UCD School of Medicine’s Koret Shelter Medicine Program as part of their “California for All Animals” Spring 2022 Grant. The goal of the California for All Animals program is to reduce the number of healthy and treatable cats which are otherwise humanely euthanized at shelters. The grant funding focuses on four categories. ASB applied for funding under the category of “Intake Management and Community Support,” which focuses on strengthening and streamlining our organization’s ability to provide services to the community, including keeping animals in their homes and communities of origin.
The overpopulation of cats is not unique to Hayward. TNR techniques have been found to be the most humane and effective approach for handling community cat overpopulation. Scientific studies show that TNR stops the cycle of new litters of kittens and stabilizes the population of community cats, reducing the population over time. Community cats are cats that live in the community and may or may not have an identified caregiver. Community cats can be feral (unsocialized) or friendly domesticated. Feral community cats are not able to be handled and are normally euthanized when turned into a shelter. The ASB hopes that funding from this grant and the introduction of the TNR program will help reduce the number of feral community cats which are ultimately euthanized at shelters.
The ASB already coordinates a feral community cat TNR program, and plans to use these grant funds to reduce the number of homeless kittens born in the community and prevent feral community cat euthanasia through its TNR program. Strategies include the following:
Coordinate TNR of 900 feral community cats during the term of the grant with 400-500 of those cats would be grant funded. The remaining 400 will be funded by community cat caregivers and donations received by the ASB specifically for TNR.
Conduct community meetings to discuss community cats and educate about TNR.
Incentivize community members to get involved in TNR of feral community cats in their neighborhoods by offering free TNR of up to 10 feral community cats.
Offer five free TNR appointments to low-income feral community cat caregivers.
Fund TNR of cats trapped by volunteer trappers in identified areas where there is no known feral cat caregiver.
FISCAL IMPACT
Acceptance of the “California for All Animals” grant and appropriation of $55,000 to the General Fund will help continue funding of the ASB’s TNR program and increase its capabilities.
STRATEGIC ROADMAP
The “California for All Animals” grant supports the Enhance Community Safety & Quality of Life priority outlined in the Council’s Strategic Roadmap, although it does not fit into a specific project.
NEXT STEPS
If Council adopts the attached resolution, staff will appropriate the funding into the Police Department’s budget and administer the grant per the terms and conditions of the University of California and Koret Shelter Medicine Program’s “California for All Animals” grant agreement.
Prepared by: Jennie Comstock, Animal Services Administrator Recommended by: Toney Chaplin, Chief of Police
Approved by:
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Kelly McAdoo, City Manager