CONTRA COSTA COUNTY ANIMAL
SERVICES
ANIMAL SERVICES UPDATE
JANUARY11, 2022
1 Our Department
Field Services – Protecting public health & safety
through enforcement of the County’s Animal
Ordinance, rabies control and field patrols.
Shelter Operations – Intake and daily care of
animals, maintenance of animals and kennels,
owner surrender support.
Medical Services – Medical care and treatment of
animals, emergency care, low-cost spay/neuter
surgeries, low-cost vaccination and microchip
clinics, etc.
Administration – In-house call center, licensing
programs, budget and human resources,
contract management, fleet management.
Community Services – Adoptions program,
volunteer program, public events and humane
education.
Pinole Shelter Closure
3 In September of 2020, the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors voted to close the Pinole Animal Shelter .
CCAS supported this decision since we have long lacked the necessary financial resources and staffing to adequately run the shelter . The primary services utilized by West County residents at the Pinole Shelter included: adoptions, stray animal impounds and return to owner services.
CCAS will continue to provide these services to West County residents through current practices, mobile events and strategic partnerships. Field Services response times were not affected because our Animal Services Officers have always been dispatched from our Martinez facility.
CCAS veterinarian speaking with residents at 3/13/21 West County Microchip Clinic in Hercules
Field Services – Top Activities in Hercules
4 2021 Activity Report - Top Activities for
Hercules 2021
Stray Activities 326
Deceased Activities 94
Investigation Activities 77
Assist Activities 19
Other Activities 17
Total Activities 533
Animal Care Agency Comparisons
Municipal Shelter:
FY 20/21
Rate Per Capita
City of Antioch $15.44
City of Oakland $12.09
Sacramento County $13.10
Contra Costa County $6.79
❑Contra Costa Animal Services ranks low
on cost per capita in comparison to
other municipal shelters.
❑The City of Antioch increased their rates
for animal services by 19% in FY 2020/21,
which brought them to $15.44 per
capita.
5 Mandated Services Covered By Current Fees
6 ▪ Special Enforcement
▪Mandatory Spay/Neuter Prior to Adoption (as
required per County Ordinance)
▪Major Case Investigations (i.e. Cruelty/Abuse)
▪Animal Housing
▪ Stray & Aggressive Animal Patrols (Inc. Livestock)
▪ Impoundment of Stray Dogs, Sick/Injured/In
Danger & Aggressive Animals
▪ Sheltering/Care of Impounded Animals (Inc.
Vaccination, Food, Humane & Emergency Veterinary
Care, etc.)
▪ Housing for Animals Displaced by Disasters
▪ Return Animals Home & Adoption/Transfer of
Available Animals
▪ Rabies Control
▪ Licensing & Enforcement
▪ Bite Investigations
▪ Patrols
▪ Quarantine of Potential Rabies Suspects
▪ Rabies Testing
▪ Rabies Vaccine Clinics
▪ Dangerous/Potentially Dangerous Animals
▪ Investigations
▪ Impoundment & Sheltering
▪ Hearings
▪ Permits & Enforcement
▪ Other State & Local Laws
▪ Animal Noise Enforcement & Hearings
▪ Fulfilling PRA Requests
Additional Services Provided By CCAS
7 ▪ Low-cost Vaccine & Spay/Neuter Clinic for
Residents of Contra Costa County
▪ Humane Education & Enrichment Programs
▪ Deceased Animal Impoundment
▪ Deceased animals located on the public right of
way.
▪ Deceased domestic animals on private property.
▪ Local Agency Assists
▪ Police
▪ Fire
▪ Code Enforcement
▪ Administration
▪ Provide support for on-going operations
– budget and fiscal services, human
resources, contract management, fleet
management and information
technology
▪ In-house call center – five days a week,
Tues.-Sat. Phone, online, email and in
person by appointment
▪ Dispatch services through Contra Costa
Sheriff’s Department contract 24/7
City Agreement History
The city service agreements were established in 1985 for mandated programs and the enforcement of all animal related laws. The original city fees were based on Department costs at that time per capita.
In 2005, the Animal Services Department began increasing city fees based on the cities population growth and Consumer Price Index (CPI) percentage. In 2011, the Department suspended the annual CPI increase due to the economic climate. The annual CPI increase was reinstated in 2017, though no action was taken to address the gap left by the four-year suspension of fee increases. 8 City Agreement Update Timeline
2016 – 2019 - CCAS conducts meetings with City Managers and Police Chiefs in contract cities to discuss the need for changes to the existing city agreement, one that would be more equitable for the cities and the County alike. January – September 2020 - The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors approved a new agreement and an increase in city fees. Upon notification to the cities, the Public Managers Association (PMA) informed the County that the fee structure could create a financial hardship.
The County heard the concerns and advised the cities of a revised fee for FY20/21 in the amount of $6.67 per capita, dismissing the new fee structure in favor of the standard CPI increase.
The County advised the cities of service level changes that would become effective October 2020 due to lack of adequate funding, including limiting deceased animal pickups.
May 2021 – The cities agreed to increase the Per Capita Rate by $0.12 to add an additional Utility Worker for deceased animal pickups, resulting in a total of $6.79 Per Capita for FY 2021/22. July 2021 – The Department began hosting a series of regional meetings with the Board of Supervisors and City Managers to receive feedback on current services, needs and an updated fee structure for city agreements. December 2021 – Cities were notified about an updated fee structure that includes a phased approach to minimize fiscal impacts, which will take effect July 1, 2022.
January 2022 – June 2022 – CCAS staff will be meeting with city staff to finalize a new service agreement with performance metrics. 9 Updated Fee Structure
10 Phase one (1) will commence July 1, 2022, with an
estimated per capita fee of $7.97 for FY22/23. This includes the following changes in services:
• Add 1.0 FTE Field Services Sergeant for increased Animal Services Officer (ASO) beat coverage, improved response time to dangerous animal cases, improved public support, and training.
• Add 1.0 FTE Field Utility Worker to reduce response times for the pickup of deceased animals, while allowing us to resume deceased domesticated animal pick-up on private property and picking up deceased wildlife from private property per the County fee schedule for the homeowner. • Add 1 Animal Services truck for deceased animal pickups. • Add 2.0 FTE Animal Care Coordinators to enhance our life saving programs serving our County Residents, such as the Pet Retention, Transfer Partner and Adoption programs.
Phase two (2) will commence on July 1, 2023, with an
estimated per capita fee of $9.11 for FY 23/24. This
includes the following changes in services:
• Add 3.0 FTE Animal Services Officers (ASO) to expand beat coverage and further decrease priority one response times.
• Add 2 Animal Services trucks to accommodate the increased field services staff.
• Add 1.0 FTE Animal Care Coordinator to decrease length of stay for impounded animals and continue focus on pet retention program services.
• Add 1.0 FTE Medical Supervisor to increase the efficiency of our on - site low-cost spay/neuter and vaccine services for our county residents.
Updated Fee Structure FY 21/22 – FY 23/24
11 Thank You & Questions
We
appreciate
our city
partners!