Susana Alcala Wood, City Attorney Jorge Oseguera, City Auditor Mindy Cuppy, City Clerk Howard Chan, City Manager John Colville, City Treasurer Personnel and Public Employees Committee Report
915 I Street, 1st Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814
www.cityofsacramento.org
File ID: 2022-00454 February 15, 2022 Discussion Item 6
Title: Review of Sacramento City Code Chapter 2.86 Animal Care Services Citizens Advisory Committee
Location: Citywide
Recommendation: Review and provide direction.
Contact: Wendy Klock- Johnson, MMC, Chief Assistant City Clerk, (916) 808-7509, wklock- [email protected] Mindy Cuppy, MMC, City Clerk, (916) 808-5442, [email protected], Office of the City Clerk
Presenter: Wendy Klock- Johnson, MMC, Chief Assistant City Clerk, (916) 808-7509, wklock- [email protected], Office of the City Clerk
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
File ID: 2022-00454 Discussion Item 6 February 15, 2022
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City of Sacramento
Description/Analysis
Issue Detail: Clear communication and metrics are at the core of the work of the city council and the city. Without clearly communicated policies, commission scopes, and staffing expectations for our city commissions, we cannot effectively incorporate their important role, voice, and work to provide thoughtful community recommendations to council on a consistent basis. As our new council works together with our city team to improve our service to the community and one another, the Personnel and Public Employees (P&PE) Committee has assumed the role and responsibility of developing and reviewing policies, staffing, facilitation, and oversight for city commissions.
Policy Considerations: None.
Economic Impacts: Increasing the committee size would incur additional stipend payments $2,400.00 annually.
Environmental Considerations: None.
Sustainability: None.
Commission/Committee Action: At the August 31, 2021 meeting of the P&PE Committee meeting the Committee directed the City Clerk to update section 2.86 of the City Code to modernize the scope, authority, and membership categories of the Animal Care Services Citizens Advisory Committee.
Rationale for Recommendation: None.
Financial Considerations: None.
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): None.
Background: On June 21, 2021 the Mayor requested that the Personnel & Public Employees Committee establish a plan for oversight, facilitation, and staffing of the City’s Boards, Commissions, and Committees. At the August 31, 2021 meeting of the Personnel and Public Employees meeting the Committee directed the City Clerk to review and update section 2.86 of the City Code pertaining to the Animal Care Services Citizens Advisory Committee.
The current Animal Care Citizens Advisory Committee ordinance was created in 2001 and was a result of a study conducted by the Humane Society of the United States because of community concerns regarding Animal Care Services.
File ID: 2022-00454 Discussion Item 6 February 15, 2022
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City of Sacramento
At that time, concerns included unnecessary shelter euthanasia, spread of disease in the shelter, lack of staffing, poor condition of the shelter facility, lack of adequate animal housing, adoptions, and a lack of rescue partnerships.
Best practices at the Front Street Animal Shelter and in animal welfare have changed drastically in the last 20 years. However, section 2.86 of the Sacramento City Code has not been reviewed or updated to be reflective of those changes. The current committee focuses mainly on shelter operations and does not address community concerns regarding social justice issues, safety net programs for our most vulnerable community members and their pets, access to low-cost and no-cost veterinary care, community cats, and a myriad of other animal welfare issues in the community.
It is proposed that the current committee has served the original purpose that it be dissolved and that a new animal welfare committee be established with a modernized scope and duties.
Scope:
This committee is established for the purpose of providing recommendations to the mayor and city council on strategies and policies designed to ensure and enhance animal care services and public education on animal care services provided by the City of Sacramento.
Duties:
Members serve in an advisory capacity to the Sacramento City Council. Members serve as a liaison to the Sacramento City Council in matters related to the city’s animal care services as follows:
• Provide recommendations to the City Council on the policies of the Animal Care Services division and long-range planning.
• Provide recommendations to the City Council on opportunities for regional partnership opportunities.
• Provide recommendations to the City Council for ongoing education and public relations efforts regarding the humane care and proper treatment of animals in the city.
• Increase awareness of animals available for adoption at the Front Street Shelter, and education on the responsibilities of animal ownership. • Increase the awareness of the importance of spaying/neutering animals. • Provide a forum for public discussion of the city’s efforts to positively enhance animal care services in the shelter and for animals in the city.
In order to create an opportunity for a wide diverse of voices, as well as geographical representation, to serve on this committee is recommended that the new committee be comprised of nine seats.
File ID: 2022-00454 Discussion Item 6 February 15, 2022
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City of Sacramento
Eight of the seats to be recommended by members of the City Council; and one member by the Mayor. Appointees would be selected from a pool of candidates who are city residents and meet the following criteria:
A member with an expressed interest, training, or experience in animal welfare, rescue, animal health care professional, fostering, or social justice, and safety net issues as it relates to animal care in our low income and unhoused populations.
Two members recommended for appointment by the Personnel and Public Employees Committee:
One member with an expressed interest, training, or experience in animal welfare, rescue, animal health care professional, fostering, or social justice, and safety net issues as it relates to animal care in our low income and unhoused populations.
One member with interest, training, or experience in animal welfare, rescue, animal health care professional, fostering, or social justice, and safety net issues as it relates to animal care in our low income and unhoused populations who is between ages 14 – 22 at the time of appointment.
This new committee would also be affected by the changes currently underway with the revision of Sacramento City Code section 2.40 Boards and Commission Generally that will standardize appointees terms, term limits, attendance, and other administrative items.