City of Sacramento
City Council - 2PM Report
915 I Street Sacramento, CA 95814
www.cityofsacramento.org
File ID: 2022-02029 12/6/2022 Consent Item 03.
Supplemental Agreement: Emergency and After-Hours Veterinary Services File ID: 2022-02029
Location: Citywide
Recommendation: Pass a Motion authorizing the City Manager or City Manager’s designee to execute Supplemental Agreement No. 2 to City Agreement PRC000706 with VCA Mueller Pet Medical Center in the amount not-to-exceed $350,000, bringing the total not-to-exceed amount to $900,000 for emergency veterinary services.
Contact: Phillip Zimmerman, Animal Care Services Manager, (916) 808-8333, [email protected]; Jennifer Chikasawa, Administrative Officer, (916) 808-5851, [email protected], Community Development Department Presenter: None
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Supplemental Agreement
Description/Analysis
Issue Detail: The Shelter is classified as a depositary for living animals and therefore bound by California Civil Code. California Civil Code § 1834 states: “A depositary of living animals shall provide the animals with necessary and prompt veterinary care, nutrition, and shelter, and treat them kindly. Any depositary that fails to perform these duties may be liable for civil damages as provided by law”. If an animal enters the shelter and is sick or injured, it must be treated promptly. The Shelter’s veterinary staff are not on duty 24-hours a day to treat sick and injured animals that enter the shelter afterhours. To meet the requirements of the California Civil Code the City is required to have a 24-hour emergency veterinary hospital on contract to provide after hour services.
In addition to after-hours emergency veterinary services, Animal Care Services also requires intermittent relief services during regular business hours. Although the City currently has 3.0 FTE (full time employee) Veterinarian positions, due to a nationwide veterinarian shortage, two of the
File ID: 2022-02029 12/6/2022 Consent Item 03.
three positions are vacant. The position vacancies coupled with the increasing cost for veterinary services, necessitates a supplemental agreement to contract # PRC000706 with VCA Mueller in the amount of $350,000, bringing the contract total amount to $900,000. for the remainder of the contract term, which expires on November 1, 2024.
Policy Considerations: City Code Section 3.56.290 requires City council approval to increase the contract amount by more than $250,000. The recommendations in this report are consistent with Sacramento City Code Section 3.56.
Continuing to contract with VCA Mueller Pet Medical Center ensures that Animal Care Services continues to comply with California Civil Code § 1834 to provide necessary and prompt veterinary care.
Economic Impacts: None.
Environmental Considerations: Not applicable. This is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it does not have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. (CEQA Guidelines §15061(b)(3).)
Sustainability: Not applicable.
Commission/Committee Action: Not applicable.
Rationale for Recommendation: It is imperative that the Shelter has an emergency veterinary hospital on contract to treat animals in immediate need of veterinary care when our shelter veterinarians are not on duty. In addition to afterhours services, Animal Care Services requires additional daytime relief services. Although the City currently has 3.0 FTE (full time employee) Veterinarian positions - due to a nationwide veterinarian shortage, two of the three positions are vacant. The position vacancies coupled with the increasing cost for veterinary services, necessitates additional funding for the contract with VCA Mueller for the remainder of the contract term.
Financial Considerations: This supplemental contract amount will be partially offset by labor savings from 2.0 FTE City veterinarian positions that are currently vacant. Funding is available in the Fiscal Year 2022/23 Community Development Department Operating Budget and the F.O.C.A.S. (Friends of the City Animal Shelter) Multi-year Operating Project (I13000400).
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): VCA Mueller Pet Medical Center is a qualified LBE.