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CONSENT CALENDAR
City of San Bernardino
Request for Council Action
Date: June 5, 2024
To: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
From: Rochelle Clayton, Acting City Manager;
Kris Watson, Director of Animal Services
Department: Animal Services
Subject: Authorize and Appropriate Funding for Animal Services for the Preparation of the Regional Partnership Agreements (All Wards)
Recommendation
It is recommended that the Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino, California, adopt Resolution No. 2024-096:
1. Authorizing the Director of Finance and Management Services to amend the FY 2023/24 operating budget by $350,000 to cover the cost of salary and benefits of additional positions added as a result of the Regional Partnership Agreements for Animal Services; and
2. Increase the Animal Services department authorized full-time position count from 40 to 71.
Executive Summary
It was established that the City of San Bernardino would enter into a Regional Partnership for Animal Services with the cities of Colton, Fontana, Grand Terrace, Loma Linda, and Rialto. In order to accommodate the additional animals this Regional Partnership Agreement will bring, the Department needed to increase the number of staff to care for the animals at the shelter and connect with the community to facilitate reunification with owners, encourage adoption, fostering and volunteering from the public. The costs for staffing in this fiscal year will only be applied to May and June, is estimated to be approximately $350,000.00.
Background
Earlier this year, the Department of Animal Services received notification that Riverside County Animal Services would be discontinuing shelter services for the cities of Colton, Fontana and Rialto on June 30, 2024. Subsequently, these three cities in our region
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are in need of a shelter to contract for services beginning with July 1, 2024.
The cities of Colton and Fontana previously contracted with the City of San Bernardino for shelter services; those contracts ended in 2014 (Colton) and 2015 (Fontana) when those cities began contracting with the County of Riverside. The City of Rialto previously contracted with the County of San Bernardino until 2018 when they transferred to Riverside County for shelter services. The cities of Grand Terrace and Loma Linda currently contract with the City to provide shelter services.
Animal Services realized that this is a significant investment in the welfare of animals in our city and in our region. In an effort to lessen the impact on the General Fund of our city, as well as any partner Cities, the Mayor and City Council adopted Resolution No. 2023-188 on December 6, 2023, that established a Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation to actively raise funds for programs and services to benefit all the animals in the shelter, as well as programs which support pet owners in our community. The Nonprofit is named “Friends of San Bernardino Animal Services Foundation”.
Discussion
Animal Services worked with the Human Resources Department to recruit, interview, and hire additional staff approved in the regional partnership. In an effort to ensure the Department is ready to accept animals from the partner cities on July 1, 2024, the new staff need to be hired and trained by the end of June 2024.
To maximize public access and move animals through the system quickly, the Department will be open to the public seven days a week from 10:00AM to 5:00PM and will be open late on Wednesdays until 7:00PM. These expanded hours will enable pet owners to look for and redeem their lost pets or adopt new pets daily and would be beneficial to members of our community who may have difficulty coming to the shelter with the current hours.
The total cost for the additional positions with fully burdened benefits is estimated to be $2,794,657.00 annually. Due to the terms of the Regional Partnership Agreement, the City of San Bernardino will be reimbursed by the five cities in the Agreement after July 1, 2024. They will be billed quarterly for staffing costs based on the actual amount incurred with salary and benefits. The cost for staffing in this fiscal year will only be applied to May and June and is estimated to be approximately $350,000.00. 2021-2025 Strategic Targets and Goals
Partnering with the other cities in our region aligns with Strategic Target #2: Focused, Aligned Leadership and Unified Community be implementing a community engagement plan and building a culture that attracts, retains, and motivates the highest quality talent, Strategic Target #3: Improved Quality of Life by partnering with other entities in the Region, ensuring consistent, stable animal services for our residents and those of neighboring cities.
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Fiscal Impact
The fiscal impact on the General Fund for FY 23/24 will be $350,000, which will be transferred to the Animal Services Fund. This transfer will cover the salaries and benefits of additional positions created due to the Regional Partnership Agreements for Animal Services.
Conclusion
It is recommended that the Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino, California, adopt Resolution No. 2024-096:
1. Authorizing the Director of Finance and Management Services to amend the FY 2023/24 operating budget by $350,000 to cover the cost of salary and benefits of additional positions added as a result of the Regional Partnership Agreements for Animal Services; and
2. Increase the Animal Services department authorized full-time position count from 40 to 71.
Attachments
1. Attachment 1 – Resolution No. 2024-096
2. Attachment 2 – Estimated Salary and Benefits Costs with Regional Partners Allocations
3. Attachment 3 – City of Colton Agreement
4. Attachment 4 – City of Fontana Agreement
5. Attachment 5 – City of Rialto Agreement
Ward:
All Wards
Synopsis of Previous Council Actions:
December 6, 2024 Regional Partnership for Animal Services April 17, 2024 Authorize and Appropriate Funding for Animal Services for the Preparation of the Regional Partnership Agreements – Site Improvement Costs