1 A Report from the City Auditor
Issued November 2024
http://www.sanjoseca.gov/auditor
Presenters: Joe Rois, City Auditor
Gitanjali Mandrekar, Assistant City Auditor
City Council meeting (December 3, 2024)
Agenda Item 3.3
ANIMAL CARE AND SERVICES:
ADDRESSING CAPACITY
CONSTRAINTS AND UPDATING
SHELTER PROTOCOLS WILL HELP
IMPROVE ANIMAL OUTCOMES
Background
2 • Animal Care and Services is a full-service
shelter providing services to San José,
Cupertino, Saratoga and Milpitas.
• It is operationally divided into Shelter
Operations, Medical Services, Field Services
and Administration.
• ACS’ 2024-25 Adopted Operating Budget
totals $15.4 million, which supports 94
positions.
Exhibit 4: Staffing Levels Increased in the
Past T wo Fiscal Years
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
100
$-
$2,000,000
$4,000,000
$6,000,000
$8,000,000
$10,000,000
$12,000,000
$14,000,000
$16,000,000
$18,000,000
Positions
Adopted Budget
Adopted Budget Staffing
Background (ACS Organization Chart)
3 Background
4 Audit direction included multiple areas of
concern related to shelter operations,
including:
• A comparison with industry standards for
animal care and veterinary services
• Reporting of shelter data and metrics
• Relationships with rescue groups and
volunteers
• Licensing and vaccinations
• Facility design
• Services provided to neighboring
jurisdictions
Finding I: The San José Animal Shelter Is Over Capacity and Needs a Long-T erm Strategy to Address the Demand for Shelter Space
5 • Point-in-time counts in July and August
showed that there were nearly 700 animals
on site—while shelter capacity was roughly
500 animals.
• Average length of stay has increased in
recent years.
• Due to capacity constraints, ACS lacks
space to prevent disease spread and
promote animal welfare.
Exhibit 7: ACS On-Site Animal Population Frequently
Exceeded Housing Capacity
0 50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
March 7, 2024 April 14, 2024 July 16, 2024 August 18, 2024 Population
Capacity
Finding I: The San José Animal Shelter Is Over Capacity and Needs a Long-T erm Strategy to Address the Demand for Shelter Space
6 • The shelter should develop a multi-
pronged strategy to address the supply
and demand for shelter space.
• ACS should continue to expand
population management efforts, including:
o diverting kittens from intake,
o increasing opportunities for adoption
and rescue, and
o expanding spay and neuter services.
Recommendations:
Determine current shelter capacity
and assess whether additional kennel
space is required.
Reassess the kitten nursery to divert
kittens from the shelter.
Formalize pathway planning in the
shelter and increase opportunities for
adoptions, rescue, and spay and
neuter services
.
Finding 2: Improvements in Animal Care Protocols and
Recordkeeping Will Enhance Shelter Operations
• The ACS Manual does not align with
actual shelter practices or ASV Guidelines
around disease management and some
daily care activities.
• Recordkeeping at the shelter was not
always complete, making it difficult for
supervisors to assess whether animals’
daily needs are being met.
• Updated procedures to track and access
supplies can improve inventory
management.
Recommendations:
Update the ACS Manual to reflect
ASV Guidelines in various operational
areas within the shelter.
Provide ongoing training on shelter
protocols, recordkeeping, and
inventory management.
Define supervisory responsibilities
over shelter operations.
Finding 3: Additional Disaggregation of Metrics and Better Data Management Can Enhance Transparency of Shelter
Operations
8 • Additional disaggregation of reported
outcomes and other metrics can
provide information about what may be
driving trends in shelter outcomes.
• Better data management can improve
data reliability and transparency for
shelter operations.
Recommendations:
Provide additional disaggregated
reporting on length of stay and
shelter outcomes.
Update data management protocols,
including assigning staff to manage
data quality processes.
9 Finding 4: San José Animal Care and Services Can Enhance Its Engagement Efforts With Rescue Groups to Improve Animal Outcomes
• Since FY 2018-19, the number of animals
rescued by rescue groups has significantly
declined.
• In an auditor-conducted survey of rescue
groups:
o 40% reported having capacity
constraints
o Only 40% rated their overall
experience with ACS as good or
excellent
o 44% reported receiving sufficient
information to make rescue decisions
Recommendations:
Designate a single point of contact to
coordinate with rescue groups.
Update communications to rescue
groups to include complete and
accurate information.
Develop guidelines for the use of gift
and Guardian Angel Program (GAP)
funds.
10 • 78 percent of respondents to an auditor-
conducted volunteer survey would
recommend volunteering at ACS.
• Volunteers have 45 days to complete
lengthy training requirements.
• The current volunteer management
software does not meet the shelter’s
needs around tracking hours and
scheduling shifts.
Finding 5: Improvements in the Volunteer Program Can Aid in Providing a Coordinated Approach to Care at the Shelter Recommendations:
Assess and update training
requirements and make non-essential
trainings optional.
Consider options for alternative
volunteer management software
solutions.
11 • In March 2024, almost 60 percent of
active licenses exceeded the term of
the animal’s rabies certificate.
• The process for issuing new licenses
and renewals takes significant amount
of administrative staff time.
• Other jurisdictions provide some low-
cost medical services to underserved
communities not currently available in
San José.
Finding 6: Licensing Compliance and Access to Equity-Based Services Can Be Improved
Recommendations:
Consider contracting out the
administration of licensing.
Align future license terms with rabies
vaccination expiration dates.
Increase availability of low-cost
medical services in the context of
overall budget considerations.
12 • San José has made progress towards
implementing some of the
recommendations.
• In some cases, recommendations may
be outdated or not in line with current
ASV guidelines or ACS practices.
Finding 7: San José Animal Care and Services Has Begun
Implementing Maddie’s Fund Recommendations, but Work
Still Remains
Recommendations:
Prioritize remaining relevant
recommendations and designate an
individual to monitor and track them
moving forward.
13 • For Priority 2 and 3 service calls, the
agreements provide for a higher level of
service than for San José residents.
• Revenue calculations for the Cupertino and
Saratoga agreements included cost
elements that were not factored in the
Milpitas agreement.
• Tracking activity and costs can ensure
consistency in future agreements and
ensure they reflect the level of services
provided.
Finding 8: Services to Contract Jurisdictions May Exceed Those Provided to San José Residents
Recommendations:
Consider aligning San José
performance goals with contract
jurisdictions.
Track activity and costs to determine
if revenues reflect levels of services
provided.
Conclusion
This report has 39 recommendations to improve services and care for animals at San José Animal Care and Services
We would like to thank the Animal Care and Services Division of the Department of Public Works. The audit report is available at www.sanjoseca.gov/auditor
Audit staff: Gitanjali Mandrekar, Ebelechukwu Obi,
Michelle Mallari, Dilnoza Khudoyberganova, Ricky Tran
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