CITY OF SAN MATEO
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CITY OF SAN MATEO
Agenda Report
City Hall
330 W. 20th Avenue
San Mateo CA 94403
www.cityofsanmateo.org
Agenda Number: 9 Section Name: CONSENT CALENDAR Account Number: 10-5142 File ID: 26-11102 TO: City Council
FROM: Alex Khojikian, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Police Department
MEETING DATE: May 04, 2026
SUBJECT:
Animal Control Services Agreement — Amendment
RECOMMENDATION:
Approve Amendment No. 1 to the agreement with the County of San Mateo for the continued provision of animal control services for a three year term commencing July 1, 2026, with an estimated cost of $983,426 for the first year and costs to be recalculated annually for subsequent years; and authorize the City Manager to execute the agreement in substantially the form presented.
BACKGROUND:
Animal control is one of the longest running regional/shared services in San Mateo County. Since 1952, the County has contracted with the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA (PHS) for animal control field and sheltering services. All 20 cities in the County have in turn contracted with the County for these services. Historically, cities have taken advantage of the economies of pooling resources in order to realize lower costs for services than each city could likely achieve by providing its own services. The current agreements between the County and PHS, and between the Cities and the County, were approved in 2021 after a thorough RFP, review, and negotiation process which included broad participation from stakeholders (County Management, City Managers, Police Chiefs and other interested participants). These agreements are set to expire on June 30, 2026.
The language in the County agreement with PHS includes an option for a three-year extension, and both parties have agreed to extend the contract for an additional three years with no changes to the existing terms; however, the agreement between the Cities and the County does not include language allowing an extension. As a result, an amendment to the agreement between the County and all 20 cities must be executed prior to June 30, 2026. The proposed Amendment No. 1 (Attachment 2) will extend this contract to June 30, 2029, to align with the end of the County’s contract with PHS.
PHS provides animal control services in a County-owned 45,000 square foot building at 12 Airport Boulevard in San Mateo.
The mandated animal control service functions which occur at the Airport Boulevard facility include: receiving and housing stray animals; serving as the location for the public when looking for lost pets or surrendering animals; sheltering animals; spay/neuter clinic; and vaccination clinic. For public convenience, licensing, micro-chipping, veterinary care and animal behavior work, and field services staff are at this location and respond to calls for service in the community.
The City of San Mateo’s estimated share of the total contract in Fiscal Year 2026-2027 is $983,426 (Attachment 3). While the proposed costs for the contracted animal control services during the three-year extension period represent less than a 3% increase per year, the actual percentage share paid by all cities is revisited annually. The number of service calls and sheltering animals generated by each city is tracked, and the average of the last three years’ data is used to set the cost for the upcoming year. Each city’s three-year average usage data are weighted 41% for field services and 59% for shelter services, with a credit for animal licensing revenue.
CITY OF SAN MATEO
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The proposed amendment makes minor clerical updates to the contract language, and also removes the requirement for an audit during the three year extension period. This requirement was removed because the County released an RFP in January of 2026 for a contractor to conduct a fiscal and performance audit of PHS/SPCA. The County is currently in negotiations with the selected firm, and the audit is expected to begin later in May. Conducting another additional audit within such a short timeframe would not be fiscally responsible as it would likely yield duplicative results. The results of this audit will be shared with cities. The County has assured cities that at this time, PHS/SPCA is meeting their performance requirements and fulfilling its obligations. An audit requirement will be included in the next long-term vendor agreement.
BUDGET IMPACT:
Funding for the animal control services agreement is included in the Police Department’s annual operating budget.
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION:
This agreement is not a project subject to CEQA, because it can be seen with certainty that it will not cause a physical change in the environment. (Public Resources Code Section 21065.)
NOTICE PROVIDED
All meeting noticing requirements were met.
ATTACHMENTS
Att 1 – Agreement
Att 2 – Amendment No. 1
Att 3 – Estimated FY26/27 Animal Control Costs
STAFF CONTACT
Ed Barberini, Chief of Police
[email protected]
(650) 522-7600