Sebastopol City Council
March 17, 2026

CITY OF SEBASTOPOL CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA ITEM REPORT FOR MEETING OF: March 17, 2026
To:

Requestor:

Responsible Department:

Subject:

Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
Councilmember Zollman /Mayor McLewis
Police Chief
Animal Control and Sheltering Services
RECOMMENDATION:

City staff recommends that the City Council:

1. Award a three-month interim contract to the Humane Society of Sonoma County (HSSC) for sheltering services (April 1–June 30, 2026) at a prorated cost of approximately $9,680.25 (~$3,226.75 per month), and authorize the City Manager to extend month-to-month as needed until long-term solutions are secured in collaboration with HSSC and Sonoma County.

2. Authorize the City Manager to pursue emergency/short-term options for animal control field services (e.g., via Sonoma County Animal Services discussions, or other providers, or Non profits).

3. Authorize Police Department personnel to process animal licenses in the interim.

4. Authorize the City Manager to issue a notice of termination to North Bay Animal Services (NBAS) for the existing month-to-month agreement, effective immediately or as soon as practicable to minimize service gaps; and

5. Approve Budget Amendment Resolution
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

The City has historically provided animal services through a contracted service delivery model. The City previously contracted with the Humane Society of Sonoma County and then for the last few years, contracted with North Bay Animal Control Services. The item tonight is to consider multiple options; one of which would be the termination of the City’s month-to-month agreement with North Bay Animal Services (NBAS) due to documented concerns over non-compliance with legal mandates, service quality issues, and animal welfare standards as outlined in a 2025 Sonoma County Civil Grand Jury report and recent contract terminations by other jurisdictions. If the contract is terminated, the Council is asked to consider the options as well as the potential liability dependent upon the action.

To ensure continuity, prevent liability, and prioritize animal welfare and public safety, staff recommends an interim sheltering contract with HSSC (a proven provider with prior Sebastopol experience, 98% live release rate, and robust facilities) while pursuing coordinated long-term solutions with Sonoma County and regional partners. Staff have been in regular communications with other local service providers, including the Humane Society of Sonoma County, Sonoma County and other Sonoma County cities to develop service options for consideration. These discussions are still ongoing as we work to formalize a plan under this complex and changing circumstances BACKGROUND:

The City of Sebastopol entered into a contract with North Bay Animal Services (NBAS), a nonprofit organization based in Petaluma, CA, effective July 1, 2022, to provide comprehensive animal control, dog licensing, stray animal housing, and sheltering services. Recent media articles and external reports, including the Sonoma County Civil Grand Jury, have highlighted significant concerns with NBAS's performance, including:

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City Council Meeting Packet of March 17, 2026

• Non-compliance with state laws, such as failing to sterilize animals before placement in foster or adoptive homes.
• Not effectively managing dog licensing and renewals (rates far below averages). • Failing to offer required rabies vaccination clinics. • Not consistently submitting bite reports to the county health officer. • Unsanitary shelter conditions (e.g., overpowering odors, poor ventilation) observed during jury visits. • Lack of proper board oversight and underfunding/overwhelm leading to substandard care.

The City Council approved a response to the Grand Jury’s report, agreeing with many of the report’s findings and recommendations. Additionally, these issues prompted citizen complaints and scrutiny. Neighboring jurisdictions have acted: Petaluma unanimously terminated its contract with NBAS effective March 31, 2026 (after the Grand Jury findings and additional allegations of deplorable conditions in a related Clearlake shelter transition); Town of Windsor will be hearing this item on their March 18th Town Meeting and the City of Cloverdale recently went out for a request for proposal, Other cities like Clearlake also ended contracts earlier. Sebastopol previously renewed on a month-to-month basis while issuing an RFP a Request for Proposals for Animal Services.

DISCUSSION:

In early 2026, the City issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to secure comprehensive animal control and sheltering services, including field enforcement, impoundment, veterinary care, adoptions, and disaster response. The RFP sought proposals from qualified organizations to provide these services in compliance with state and local regulations, such as the California Food and Agriculture Code and Penal Code sections related to animal welfare.

Only one responsive proposal came from HSSC (a long-established nonprofit since 1931, with a strong track record including a 98% live release rate, veterinary clinic, spay/neuter programs, and partnerships) in partnership with SCAS (experienced in field enforcement, with certified officers, vehicles, and handling citations/investigations). • HSSC would manage sheltering/veterinary care at its Santa Rosa facility. • Sonoma County would handle field services, licensing, and enforcement.

After receipt, staff reviewed the proposal for compliance with RFP requirements. HSSC is a well-established, donorsupported 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1931, serving Sonoma County with a mission to save lives and enhance the well-being of pets and people. The organization operates two facilities: a 33,000-square-foot campus in Santa Rosa (5345 Highway 12 West) and a smaller shelter in Healdsburg. HSSC reports assisting 2,400-2,600 unowned animals annually, maintaining a 98% live release rate through comprehensive services such as medical treatment, behavior modification, foster care, and adoptions. The Santa Rosa facility includes a community veterinary clinic, low-cost spay/neuter services, and isolation wards for contagious diseases. HSSC's staff includes 70 full-time equivalent employees and over 300 volunteers contributing 50,000 hours annually. Key leadership includes Executive Director Cynthia King, with expertise in nonprofit administration and strategic planning; Senior Director of Veterinary Medicine Dr. Ada Norris, DVM; and other directors overseeing operations, finance, development, and community programs. The organization is governed by a nine-member volunteer Board of Directors.

As subcontractor, Sonoma County brings extensive experience in animal regulation, having provided services to unincorporated Sonoma County, the City of Santa Rosa, and the City of Healdsburg since the 1960s. SCAS employs 10 certified Animal Control Officers (ACOs), all meeting California standards under Health and Safety Code Sections 26220-26230 and Penal Code 830.9, with ongoing training in cruelty investigations, rabies control, and disaster response. Their fleet of 10 vehicles complies with safe transportation requirements, including climate-controlled animal compartments. Over the past three years, SCAS has issued 2,087 citations, conducted investigations leading to 55 cases referred to the District Attorney, and managed rabies quarantines countywide.

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City Council Meeting Packet of March 17, 2026

However, after receipt of the proposal, City staff reached out to both the Humane Society of Sonoma County as well as the Sonoma County Animal Control Services Manager to negotiate the proposed rates. We have now learned that officially engaging services from Sonoma County (as subcontractor to the Humane Society) requires Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approval, after Labor Group discussion. As the Department of Health Services (DHS) oversees animal control services, as well as DHS has received requests from not just Sebastopol but other jurisdictions for services that will need to be reviewed and identified for costs overall. City staff was informed that the costs submitted in the proposal from SCAS may not be the correct proposed costs and would need further evaluation. DHS is working on providing accurate proposed costs to the Cities but this may not happen until late March or early April. The County has indicated that the costs submitted would be for a short term contract until such time that cities and County can work together for long term solutions.

City staff met with County staff as well as Town of Windsor and City of Petaluma as to how the cities can work together for immediate solutions. At this meeting, there was not a solution for an immediate solution for reasons as noted above. However, our County Administrator is working with County Counsel and County Risk Management to determine if a short 4-6 week contract could be executed for animal control services only. As of the writing of this report, that decision is not known.

The Sonoma County Mayors and Councilmembers Board heard this item at their meeting of Thursday March 12th.

There was a short discussion related to animal control but no actions were taken.

As this has been a fast paced situation, City staff has been working non stop to find a temporary solution to address the needs of the community to provide sheltering as well as animal control field services. Although not a recommendation, City staff did reach our to NBAS as to what the cost would be for transportation services only for animals from Sebastopol to the Humane Society with no other services as the City does not have vehicles for transportation of animals. As of the writing of this report there was no response.

The proposed scope of work for the Humane Society is as follows:
• HSSC will provide animal sheltering services for the City of Sebastopol at the Santa Rosa location to include the intake of stray animals, veterinary exams and intake medical treatments including vaccinations. Our goal is always to re-unite lost pets with their owners in a timely manner. The Healdsburg and Santa Rosa facilities are open 6 days per week to the public. We have adequate kennel space for temporary holds including bite quarantine holds and anticipate a high return to owner rate with the proximity of the facility to the City of Sebastopol.
• Animals requiring urgent medical services will be served at the HSSC shelter located at 5345 Hwy 12 W, Santa Rosa. Once the animal is stabilized, the animal will remain in care as advised by the veterinarian for the duration of the stray hold with the hope of reuniting the animal with their owner.

STAFF ANALYSIS:

Staff evaluated the HSSC/SCAS proposal against RFP criteria, including experience, service scope, cost, and alignment with City needs. HSSC's proven track record with Sebastopol (1998-2022) and Healdsburg demonstrates reliability. As noted above, at this time, City staff cannot consider the SCAS proposal of this contract as the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors had not approved the submittal of this proposal. Therefore, staff would recommend that the Council contract for a three-month option contract with Humane Society of Sonoma County for sheltering services as continuation of the NBAS for sheltering is not feasible as the City of Petaluma is terminating their lease agreement for NBAS to utilize the City of Petaluma Shelter Building.

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City Council Meeting Packet of March 17, 2026

City staff has also reached out to the City of Rohnert Park for animal control services but was informed that they would not be able to pick up animals but that staff would need to bring the animals to Rohnert Park. This would not be feasible as the City does not have approved vehicles for transportation of animals.

State law also requires the impoundment of stray animals. Regarding animal licenses, State and Municipal law requires dogs and cats to be licensed. Current police department staff are authorized under the approved job description to serve as the Animal Control Officer and perform all responsibilities related to animal control, including issuance of licensing, warnings, and citations. The Police Chief has advised that on a temporary basis, police department staff have capacity to absorb licensing responsibilities.

State law imposes certain requirements on the City to collect and impound stray animals as well as to license dogs and cats. If the City does not have animal control field services, it will not be in compliance with some of these requirements. Assuming that this lack of service only lasts for a limited period of time, it is unlikely to create risk of any significant fiscal liability.

OPTIONS:

Option 1. Contract with Humane Society of Sonoma County for a three month interim contract and authorizing the City Manager to extend the contract month to month if needed; have police personnel process animal licenses; but have no animal control field services until such time that the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors reviews short term proposals/costs for cities while continuing to work with Cities on long term solutions.

Option 2. Contract with Humane Society of Sonoma County for a three month interim contract and authorizing the City Manager to extend the contract month to month if needed; have police personnel process animal licenses; contract with NBAS for transportation of animal services only (no cost proposal as been received as of the writing of this report), until such time that the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors reviews short term proposals/costs for cities while continuing to work with Cities on long term solutions.

Option 3. Contract with Humane Society of Sonoma County for a three month interim contract and authorizing the City Manager to extend the contract month to month if needed; have police personnel process animal licenses; direct City Manager to continue to work on short term solutions until such time that the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors reviews short term proposals/costs for cities while continuing to work with Cities on long term solutions.

NOTE: It should be noted that the Humane Society of Sonoma County is also looking into short term emergency solutions for field services as well as the County Administrator meeting with County Counsel and Risk Management on emergency short term solutions for field services. Any updates from these discussions from either organization will be provided at the March 17th Council Meeting.

The City has also reached out to local non profits such as Dogwood as well as the Marin County Humane Society, City of Rohnert Park for transportation of animals services only if the City contracts with the Humane Society of Sonoma County. Rohnert Park and Cotati of their own CSO officers that pick up and transport animal to the Rhnert Park shelter. Staff is continuing to see out options as of the writing of this report and will have any additional updates at the March 17th meeting.

CITY COUNCIL GOALS/PRIORITIES/ AND OR GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY:

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City Council Meeting Packet of March 17, 2026

This action supports City Council Goal #3: Enhance Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, by ensuring compliant animal control services that protect residents from rabies, aggressive animals, and stray-related hazards.

It aligns with General Plan Policy CS-7: Promote animal welfare and humane treatment, through HSSC's high live release rate and community programs.

Additionally, it advances Priority #5: Fiscal Sustainability, by offsetting costs via impound fees and exploring shortterm options during budget preparation.

The partnership fosters regional collaboration, consistent with Goal #6: Strengthen Community Partnerships.

FISCAL IMPACT:

Sheltering, daily and medical care, and animal control costs are based on the Sebastopol population and historical rate of stray animals served by HSSC under the previous contract. Based on these statistics, we have estimated the number of animals, species and average length of stay to determine our sheltering, care and control costs.

The proposed annual cost for Humane Society for a shorter-term option, such as a three-month contract to bridge services until the FY 2026-27 budget is prepared and adopted (typically by June 2026), costs could be prorated at approximately $9,680.25 for three months or $3,226.75 per month (one-quarter of the annual fee), assuming similar scope and terms. The City would then continue working with the Humane Society and County to bring back long term solutions. There would also be additional costs related to field services. Because the entity providing those services has not yet been secured, the exact cost is unknown. Staff is requesting authority to expend up to $3,000.00 per month. Staff recommends a budget adjustment of $8,000 to address the remaining FY 2025–26 funding shortfall associated with the service transfer to HSSC.

Monthly Expenses
HSSC Personnel FTE Annual Hourly Annual Cost
Operation Director 5.0% 85,000 40.87 4,250
Intake Coordinator 10.0% 41,600 20.00 4,160
Adoptions Counselor 10.0% 43,680 21.00 4,368
Community Outreach Coordinator 7.5% 45,760 22.00 3,432
Animal Care Technician 14.0% 47,840 23.00 6,698
Subtotal 47% 263,880 126.87 22,908
Benefit - 25% 5,727
Total HSSC Personnel 28,635
HSSC Operations Cost
Software, Licensing and subscription 1,000
Supplies for sheltering and medical services 2,500
Utilities 1,200
Subtotal Ops 4,700
Staff + Ops 33,335
Indirect Cost 5,386
HSSC Total 38,721
COMMUNITY OUTREACH:

Agenda Item Number 9 Agenda Item Number 9
City Council Meeting Packet of March 17, 2026

This item has been noticed in accordance with the Ralph M. Brown Act and was available for public viewing and review at least 72 hours prior to the scheduled meeting date. The City has also used social media to promote and advertise the City Council Meeting Agenda Items.

As of the writing of this agenda item report, the City has not received any public comment. However, if staff receives public comment from interested parties following the publication and distribution of this agenda item report, such comments will be provided to the City Council as supplemental materials before or at the meeting.

RESTATED RECOMMENDATION:

Staff recommends that the City Council:

1. Award a three-month contract to HSSC (April 1, 2026, through June 30, 2026) at a prorated cost of approximately $9,680.25 for three months or $3,226.75 per month to provide interim services for sheltering of animals while the City prepares and adopts the FY 2026-27 budget, with authorization to City Manager to extend month to month until such time that the City, Humane Society and County find long term solution; or until such time that the contract extends beyond the City Manager’s signing authority; and

2. Authorize the City Manager to continue to work with local providers to obtain emergency services for animal control field services for an amount not to exceed $3000 per month; and

3. Authorize police personnel to process animal licenses until such time that a vendor is in place; and

4. Authorize the City Manager to notify the current provider, North Bay Animal Services (NBAS), of the City's intent to terminate the existing month-to-month agreement.

5. Approve the Resolution for Budget Amendment

CITY COUNCIL OPTION(S):

1. Reject the proposal and reissue the RFP, which could delay services and increase administrative costs. This is not recommended as the City would have no animal control and no sheltering services and would create liabilities for the City.

2. Contract with Humane Society of Sonoma County for sheltering services and continue contract for NBAS for field services until such time that the County Board of Supervisors reviews proposals/costs for SCAS to provide field services.

3. Continue with the current month-to-month agreement with NBAS, despite recent controversies and contract terminations in neighboring jurisdictions. This is not recommended as NBAS does not have sheltering services as they have lost their lease with the City of Petaluma.

ATTACHMENTS:

1. Current Contract with North Bay Animal Services (dated July 1, 2022 and 2025).

2. Proposal submitted in response to the RFP from HSSC/SCAS

3. Budget Amendment Resolution

APPROVALS:

Department Head Responsible for Agenda Item: Approval Date: 3-11-2026 CEQA Determination (Community Development/Planning): Approval Date: 3-11-2026 The proposed action is not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Administrative Services (Financial): Approval Date:

Costs authorized in City Approved Budget: ☐ Yes ☐ No ☐
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City Attorney Approval Approval Date:
3-11-2026
City Manager Approval: Approval Date:3-11-2026
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Proposal for
Sebastopol Animal Care and Control
January 27th, 2022
Provided By
North Bay Animal Services
Mark Scott, Executive Director
840 Hopper Street
Petaluma, CA 94952
Telephone, 707-762-6227
E-Mail [email protected]
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary .......................................................................

General Company Description....................................................

Animal Control Services...............................................................

Marketing Plan...............................................................................

Operational Plan ............................................................................

Management and Organization ..................................................

Budget Summary............................................................................

Staff Training..................................................................................

Scope of Services............................................................................

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Executive Summary
North Bay Animal Services (NBAS) will provide Animal Care and Control Services for stray, surrendered and injured animals for Sebastopol’s over 7,500 residents. Public services include collection and care of stray/injured animals, dog licensing, cruelty investigations, animal law enforcement, and facilitation of trap, spay/neuter and release for feral cat colonies.

NBAS works collaboratively with citizens and other entities in the cities that we serve, putting our collective years of experience to use in order to help homeless pets.

General Company Description
This California non-profit corporation provides animal services to cities in the San Francisco North Bay area. We shelter surrendered household pets, adopt them to qualified owners, respond to animal related requests and maintain the animal licensing program. We also provide Humane Education classes, and low-cost spay/neuter services.

We understand that the only services requested in Sebastopol will be for animal control and animal shelter services.

Mission Statement:

North Bay Animal Services provides high quality, comprehensive services to the community that result in fewer homeless animals, greater pet retention, and happier families.

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Business Philosophy:

Our most important resource is our people. From the Board of Directors, to the Advisory Committee, to the employees and volunteers, we all have a strong commitment to animal welfare. Each area of the organization is represented by years of service and expertise: Animal Control, Canine Training, Customer Service and Technology, Animal Veterinary Care, Volunteer Coordination, Humane Education, Community Outreach, Executive Management. This diverse group and their commitment to the industry and community make the organization flourish. NBAS is also committed to collaboration and partnerships. Within the organization, communication among staff and between staff and Board members is essential to improve programs and introduce new ones. This is essential as the organization evolves to meet the ever changing needs of the industry.

We partner with other animal welfare organizations. We can facilitate what's best for the animals (one shelter might have adopters for a particular dog breed, when we do not; we might have fosters for animals with medical needs when another shelter may not).

These established relationships allow us to expand our network in an efficient and effective way.

Fees for services provided:

Current Rate is $15,000.00 per year or $1250.00 per month Terms are for one year from date of agreed signed contract Any fees associated with this proposal collected by North Bay Animal Services are 100% percent retained by North Bay Animal Services.

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Animal Control Services
Animal Control Hours & Services
North Bay Animal Services will work at the Petaluma Animal Shelter location and provide the following services from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, excluding city recognized holidays:
• Acceptance of stray animals
• Sick or injured animals
• Assistance with dangerous animals
• Acceptance of owner surrenders for City of Sebastopol residents • Work with Sebastopol residents to reunite them with their lost pets. • Dog licensing Services
Animal Control Number
Mark Scott - Animal Control Cell 707-364-9554
Main Shelter Number 707-762-6227
After Hours Emergency
For after hour emergency calls related to sick, vicious or injured animals, please contact the Sebastopol Police Department dispatch at 707-829-4400.

Regular Animal Control Service Hours
The Animal Control officer is on-duty Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., excluding Federal recognized holidays. Animal related complaints received by the city or the police department outside of regular animal control service hours are forwarded to animal control for follow-up.

Response time During Regular Service Hours
Animal Control provides in-field response to animal medical emergencies and other emergencies involving danger to humans within 30 minutes or less during regular service hours. An Animal Control Officer will respond to non-emergency animal control issues within 24 hours of being notified during regular service hours.

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Animal Control
We will respond to residents of Sebastopol for pet related issues like Nuisance barking dogs, stray animals, and respond to animal related issues in the community. This includes off-leash pets roaming the streets, community complaints about pets and community education. Our Animal Control Officers resolve these issues in a timely fashion, delivering excellent customer service, always trying to keep the pet in the owner’s home. When necessary, animals will be housed at the shelter temporarily until the pet can be reunited with the owner.

Shelter Services
NBAS operates the Petaluma Animal Shelter at 840 Hopper St in Petaluma. We're open 9-6, Tuesday through Saturday. We house all of our animals at this facility from intake, through appropriate stray holds, providing necessary medical treatment, to final outcome (adoption or transfer or euthanasia).

We follow UC Davis Shelter Medicine care and cleaning protocols to ensure a healthy environment for the animals in our care. We have isolation space available for cats and dogs, to prevent the spread of disease.

The Petaluma Animal Shelter serves as a community resource, not only for adoptable animals, but for licensing services, educational materials, and events. Sebastopol residents would also have access to these services at this location.

Through our partnerships, we anticipate creating periodic pop up events so that Sebastopol residents can view adoptable pets, pay for their dog licenses, and stay up to date with current collateral materials.

We'd also like to propose installing a drop box for residents to pay dog licensing fees (conveniently located in town), and a rack in City Hall to distribute license applications, educational cards (prevent dogs in hot cars, window clings for emergencies) and animal control forms.

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Marketing Plan
We use social media, Facebook, Instagram and Next Door to proactively return animals to their owners. We post about lost animals and research found animal posts, trying to reunite these pets.

Website Capabilities:
• Newsletters
• Photos posted of Sebastopol strays
• Dog license processing
• Event announcements
A Compassionate Staff
Every member of our staff keeps the animals’ best interest at the forefront while delivering excellent customer service to the public. We maintain this attitude through a collaborative communication style, continued training and education and by recruiting the best in this field.

Customers
Animal Control will serve all citizens of Sebastopol, pet owners as well as those affected by pets. Our facility in Petaluma is available to house pets and is available to Redeem, Adopt or License pets.

Pricing
Pricing is set by the Sebastopol City Council – Sebastopol Fee Schedule Preferably we can adopt our Current Fee Schedule.

Location
Petaluma Animal Shelter
840 Hopper St.

Petaluma, CA 94952
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Operational Plan
One Animal Control Officers will be stationed at the Petaluma Animal shelter and our Windsor Satellite office to respond to calls during regular business hours. Our officer’s rotate for after-hours coverage.
• Patrol
• Dog licensing
• Educating the public on CMC- Sebastopol Municipal Code • Cases, complaints and follow up
The NBAS staff at the Petaluma shelter will support the Sebastopol Police Department with Dog licenses, consult on animal related issues or provide assistance to Police Activity. NBAS management will ensure that the staff maintains continued trainings (for example: CPR, sexual harassment prevention, animal care, etc. NBAS staff will also comply with officer continued training (PC 832), to stay current on weapons safety and industry standards of excellence.

Legal Environment
Business license
IRS 501(c)3 designation and registration with the California Attorney General Kennel permit
Business and property insurance.

Personnel
Executive Director
Animal Control Officer
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Management and Organization
Personnel
Mark Scott, Executive Director
Mark will oversee the daily operations. He will have direct responsibility for Animal Control functions/schedule, facilities, vehicles, adoption events, budget, finance, tax reporting, computer hardware, phones, donations, city liaison.

Mark joined Petaluma animal Services Foundation in 2012 and quickly rose through the ranks to Senior Animal Control Officer and then to Operations Supervisor. Mark successfully staff and maintained the Petaluma animal shelter and was then tasked with devising a plan to operate the Shelter Medical Department under a new proposed budget. He accomplished this by creating a relationship with a local vet while playing a pivotal role in contract negotiations. This new contract allowed animals to receive vet care five days per week, including an exam, spay or neuter, and a rabies shot. This arrangement saved animals from needless waiting and suffering.

Mark has built a solid animal control department that services the needs of the City of Petaluma, and he was also instrumental in creating a flexible animal control division for other city agencies. The Cities of Windsor, Calistoga, Healdsburg and Cloverdale, along with Petaluma were all covered by Mark. In addition, Mark has a long record of successfully dealing with hostile situations and finding solutions that ensure the safety of his fellow team members, animals and the public. He has worked extensively with partner organizations, including the Rohnert Park Animal Shelter and the Sonoma County Animal Shelter.

During the Tubbs Fire, Sonoma Count y Animal Services recruited Mark to assist with search and rescue efforts. He has also successfully set up and run disaster relief efforts, coordinating the distribution of needed supplies and working closely with the Red Cross through a mobile animal shelter. Mark specializes in applying his expertise, job knowledge, and situational awareness to create a best possible outcome.

Mark is a member of the National Animal Care & Control Association. In 2018, he was presented with Petaluma’s Service Person of the Year Award by the Argus-Courier and Chamber of Commerce.

Gina Orseth, Senior Animal Control Officer
Gina will respond to animal incidents, provide dog licensing services, and provide social media material. She has been an officer in Petaluma for the last few years. She excels at interacting with the public and diffusing tense situations. Before joining the team in Petaluma, Gina worked dispatch for San Francisco Animal Care and Control.

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Professional and Advisory Support
Robbi Lakos, Board President
Robbi works in the industry and has lived in Petaluma for 17 years with her husband Greg and 4 cats. Robbi started out volunteering at the shelter in 2015 with the cats, and shortly thereafter, she took home her first foster kitten. She has been hooked ever since! Robbi continues to volunteer at the shelter most evenings and fosters both healthy and sick cats, ranging from bottle babies to senior cats who need extra attention. Robbi and Greg have fallen in love with fostering so much that they have converted their spare bedroom into a foster room. She also volunteers at Petco adoption days and other special events. During those events, Robbi enjoys educating others about the shelter and assisting with adoptions.

Steve Reid, Board Treasurer
Steve is a long-time Petaluma resident who works at the Bay Area Air Quality Management District in San Francisco and has over 20 years of experience in the environmental field. Steve also served as a founding board member at Gilead House, a transitional housing program that began in 1999 in Novato and still serves families in need today. A life-long animal lover, Steve and his family began serving as puppy raisers for Guide Dogs for the Blind in 2008, eventually adopting the puppy they helped train after she was “career changed.” The Reids then served as foster parents for various cats and dogs from the Petaluma Animal Shelter.

Brenda Marshall, Board Secretary
Brenda has worked as an independent court reporter for the past 32 years, while also serving as a volunteer animal advocate. Specifically, Brenda has volunteered every month at the Petco spay/neuter clinics for 6 years. She began doing cat/kitten foster care in 1993 for the Rohnert Park Shelter and has done foster care for the Petaluma Animal Shelter since 1995. Brenda has taken in pregnant moms, bottle babies, kittens and cats of all ages, as well as geriatric cats with days, weeks or months to live. She is experienced with giving fluids and medications for all kinds of issues and illnesses.

Susan Simons, Board Member
Susan has been in the animal welfare profession for almost 30 years, in roles ranging from volunteer to Executive Director, and in organizations ranging from open admission shelters to private nonprofit rescue groups. Starting with Petaluma Animal Services in 1990, Susan worked with the staff to create a foster program for kittens and a mobile adoption program, while simultaneously working at the California Center for Wildlife in San Rafael as Operations Director. Susan soon became a member of the shelter staff and expanded her role, directing the foster care program, the medical program, and starting a public access TV show called “Petaluma Pets for Adoption.” In 1997, Susan went to the Pets Lifeline nonprofit in Sonoma to become Manager then Executive Director, Agenda Item Number 9 Agenda Item Number 9
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remaining there for 11 years. Susan has also worked with Forgotten Felines of Sonoma County since 1990, serving as a trapper, foster parent, and adoption counselor. Susan is currently on the Forgotten Felines’ Board of Directors and an Assistant Tech at their weekly spay/neuter clinics in Santa Rosa.

Mimi Reid, Board Member
Mimi’s work with animals began in 2008, when her family became puppy raisers for Guide Dogs for the Blind. Through this program, Mimi learned how fulfilling the human/ canine relationship can be, and she then began volunteering at the Petaluma Animal Shelter, where she walked and trained dogs several times a week. She looks forward to supporting the mission of NBAS with her graphic design, photography and dog walking skills.

Sue Davy - Communications Coordinator
Sue discovered animal welfare 10 years ago through fostering animals for Petaluma Animal Shelter, where she managed the process to move shelter operations from Cityrun to nonprofit in 2012.Her love for software and desire to have a greater impact took her to a job with the largest animal management software company in the industry. Sue has successfully managed projects and led groups to meet goals that they thought were unattainable. Her calm leadership inspires confidence and teamwork, and she is a mentor to staff at all levels, leading through example
Advisory Board
Sheri Cardo – Public Relations/Political Advisory
Shirley Zindler – Animal Control
Insurance Agent
Leslie Dodds
Insurance Broker
McDonald-Leavitt Insurance Agency, Inc.
2800 Cleveland Ave. #D
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
707.284.5912 phone
707.284.5990 fax
Bank
Summit State Bank
100 Petaluma Blvd S.

Petaluma, Ca 94952
707-283-1120
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City Council Meeting Packet of March 17, 2026

Budget Summary
Budget 2022 - Sebastopol

BUDGET SUMMARY REPORT
North Bay Animal Services
Budget Summary Monthly
Targets YTD Targets
Income Breakdown:

City Contract Fee $1250 $15,000.00
License Fees (Est.) TBD TBD
Shelter Services TBD TBD
Expense Breakdown:

Admin / Social Media / Animal Medical $100.00 $1200.00
Officer On Call $70.000 $840.00
Employee Salaries / Medical (Estimated Percentage) $500.00 $6,000.00 Printing Services $35.00 $420.00
Fuel Cost $250 $3000.00
Postage $35.00 $420.00
Accounting Fees $60.00 $720.00
Balance Sheet Summary (Mark's Suggested) Monthly
Targets YTD Targets
Income $1250.00 $15,000.00
Expenses $1050.00 $12,600.00
Budget Difference $200 $2,400.00
**Note
Employee salaries and medical are calculated at a percentage rate Animal care and medical expenses are included in these rates Agenda Item Number 9 Agenda Item Number 9
City Council Meeting Packet of March 17, 2026

Animal Control Officer Training Requirements
PC 832 Arrest Certification (40-Hours)
This course fulfills the requirements of Section 832 of the Penal Code as mandated by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST).

Topics Include:
• Leadership,
• Professionalism, & Ethics
• Criminal Justice System
• Policing in the Community
• Introduction to Criminal
• Law Laws of Arrest
• Search and Seizure
• Presentation of Evidence
• Investigative Report Writing
• Use of Force*
• Preliminary Investigation
• Arrest Methods/Defensive Tactics
• Crimes Against the Justice System
• Cultural Diversity/Discrimination
**Animal Control Officers that successfully pass the PC 832 Couse then receive 12 weeks of on the job training at NBAS.

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City Council Meeting Packet of March 17, 2026

Animal Control Officer Training Requirements
PC 832 Firearms Certification (24-Hours) 450 Rounds
This course fulfills the requirements of Section 832 of the Penal Code as mandated by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) for agencies authorizing the use of firearms.

Firearm Topics Include:
• Care and maintenance
• Function
• Safety
• Shooting positions
• Fundamentals.
**An accuracy test is required for successful course completion. **A criminal history check is required by state law (13511.5 PC) for non-law enforcement agency personnel. Information provided upon class reservation. **Animal Control Officer’s that successfully pass the PC 832 Couse then receive 12 weeks of on the job training at NBAS.

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City Council Meeting Packet of March 17, 2026

SCOPE OF SERVICES
Animal Regulation Services: Contractor will provide in-field animal control services within the City boundaries. Field services will include, but are not limited to: response to requests for service from the Sebastopol Police Department, citizen complaints, Dog license compliance, barking dogs, dangerous or vicious animals and bite investigations.

More specifically, the contractor's duties will include, but are not limited to the following:

Regular Animal Control Service Hours: Animal Control hours will be Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., excluding City recognized holidays. Animal related complaints received by the City or the police department outside of regular animal control service hours will be forwarded to the contractor for follow-up.

Response time During Regular Service Hours: Contractor will provide in-field response to animal medical emergencies and other emergencies involving danger to humans within (30) minutes or less during regular service hours. Contractor will respond to non-emergency animal control issues within (24) hours of being notified during regular service hours.

Animal Control Officer: Contractor shall employ as Animal Control Officers only those certified under Penal Code section 832. Contractor will maintain all training records.

Animal Control Officers will qualify with the use of their approved firearms on a quarterly basis. The use of firearms is limited to field euthanasia of animals.

Impoundment: Impound all Animals picked up at large and collect such impound fees as may be established from time to time by resolution of the City Council. All animals suspected to be rabid and/or that have bitten a person or other animal shall be impounded and handled as prescribed in Chapter 6.08 of the Sebastopol Municipal Code.

Return of Impounded Animals: Contractor should return any lost/stray animal (impounded by field personnel) to the rightful owner in the field, when possible and subject to the payment of impound fees.

Calls for Service Routing: Contractor will handle and dispatch all calls for service received for appropriate animal related services during the normal business hours of the shelter. After hours calls for service will be forwarded to the on-call Animal Control Officer.

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Animal Bites: Contractor will investigate reported bites by animals. Contractor shall respond in person to all reported bites by dogs or suspect rabid or wild animals. As part of this response, Contractor shall contact and interview the bite victim(s) (or the victim's parent(s) or guardian(s) in the case of a minor) as part of the bite investigation procedure. Bite reports shall indicate who reported the bite incident to the City.

Contractor will also provide the police department with a copy of all animal bite reports within one (1) week of occurrence if requested. SPD shall investigate and assist as necessary.

Nuisance Animal Complaints: Contractor will respond to and process nuisance animal complaints.

Dead Animals: Contractor will accept from the City for disposal, pursuant to established policy, the remains of domestic and small wild animals. The remains of large livestock, such as horses, bovines or sheep, or large wild or native animals are excluded from this responsibility. Contractor will accept and pick up the remains of deer.

Livestock: Contractor's services with respect to livestock are limited to placing the animal back into a corral, if possible, and issuing a citation to the owner. All other matters will be relayed to CPD or other appropriate entity depending on the circumstances.

Trapping: Contractor shall assist City residents in removal of domestic or wild Animals from privately owned traps within twenty four (24) hours of being so notified.

Contractor may charge a fee if an Animal Control Officer is required to pick-up a trapped animal. Depending on trap availability, assist City residents in setting of trapping and removal, of domestic and wild Animals from public and private property within seven (7) days, as allowed by law.

Licenses for Dogs: Contractor shall provide full dog-licensing services, including license enforcement activity. Contractor shall charge fees and costs, remit monies, and maintain records with regards to animals received by it under the terms of the Agreement and consistent with the provisions of the Sebastopol Municipal Code relating to fees and charges. Such fees and charges will be retained by Contractor.

Issuance of Warnings and Citations: Contractor will enforce all appropriate animal control and care related provisions of the Sebastopol Municipal Code including the issuance of warning notices or citations as necessary for violations of the provisions the Municipal Code or State law.

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Criminal Prosecutions: Contractor will forward any criminal investigation cases in which prosecutions are sought through the CPD records unit to the County District Attorney's Office or other appropriate judicial review. Contractor shall follow all established report preparation protocols and shall receive training from CPD as needed.

Administrative hearings and court testimony: Contractor shall make appropriate Animal Control Officers available to attend and testify in court or administrative hearings as outlined in title 6 of the Sebastopol Municipal Code or as a result of a criminal subpoena issued by a recognized court of justice. Costs for the appearances of Animal Control Officers in court or hearings shall be the responsibility of the contractor.

Complaints: The City and Contractor shall designate a primary and alternate contact person for the purpose of addressing complaints. All complaints received by the City that require a response from the Contractor shall be made by telephone and/or electronic mail to the designated contact persons for the two Parties. An electronic mail response will be made by the Contractor within two (2) business days as to the resolution or ongoing response on the matter.

Enforcement Radios: Contractor will be provided three SPD patrol radios in order to make emergency requests for police assistance. Contractor shall ensure any and all employees utilizing police radios have received proper training from SPD in the use and care of the equipment. Radios shall only be issued to the Animal Control Officers and the Director.

After Hours Animal Control: Contractor will provide "on call” emergency response, to any situation involving animal medical emergencies or danger to humans, upon being requested by the Sebastopol Police Department, within (60) minutes, during any hours outside of regular animal control service hours.

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City Council Meeting Packet of March 17, 2026

Shelter Services: Contractor shall provide full shelter services to all persons residing within the Sebastopol city limits. These services will include, but are not limited to:
sheltering abandoned, unwanted or stray animals, adoptions, pre-adoption spays and neuters, animal licensing, and euthanasia
Contractor shall operate and maintain a shelter facility in the city of Petaluma and will provide for the following services from 9:00a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, excluding City recognized holidays:

1. Acceptance of stray animals from the City of Sebastopol

2. Spay and Neuter of all unaltered animals prior to adoption.

3. Euthanasia of animals who are irremediably suffering or which pose a danger to the community.

4. Acceptance of owner surrenders for City of Sebastopol residents by appointment and as space allows.
a. Whenever possible, our goal is to help pets and their owners remain together.

Understanding that pet relinquishment is not the preferred outcome, contractor will support Sebastopol residents wanting to re-home their pets by first providing resources which allow the pet to remain in their home (training assistance, pet food pantry support, adoption-by-owner toolkit).

Shelter Business Hours: Contractor will maintain a shelter that is open to the public from 9:00a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Sunday, excluding City recognized holidays. Adoption hours shall be from 1:00 p.m. through 5:30 p.m. which allows for morning feed and clean time prior to public viewing. Contractor shall receive stray animals from residents of Sebastopol during business hours.

Proper Care and Treatment: The best possible care and treatment shall be given to all animals held in possession of the contractor. Adequate food shall be provided and the shelter shall not be overpopulated. The shelter shall provide means for isolation, not permitting the public to have access or visits, of animals with Police holds, quarantines, or pets held in protective custody that will not expose other sheltered animals to risk.

The shelter shall have adequate number of dog kennels and cat cages. The animal shelter shall be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition. City staff reserves the right to enter and inspect the premises during regular business hours for the purpose of inspecting the facilities for the conditions above.

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City Council Meeting Packet of March 17, 2026

Housing of Animals: Contractor shall be solely responsible for the costs associated with the care and feeding of animals for any time periods beyond the minimum impoundment periods established in the Sebastopol Municipal Code C. Other Related Services:

Training: In the course of operating the shelter and providing animal control services, contractor shall assign personnel that are trained, qualified and authorized to administer and/or enforce all laws, rules and regulations; operate all necessary equipment, have the ability to recognize animal breeds, diseases and injuries, and shall be competent to administer first aid to animals in the field. Contractor shall ensure that each Contractor employee assigned to the City of Sebastopol is trained and currently certified, or will be certified within 60 days, in accordance with state standards. Contractor will ensure that personnel maintain required certifications and maintain that status through the required continuing education credits.

Documenting of Case Files: The Contractor will maintain and update all Animal Control case files.

Customer Service Levels: Contractor shall assist the City in the development of a customer service survey for Animal Control activities. In the event that the City implements a customer service survey, the responses received on the performance of Contractor must demonstrate the Contractor is fostering and maintaining harmonious relationships with the members of City Council, employees of the City, employees of the City's contract services providers and City businesses, residents, customers and is representing the City in the best light possible to members of the public, staff, elected and appointed officials and media.

Personnel, Supplies and Equipment: The Contractor at their expense shall provide all personnel, supplies, medications and pharmaceuticals, vehicles and equipment necessary for the efficient and effective operation of Animal Field Services, including, but not limited to Animal Control Officers,
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City Council Meeting Packet of March 17, 2026

Agenda Item Number 9 Agenda Item Number 9
City Council Meeting Packet of March 17, 2026

Date: 05/21/2025
To: Sean McDonagh
Chief of Police
City of Sebastopol
From: Mark Scott
Executive Director
North Bay Animal Services
Re: Animal Services Contract Renewal
Our current contract ends July 1st, 2024, with a possible 1-year extension.

Recently we have contracted with some of the surrounding cities for 10-year contracts which allow us to connect with the community and added a cost savings to the city.

We propose the following options for renewal.

The current contract is $15,750 Per year or $1312.50 Per month

1. 1 - Year - Contact as it is written with 10% increase Total $ 17,325 Per Year / $1443.75 Per Month

2. 5 - Year - Contact as it is written with 20% increase Total $ 18,900 Per Year / $1575.00 Per Month

3. 10 -Year - Contact as it is written with 30 % increase Total $ 20,475 Per Year /$1706.25 Per Month Note**
Totals are fixed amounts. There will not be any additional increases per year for the length of the contract.

Mark Scott
Executive Director
North Bay Animal Services
840 Hopper St. Petaluma, CA 94952
Wk.: 707-762-6227
Cell: 707-364-9554
[email protected]
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Response to Request for Proposals
City of Sebastopol
Animal Control Services
Prepared for:

Chief Sean McDonagh Sebastopol Police Department City of Sebastopol
Submitted by:

Cynthia King
Executive Director
Humane Society of Sonoma County
and
Brian Whipple
Operations Manager
Sonoma County Animal Services
Submitted: February 16, 2026
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City Council Meeting Packet of March 17, 2026

1 Humane Society of Sonoma County
Proposal for Animal Sheltering and Field Services for City of Sebastopol Table of Contents
Executive Summary p.2
HSSC Background p.2
Overview of HSSC p.3
HSSC Staff and Management p.4
HSSC Board of Directors p.6
Scope of Work p.7
Shelter Services p.7
Responses to Additional Questions for Animal Control Services p.13 Attachments:

Sonoma County Animal Services Proposal
SCAS ACO Certificates
SCAS Documentation of Citations Issued
HSSC Reporting Examples – Narrative and Statistical
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City Council Meeting Packet of March 17, 2026

2 Proposal for Animal Sheltering and Field Services for the City of Sebastopol Executive Summary
The Humane Society of Sonoma County (HSSC) is pleased to respond to the City of Sebastopol’s request for proposal to provide animal care and sheltering services as well as animal control services provided by our subcontractor Sonoma County Animal Services (SCAS). HSSC and SCAS are both highly respected animal welfare organizations dedicated to providing hope and homes for animals in need across Sonoma County as well as providing a safety net for our community.

HSSC was established in 1931 and has a rich history and passion for animal welfare. HSSC has proven experience providing sheltering services, having maintained a highly successful contract with the City of Sebastopol from 1998 to 2022 years and the City of Healdsburg for the last 9 years.

Collaboration with other animal welfare organizations is a strength shared by HSSC and SCAS. Both HSSC and SCAS work with other shelters and rescues in the North Bay with a shared goal of a better outcome for the animals in our collective communities. The strength of these partnerships is crucial for disaster preparedness.

HSSC and SCAS take a community-based approach to animal welfare, addressing the varying needs of the animals, their guardians, and their communities. Combining the expertise of these two organizations will provide The City of Sebastopol with the full scope of services for animal care, control, and sheltering.

HSSC Background
HSSC is a donor-supported compassionate haven for animals. Each year we assist an average of 2,400-2600, unowned animals in need. Our guiding mission is to save lives and benefit the wellbeing of pets and their people with kindness, innovation and leadership. We take great pride in our 98% live release rate. In order to maintain it we invest in a comprehensive set of wraparound services including expert medical treatment and oversight, staff and volunteer care and rehabilitation, daily enrichment activities, positive reinforcement training and behavior modification, volunteer foster care, adoption outreach programs, and key rescue partnerships.

HSSC is known for its robust medical services and is often asked by local partners to aid in medical cases that might otherwise end in euthanasia.

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3 HSSC employs 4 Veterinarians, 5 RVTs and 5 Veterinary assistants, in addition we have numerous other animal care technicians, adoption staff, dog and cat behavior and training staff and administration.

At our Santa Rosa campus, we provide a Community Veterinary Clinic in addition to our shelter veterinary services and, with the support of a Community Foundation grant, operate a low-cost public spay and neuter clinic. Our Community Veterinary Clinic is the only non-profit hospital in the county, providing high quality care on a sliding income scale to serve Sonoma County pet owners who might not otherwise be able to afford veterinary care for their companion animals, thereby keeping them healthy, stable in a loving home, and preventing their entry into our shelter system.

Our shelter medicine department provides a wide range of veterinary services. All shelter animals receive a thorough examination and customized treatment designed to ensure their health and wellbeing. The clinic includes isolation wards and individually contained dog runs for the treatment of contagious diseases. The animals are micro-chipped, vaccinated and spayed or neutered prior to adoption.

Routine and emergency medical treatments are provided to those who are sick or injured. Having access to immediate veterinary services helps our animals get adopted faster, keeping our median length of stay to 12 days.

Our combined shelter population consists of stray animals, transfers from other rescue organizations, and owner surrenders. Our Santa Rosa shelter houses up to 230 animals, and our Healdsburg shelter houses an average of 30 animals; however, we routinely expand our capacity via volunteer foster homes. During kitten season, it is not uncommon for HSSC to have 300+ animals housed and cared for offsite. HSSC is also under contract with the City of Healdsburg for stray impounds.

Our operating budget is supported by fee-for-service revenues in addition to donations, grants and bequests. HSSC has significant support through the financial contributions of over 5600 active donors. Through these diverse revenue streams, HSSC is financially stable and committed to staying so, as is evidenced by our annual audited financial statements. HSSC also holds the Independent Charities of America Seal of Excellence for fiscal accountability and has been publicly recognized for its successes through numerous awards and honors. These donations are needed to cover the costs of our expansive care, including shelter operations, medicine, and staffing. We are not able to sustainably subsidize contract services with donations, other than administrative oversight.

Overview of HSSC
The Humane Society of Sonoma County is an independent 501c3 nonprofit organization. Established in 1931, HSSC serves the County of Sonoma, population 488,860. Shelter Services are provided at two locations in Santa Rosa and Healdsburg while community services are provided across the county.

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4 The HSSC Santa Rosa facility is situated on 9+ acres located at 5345 Hwy 12 West in Santa Rosa. Completed in 2004, services are provided in a 33,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility. It includes the county’s only community veterinary clinic, a low-cost spay and neuter clinic, free and low-cost vaccine clinics, dog training facilities, Humane Education Camps, grooming facility and adoption center. Once the animals complete the intake process, they spend their days in a comfortable room rather than cages.

The HSSC Healdsburg Campus sits on 3.75 acres located at 555 Westside Road in Healdsburg. Completed in 2016, services include shelter intake and basic medical care, holding areas for stray dogs and cats, “Kitty City” (a state of the art community cat room), multiple outdoor dog exercise runs, a community room for public and private use, dog training classes, and an adoption center where the majority of animals spend their days in comfortable rooms rather than cages.

The Humane Society of Sonoma County’s workforce includes 70 full time equivalent employees and over 300 active volunteers collectively donating over 50,000 volunteer hours annually between the Healdsburg and Santa Rosa locations. HSSC is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors with 9 members.

HSSC Staff and Management
Cynthia King, Executive Director
Cynthia brings a rich history of nonprofit administration, government work and funding, and social service relationships to the organization. Through work in county and non-profit agencies over the past 20 years she has developed expertise in program development, data analysis, inter-agency collaboration, and strategic planning for sustainable outcomes that amplify the wellbeing of all. With years of experience in human service and master’s degrees in social work and public health from UC Berkeley, Cynthia’s work ethic is grounded in compassion, empathy, and connection, and steeped in values of love, joy, and justice. Her training and experience position her perfectly to amplify and propel HSSC’s mission into a new era of protection for animals and the human/animal bond. As a practitioner coach with Radical Transformational Leadership for Social Impact, she brings an exciting new level of leadership to the organization that has energized and inspired our staff.

Dr. Ada Norris, DVM, Senior Director of Veterinary Medicine Dr. Ada Norris serves as Medical Director at the Humane Society of Sonoma County, overseeing shelter medicine, the high-volume Spay/Neuter Clinic, and the Community Veterinary Clinic, which provides slidingscale medical, dental, and surgical care for pets in need. She also currently serves as President of the Redwood Empire Veterinary Medical Association and maintains Type II USDA accreditation as well as Agenda Item Number 9 Agenda Item Number 9
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5 training in disaster response. Before joining HSSC, she practiced mixed animal medicine and surgery in rural Oregon. Dr. Norris earned her DVM from Cornell University, where she trained with the Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program.

Priscilla Locke, Senior Director of Development & Communications Priscilla joined HSSC in October of 2018. Her background includes extensive experience in fundraising, board development, marketing, communications, public relations and performance improvement. Originally from the East Coast, Priscilla has been a Sonoma County resident since 1986. Her HSSC alums, cats Stanley and Francine and dog Harvey, kindly allow her to share their Santa Rosa home. A lifelong animal lover and animal welfare advocate, Priscilla feels honored to be part of an organization with such an amazing legacy and grateful to serve our community alongside such an extraordinary team.

Erica Munsel, Senior Director of Finance & Compliance
Prior to joining HSSC in the fall of 2023, Erica was the Finance Director for a national nonprofit focused on financial counseling and education. Previously, she worked as an auditor with a focus on nonprofit clients.

She has a master’s degree in accounting from UC Davis and is a licensed CPA. Erica loves animals and is very excited to be part of the HSSC team. She currently lives in Santa Rosa with her husband and pets: Golden Retriever, Poppy, and two cats, Opal and Hazel. Erica enjoys hiking, taking her dog to the beach, Frisbee golfing, and trying local breweries.

Karrie Stewart, RVT, Senior Director of Operations & Programs Karrie has been in veterinary medicine since 2010. She has a BS Business Admin from Cal State Northridge has been a Registered Veterinary Technician since 2014. Karrie has worked in shelter medicine, private practice and corporate practice veterinary hospitals throughout Sonoma County and Marin over the last several years. Previously she has been a technician supervisor for VCA Animal Hospitals before joining HSSC as the manager of the Healdsburg Shelter in 2019. She served over 5 years as our Healdsburg shelter manager and currently oversees multiple departments as our Senior Director of Operations and Programs.

She has also served as Adjunct Faculty Instructor for the Veterinary Technician program at Santa Rosa Junior College for 7 years. Karrie has been a resident of Windsor since 1997 where all three of her children attended Windsor public schools. She enjoys spending time with her family and cat.

Meagan Cirivello, Director of Community Programs
Meagan’s animal welfare journey began at a small humane society in Butte County in 2015. Her career experience includes companion animal rescue, small and large animal disasters and emergency response, low-cost spay/neuter and farm animal rescue. She joined HSSC many years ago, first serving as our Adoptions Program Manager, then as our Shelter Manager before becoming our Director of Community Programs. Her commitment to animal welfare and working in the shelter environment stems from her love Agenda Item Number 9 Agenda Item Number 9
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6 for both animals and people. She’s especially passionate about keeping pets in their home with their people and is so excited about HSSC’s community programs. Meagan lives in Santa Rosa with her husband Eliot, their daughter, and their four rescued pets: Maia, a lab mix (pictured) and three cats, Snickers, Bean and Poe.

Tressa Fessenden McKenzie, KPA-CTF, Director of Shelter Operations Tressa is a Sonoma County native and attended the University of California in Santa Cruz. Tressa attended the Karen Pryor Academy’s Dog Trainer Professional program in 2016, became a licensed Family Paws Parent Educator in 2018, and worked for several years as a dog trainer and daycare provider. She previously worked at HSSC in the Behavior & Training Department before relocating to Sacramento and working as the Behavior Specialist at the Sacramento SPCA for two years. In 2021 she moved to Oakland to take on the Behavior and Training Manager role at East Bay SPCA. Tressa is thrilled to return to her hometown along with her husband, two children, two dogs, and cat.

HSSC Board of Directors
Kati Aho, Board President
Kati is retired from the Earle Baum Center of the Blind where she was the Director of Operations and Programs. The EBC is a local community center and school for people with sight loss. Prior to the EBC, her focus was in the electronics industry. She was the COO at a small startup and was with Hewlett Packard/Agilent Technologies for 24 years. Kati is a native Californian, born and raised in the Sebastopol area, and a graduate of USF with a BS in Informational Systems Management. Kati is a member of the Santa Rosa and Montgomery Village Lions Club and a Board member of the Redwood Lions Memorial Foundation.

Her passion focuses on organizational development and the creation of synergistic, self-managed work teams. Kati is an avid SCUBA diver and animal lover.

Kelly Stromgren, Board Treasurer
Kelly was born and raised in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, eventually migrating west to the “City by the Bay”. She entered the world of Wall Street when she relocated to Santa Rosa in the late 80’s and is a Financial Advisor with Stifel, Nicolaus & Company. She lives with her husband Brent and their miracle cat Cabo, who is a cancer survivor. Kelly’s quest for a dog brought her to HSSC as a volunteer dog walker because Cabo was just not interested in sharing her home with a dog. Along with her passion for animals, she is an avid golfer and a self-proclaimed DIYer. In addition, she is a past member of the Active 20-30 Club of the Redwood Empire.

HSSC Board Members
Sandy Chute, Kate Devine, Steve Maass, Eric M Marton, Karen Milman, M.D., Mark Rubins, John Sawyer Agenda Item Number 9 Agenda Item Number 9
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7 Scope of Work
The Scope of Work contained in this proposal will be performed jointly between the Humane Society of Sonoma County (HSSC) as it applies to animal care and sheltering and Sonoma County Animal Services (SCAS), which will perform the Animal Regulation Services portion of the contract as a subcontractor to HSSC. Administrative Services will be provided by both entities as appropriate.

HSSC will provide animal sheltering services for the City of Sebastopol at the Santa Rosa location to include the intake of stray animals, veterinary exams and intake medical treatments including vaccinations. Animal regulation and licensing services will be provided by our subcontractor SCAS. Our goal is always to re-unite lost pets with their owners in a timely manner. The Healdsburg and Santa Rosa facilities are open 6 days per week to the public. We have adequate kennel space for temporary holds including bite quarantine holds and anticipate a high return to owner rate with the proximity of the facility to the City of Sebastopol.

Animals requiring urgent medical services will be served at the HSSC shelter located at 5345 Hwy 12 W, Santa Rosa. Once the animal is stabilized, the animal will remain in care as advised by the veterinarian for the duration of the stray hold with the hope of reuniting the animal with their owner.

Proposed Annual Contract Fee Schedule
Sheltering, daily and medical care, and animal control costs are based on the Sebastopol population and historical rate of stray animals served by HSSC under the previous contract. Based on these statistics, we have estimated the number of animals, species and average length of stay to determine our sheltering, care and control costs.

Please see monthly and annual fees in response to RFP Question #11.

Shelter Services
HSSC operates animal shelters in both Santa Rosa and Healdsburg and will provide animal care and sheltering services for Sebastopol animals at our existing facility in Santa Rosa, to include:
✓ Facilities for the acceptance of the City of Sebastopol stray companion animals, including but not limited to: dogs, cats, rabbits, mice, pet rats, guinea pigs. ✓ Off-hours access to interior drop-off kennels will be available to SCAS and Sebastopol Police department, to bring any stray companion animals.

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8 ✓ Acceptance of strays from City Of Sebastopol residents between 10:00am – 5:00pm Tuesday-Sunday at our Santa Rosa location.
✓ Hold all strays for the legally mandated stray period. ✓ Work with Sebastopol residents to reunite them with their lost pets. ✓ If strays are not redeemed by their owners, HSSC will move forward with adoption or transfer of companion animals through its own adoption and rescue programs. ✓ Sebastopol residents will be given an appointment date to surrender their companion animal(s) as space and resources allow. HSSC will then move forward with adoption or transfer of the animals through its own adoption and rescue programs.
✓ Veterinary treatment will be provided at our hospital for all animals under our care, including but not limited to: broken bones, skin issues, eye problems, heartworm, hernia, ringworm, arthritis, dental disease, heart murmur, upper respiratory infection, and animals who are too young to be placed through adoption.
✓ Provide means for isolation, quarantines, and pets held in protective custody. ✓ Spay/neuter surgeries for all animals requiring sterilization, prior to their adoption. ✓ HSSC standardized behavior assessments will be implemented for all adoptable animals used to help make the best possible adoption matches.
✓ Foster training and adoption counseling will be provided to ensure suitability and compatibility of the animal being fostered or adopted.
✓ Rabies vaccinations will be given to all dogs and cats at 3 months of age or older in our care with an approved Rabies vaccine unless other valid proof of current rabies vaccination is provided. ✓ All animals will be microchipped prior to adoption.
✓ Animal Impoundment will be within the guidelines set forth by the Food and Agriculture Code 3 1 105, 3 1107, 3 1108, 3 1752.
✓ Humane euthanasia for animals deemed suffering by a veterinarian or animals who have demonstrated aggression which would put the community at risk per the Food and Agriculture Code 3 1105, 3 1107, 3 1108, 3 1752.5, and Penal Code sections 597f and 597.1 ✓ Any exotic animals, livestock or wildlife shall be referred to the specific rescue organization that handles such animals. If temporary holding cannot be facilitated at SCAS, the exotic, livestock, or wildlife animal will be held at the Humane Society at their discretion.

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9 Administrative Services
Proposed Impound and Redemption Fee Schedule: See Exhibit B Business Services: HSSC staff is prepared to answer business-related questions for walk-in and phone-in customers, process impoundments in cooperation with SCAS adoptions, payments, rabies certification, bite reports and case documentation.

Billing: Monthly invoice for service will be sent to the City of Sebastopol Customer Service Levels: HSSC is a service organization, and we pride ourselves on bringing a high level of customer service to our community, including the animals entrusted to our care, our volunteers, donors, rescue partners and staff. We work with County, City and Town officials, the media, business partners, and countless members of our community. We have been voted the Best Animal Hospital, Best Fundraising Event, and Best Summer Camp in the Bohemian for 2025, Best Local Pet Services in Northbay Biz for 2025 and Best Dog Trainer in the Press Democrat’s 2025 Readers’ Choice Poll – honors which demonstrate our high level of human and animal customer service.

Animal Control Complaints: See Field Services
State Mandated Bite Reports: Prepare and submit State Mandated Bite Reports per Title 17, California Code of Regulations Section 2606.4(4). Bite reports shall indicate who reported the bite incident.

Staff Training: HSSC hires and maintains highly qualified staff. In addition, we provide training for both staff and volunteers and strive for continuous improvement in our protocols, practices, and procedures. Human and animal safety is our priority; we conduct regular internal safety training. Our staff is trained in best practices:
how to properly handle animals, treat them with care and recognize medical issues requiring the attention of veterinary staff. Professional staff is required to maintain their certifications and continuing education credits.

Disaster Preparedness: HSSC maintains an updated emergency/disaster response plan in coordination with our local partners and agrees to implement it promptly to relocate all animals in our care in the event of a natural disaster unless the danger to human life is too great. HSSC maintains good working relationships with other local and out-of-area rescue organizations that can and have worked with HSSC for emergency assistance. Animals can be relocated for two purposes: In the event of an evacuation, we will safely and promptly relocate all animals in our care to other rescues as appropriate. If not evacuated, we can relocate adoptable animals to other shelter/rescue groups to make room to serve stray and lost animals in need due to disaster within the local communities we serve, with the hope of reuniting them with their owners.

Agenda Item Number 9 Agenda Item Number 9
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10 In the case of a local emergency or disaster, we will work with local government agencies, first responders, and regional law enforcement to assist. Both HSSC and SCAS employ digital animal management systems which are secure and accessible to staff and management in the event of an emergency.

Personnel, Supplies and Equipment: HSSC agrees to provide at our expense all personnel, supplies, medications and pharmaceuticals, vehicles and equipment necessary for the efficient and effective operation of shelter animal services, including but not limited to clerical staff and medical staff. The animal control subcontractor (SCAS) will be responsible to provide personnel, supplies, vehicles and equipment related to animal control services, license tags and forms, citation forms, notices and all necessary envelopes and postage.

Statistical and Narrative Information: HSSC and SCAS agree to provide a quarterly report that includes the following:
• Number of Sebastopol strays taken in by HSSC
• Number of Sebastopol strays reclaimed
• Duration of stay for all Sebastopol animals
• Number of DOA stray animals that were cremated
• Number of Sebastopol animals adopted and date of adoption • Number of Sebastopol stray animals transferred to other area rescues • Any other statistical information requested by the City of Sebastopol Marketing: HSSC has a comprehensive marketing plan including marketing fundamentals, fundraising strategies, adoption promotion, social media, website management, and media relations. These plans are designed to facilitate the animal services mission and to protect the health and safety of people and animals.

Website: HSSC will maintain an updated page on our website to provide Sebastopol residents with information pertaining to City animal control regulations and fees, adoption procedures, calendar of events (i.e. spay/neuter clinics, vaccine clinics, adoption events, etc.), operating hours, emergency contact information, and other pertinent information.

Program Management / HSSC Community Programs
Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Clinic: HSSC offers a low-cost public spay/neuter clinic currently operating five days per week. The program is donor- and grant-funded, providing low-cost spay and neuter services to families who cannot otherwise afford veterinary services.

Community Veterinary Clinic: HSSC believes the best place for pets is with the families who love them. The goal of our Community Veterinary Clinic (CVC) is to provide compassionate veterinary care in a welcoming, Agenda Item Number 9 Agenda Item Number 9
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11 nonjudgmental environment for low-income pet owners. The CVC provides veterinary exams, medical treatment, diagnostics, surgery, dentistry, other anesthetic procedures, and euthanasia.

Pet Food Pantry: HSSC provides free pet food through our pet food pantry four days per week. Our Pet Food Pantry provides free dog and cat food to local pet owners when they need a little extra help caring for their beloved pets. This service is supplied only through donations and is proving essential, now more than ever, due to rising costs and uncertain times.

Vaccine Clinic: HSSC provides a free vaccine clinic four times monthly, alternating between our two campuses.

We currently provide free FVRCP for cats, DAPP for dogs, and free microchipping. We plan to offer a wider range of services at these clinics in 2026.

Humane Youth Education: Children and teens who engage in activities that teach compassion and empathy build a more humane future. HSSC offers a variety of programs that not only educate children and teens about compassion, responsibility, respect, safety and care of animals, but also foster a spirit of cooperative team building, community commitment, and the human-animal bond. Each program is designed with age-appropriate lessons and activities that promote critical thinking, teamwork, patience and kindness toward all living things.

Summer day camps, winter camps, youth volunteer programs, and junior camp counselors are all exciting ways HSSC provides opportunities for young people to get involved and become knowledgeable in the animal field.

Dog Training Classes: We understand the importance of building a lasting bond through a number of exciting classes, workshops, and socialization groups available at both the Healdsburg and Santa Rosa Campuses. HSSC provides a safe, positive form of training that will help foster a healthy relationship between an owner and their dog.

Volunteer Program: HSSC engages over 600 active volunteers collectively donating over 50,000 volunteer hours annually between the Healdsburg and Santa Rosa locations. HSSC holds volunteer orientations every six weeks.

Outreach Program: HSSC averages 8–10 outreach activities per month, or approximately 100 per year, including presentations, fundraisers others hold on our behalf, health fairs, business and service club events, and more.

Exhibit A: Current Awards and Recognition
Agenda Item Number 9 Agenda Item Number 9
City Council Meeting Packet of March 17, 2026

12 Exhibit B: Impound fee schedule
Impound Fees
Animal Type 1st Impound 2nd Impound 3rd Impound
Dog / Cat $100 $150 $200
Rabbit $40 $50 $60
Rabbit (Quarantine) $100 — —
Daily Boarding Fees
Animal Type Fee per Day
Dog $25
Cat $15
Rabbit $10
️ Euthanasia Fees/Cremation and Disposal
Animal Type Fee
Dog / Cat $75
Small Companion Animal (e.g., rabbit, hamster, guinea pig, mouse, rat, bird) $30 Agenda Item Number 9 Agenda Item Number 9
City Council Meeting Packet of March 17, 2026

13 Response to City of Sebastopol
Additional RFP Questions for Animal Control Services

1. Animal Control Vehicles & Equipment (SCAS)
a) Vehicle Compliance:
i. Please describe your fleet and how they meet any applicable animal control code requirements (including heat and A/C requirements).

All Sonoma County Animal Services (SCAS) vehicles are compliant with CA Health and Safety Code 122390 Safe Transportation of Dogs and Cats which requires public animal control agencies, shelters, Humane Societies, and rescue groups shall not endanger the health or well-being of an animal due to heat, cold, lack of adequate ventilation, lack of food or water, or other circumstances that could reasonably be expected to cause suffering, disability, or death to the animal.

All 10 SCAS animal control vehicles are set up with Red Dot heating and cooling units that provide heating and cooling to the animal transport areas. The temperatures are monitored from inside the cab of the vehicle to ensure the safe and comfortable transport of animals. The transport areas are also equipped with vents that can be opened or closed manually.

2. Veterinary Care Capacity & Cost Control (HSSC)
a) Veterinary Staffing Model:
i. Do you employ on-site veterinarians or contract externally? If external, identify hospitals, hours of availability, cost controls and explain how this model operates in your facility.

Our Santa Rosa campus facility is comprised of our shelter hospital, which includes a full surgical suite, treatment and recovery area, imaging room, pre- and post-op animal housing, office, laundry, and storage space. Our shelter hospital supports animals coming through our three medical programs: Shelter Medicine, our Low-cost Spay/Neuter Clinic, and our Community Veterinary Clinic (CVC). We also maintain two exam/treatment rooms dedicated to the care of shelter animals and intake of new animals. Our Spay/Neuter Clinic includes a lobby for animal intake and discharge adjacent to our surgical suite. Our CVC includes a welcome lobby/client waiting room, three exam/treatment rooms, and a nurse’s station/pharmacy, also adjacent to the surgical suite.

We employ four licensed veterinarians (2 full-time, 2 part-time) and six registered veterinary technicians (4 full-time, 2 part-time), who are assisted by eight veterinary technicians (4 full-time, 4 part-time). All staff work onsite. We are in the process of expanding from 4 days a week to seven days a week for all services.

Agenda Item Number 9 Agenda Item Number 9
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14 Our veterinary team members are cross-trained across our Community Veterinary Clinic, Spay/Neuter Clinic, and shelter hospital. Staff often rotate among these roles to address immediate needs efficiently. During high-demand periods, additional time is allocated to shelter animals, affecting availability for public appointments.

All veterinary care is already to core to HSSC operations and is included in this contract proposal.

3. Field Services & Officer Qualifications (SCAS)
a) Officer Certification:
i. Provide training records documenting that all Animal Control Officers (ACO) meet any respective California ACO certification requirements.

All 10 animal control officers employed by Sonoma County Animal Services are California Animal Control Officers meeting the standards set forth in the Health and Safety Code Chapter 20.5 Animal Control Officer Standards Act (26220-26230). Each officer has completed 60hrs of training through the California Animal Welfare Association. Officers are Police Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) certified in Arrest and Firearms in compliance with CA Penal Code 832 and the requirements of CA Penal Code 830.9. Officers will also be going through the Advanced Animal Control Officer Academy starting in Fiscal Year 26-27 as part of ongoing training and certifications. Certificates are attached. b) Continuing Training:
i. Describe your ongoing education or annual training requirements, especially regarding cruelty investigations, rabies control, and disaster response.

Our officers are required to obtain 40 hours of continuing education in the three-year period from when the officer was originally certified to maintain the California Animal Control Officer certification. Our team trains on many other topics throughout the year such as Firearms use and safety every six months, Body Condition Scoring annually, animal cruelty investigations including animal fighting, report writing, crime scene photography, safe animal handling for large and small animals, de-escalation, bloodborne pathogens, aerosol transmissible disease, safe driving, and many more topics related to their work as Animal Control Officers.

In Sonoma County our officers are considered Deputy Health Officers, which authorizes us as the only animal control agency to handle all Rabies Control activities in all jurisdictions throughout the county.

Officers respond to and investigate potential rabies exposures daily ensuring animals are properly vaccinated and licensed, quarantined for the appropriate timeframes, and released from quarantine at the end of the quarantine. In our jurisdictions, these investigations lead to other enforcement activities such as Agenda Item Number 9 Agenda Item Number 9
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15 potentially dangerous and dangerous animal designations. Officers interview animal owners, victims, and witnesses to determine the next steps as needed.

Sonoma County Animal Services is part of the overall County of Sonoma Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) for the Operating Area (OA). Operating in accordance with the Animal Annex to the main EOP. Our officers have been trained in CA Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS), the National Incident Management System (NIMS), Incident Command System (ICS), ICS 100, 200, 10-A, 11-A, 111, Animal Technical Rescue (ATR), Animal Search and Rescue, Fire Line Safety and All Hazards Awareness Training.

Animal Services has a seat in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) leading the animal's response for the OA. Response and training are supported by the Sonoma Community Animal Response Team (SCART), which is a group that was approved by the Emergency Council in 2018. Currently the group has around 400 volunteer Animal Disaster Service Workers (vADSW) with 150 that are highly active. SCART augments the animal response by supplying team members trained in Search and Rescue, Shelter, Veterinary Care, Hot Line/Dispatch, Shelter in Place, Radio Communications and data entry/tracking.

4. Licensing System & Customer Access (SCAS)
a) Licensing Platform: - SCAS
i. Describe your pet licensing system. Is licensing available online, in person, by mail, in the field, and via mobile device?
Sonoma County Animal Services contracts with DocuPet to handle all licensing duties. The system is webbased and accessible online, and on mobile devices. Pet owners can physically come to the shelter in person to purchase a license; a license can be purchased through the mail or by calling the main office to purchase a license over the phone. In methods proof of a current rabies vaccination is required.

DocuPet sends multiple email reminders leading up to the expiration of a pet license; they also mail three physical letters to the owner regarding the licenses' upcoming expiration. Once registered with DocuPet animal owners have multiple options and styles of tags to choose from as well as a pet ID card that shows the animals information, licenses number, owner information, and microchip number. Once an owner and pet are registered with DocuPet they are automatically enrolled in the HomeSafe program for free providing owners with free access to 24/7 lost pet services with live support.

5. Geographic Equity & Accessibility (HSSC)
a) Transportation Barriers:
i. If your shelter is outside Sebastopol, what support are you able to provide for residents who lack transportation to reclaim or drop off animals? Agenda Item Number 9 Agenda Item Number 9
City Council Meeting Packet of March 17, 2026

16 We are located one mile out of Sebastopol on Highway 12 West, a convenient location for pet guardians to reclaim their animals. SCAS officers work to reunite in the field before animals even arrive at the shelter, otherwise we are close for pick up.
b) Public Counter Hours:
i. Provide public-facing office hours and any after hours availability.

HSSC’s Highway 12 West location is open to the public 10am –5pm Tuesday through Sunday. Afterhours calls to Sebastopol Police Department for animal-related emergencies are dispatched to SCAS ACOs.

6. Accuracy of Service Area History & Experience (HSSC + SCAS) a) Service Areas:
i. Please provide the cities and/or counties that you currently provide animal control services for.

HSSC’s Healdsburg shelter serves the City of Healdsburg and SCAS serves the City of Santa Rosa and Sonoma County.

HSSC History & Experience
The Humane Society of Sonoma County is an independent 501c3 nonprofit organization. Established in 1931, HSSC serves the County of Sonoma, population 488,860. Shelter Services are provided at two locations in Santa Rosa and Healdsburg while community services are provided across the county.

The HSSC Santa Rosa facility is situated on 9+ acres located at 5345 Hwy 12 West in Santa Rosa. Completed in 2004, services are provided in a 33,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility. It includes the county’s only community veterinary clinic, a low-cost spay and neuter clinic, free and low-cost vaccine clinics, dog training facilities, Humane Education Camps, grooming facility and adoption center. Once the animals complete the intake process, they spend their days in a comfortable room rather than cages.

The HSSC Healdsburg Campus sits on 3.75 acres located at 555 Westside Road in Healdsburg. Completed in 2016, services include shelter intake and basic medical care, holding areas for stray dogs and cats, “Kitty City” (a state of the art community cat room), multiple outdoor dog exercise runs, a community room for public and private use, dog training classes, and an adoption center where the majority of animals spend their days in comfortable rooms rather than cages.

Agenda Item Number 9 Agenda Item Number 9
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17 The Humane Society of Sonoma County’s workforce includes 70 full time equivalent employees and over 300 active volunteers collectively donating over 50,000 volunteer hours annually between the Healdsburg and Santa Rosa locations. HSSC is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors with 9 members.

HSSC is a donor-supported compassionate haven for animals. Each year we assist an average of 2,400-2600, unowned animals in need. Our guiding mission is to save lives and benefit the wellbeing of pets and their people with kindness, innovation and leadership. We take great pride in our 98% live release rate. In order to maintain it we invest in a comprehensive set of wraparound services including expert medical treatment and oversight, staff and volunteer care and rehabilitation, daily enrichment activities, positive reinforcement training and behavior modification, volunteer foster care, adoption outreach programs, and key rescue partnerships.

HSSC is known for its robust medical services and is often asked by local partners to aid in medical cases that might otherwise end in euthanasia.

HSSC employs 4 Veterinarians, 5 RVTs and 5 Veterinary assistants, in addition we have numerous other animal care technicians, adoption staff, dog and cat behavior and training staff and administration.

At our Santa Rosa campus, we provide a Community Veterinary Clinic in addition to our shelter veterinary services and, with the support of a Community Foundation grant, operate a low-cost public spay and neuter clinic. Our Community Veterinary Clinic is the only non-profit hospital in the county, providing high quality care on a sliding income scale to serve Sonoma County pet owners who might not otherwise be able to afford veterinary care for their companion animals, thereby keeping them healthy, stable in a loving home, and preventing their entry into our shelter system.

Our shelter medicine department provides a wide range of veterinary services. All shelter animals receive a thorough examination and customized treatment designed to ensure their health and wellbeing. The clinic includes isolation wards and individually contained dog runs for the treatment of contagious diseases. The animals are micro-chipped, vaccinated and spayed or neutered prior to adoption.

Routine and emergency medical treatments are provided to those who are sick or injured. Having access to immediate veterinary services helps our animals get adopted faster, keeping our median length of stay to 12 days.

Our combined shelter population consists of stray animals, transfers from other rescue organizations, and owner surrenders. Our Santa Rosa shelter houses up to 230 animals, and our Healdsburg shelter houses an average of 30 animals; however, we routinely expand our capacity via volunteer foster homes. During kitten Agenda Item Number 9 Agenda Item Number 9
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18 season, it is not uncommon for HSSC to have 300+ animals housed and cared for offsite. HSSC is also under contract with the City of Healdsburg for stray impounds.

Our operating budget is supported by fee-for-service revenues in addition to donations, grants and bequests. HSSC has significant support through the financial contributions of over 5600 active donors. Through these diverse revenue streams, HSSC is financially stable and committed to staying so, as is evidenced by our annual audited financial statements. HSSC also holds the Independent Charities of America Seal of Excellence for fiscal accountability and has been publicly recognized for its successes through numerous awards and honors. These donations are needed to cover the costs of our expansive care, including shelter operations, medicine, and staffing. We are not able to sustainably subsidize contract services with donations, other than administrative oversight.

7. Emergency & Disaster Operations (SCAS)
a) Disaster Response Experience:
i. Provide information on participation in past wildfire or flood responses, including roles and responsibilities.

SCAS has responded and been deployed to multiple disasters within Sonoma County as well as throughout the state. Our teams have been deployed to the flooding in Sonoma County in 2014, The Lake Fire in 2015, 2017 LNU Complex Fire (Tubbs) and flooding in January 2017, deployed to the Camp Fire in Butte County 2018 twice, PSPS Sonoma County 2019 and winter storm and flood, Director Whipple deployed to the Caldor Fire El Dorado County in 2020, North Complex Fire and most recently the LA Fires.

At each activation teams played different roles. In all Sonoma County responses Director Brian Whipple is assigned as the Animal Branch Incident Commander, as was the case in the Caldor Fire deployment.

Teams mainly responded in the field to animal search and rescue, shelter in place, in the first Camp Fire deployment the team from SCAS was assigned to the Chico Airport to operate three large animal shelters onsite. Director Whipple was redeployed to the Camp Fire where he took over management of the field response teams. Director Whipple also is a member of the CalAnimals Emergency Management Committee and has been responding to disasters since the early 2000’s across the country. b) Disaster Deployment Plan:
i. Describe how you would respond to a Sebastopol wildfire, flood, or evacuation event, including staff availability, staging areas, and mutual-aid agreements.

Depending on the type of emergency fire or flood, the size of the event and the area that is being affected will dictate where emergency shelters will be setup and the scale of the response.

Agenda Item Number 9 Agenda Item Number 9
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19 SCAS has three emergency trailers that can be deployed for emergency animal sheltering. Two of the trailers have the equipment loaded to shelter approximately 70 animals out of each. The third trailer is being built out for large animal emergency sheltering. Partnering with the Humane Society of Sonoma County they would also play a role in the shelter of animals at their facility, the SCAS physical shelter can be utilized. If the greater Operating Area is activated more resources are made available. If localized SCAS will work with City staff to determine the most ideal site to set up an emergency animal shelter.

After the 2017 fires the need to develop a team of trained volunteers was clear. In 2018 SCAS went to the Emergency Council and were approved to form a volunteer Animal Disaster Service Worker program (vADSW). The Sonoma Community Animal Response Team (SCART) was formed. The group currently has approximately 400 volunteers with 150 highly active. These teams are trained in SEMS, NIMS, and ICS. SCART has capabilities to assist with hot line, dispatch, Animal Search and Rescue (ASAR), shelter in place, transport, sheltering, medical, all of this is managed through software called Shelterly. These teams have also been deployed to multiple emergencies in Sonoma County since 2019; they have responded to all emergencies that SCAS has managed, Shasta County, El Dorado County, and Butte County. c) Sheltering in Emergencies:
i. How will you handle emergency sheltering of pets during disasters? During an emergency or disaster SCAS, HSSC and SCART will work together to set up and manage emergency sheltering. SCART has specialized teams for emergency sheltering of both large and small animals. Both SCAS and HSSC have brick and mortar sites that can be utilized for emergency sheltering operations. SCAS and SCART has worked with the American Red Cross in and the County of Sonoma Human Services Department to stand up and manage shelters that are both co-located and cohabitation shelters. Animals are also part of the overall sheltering response framework in the Operating Area. In past events Cohabitation shelters are the most ideal and effective, by allowing an owner to be with their pet reduces stress and anxiety during an emergency and creates a higher sense of calm within the shelter. This method also reduces the number of resources needed to care for animals in the shelter by having the owner handle the daily walking, feeding and cleaning. It dramatically reduces the stress on the animals as well.

SCAS has three emergency trailers that can be deployed for emergency animal sheltering. Two of the trailers have the equipment loaded to shelter approximately 70 animals out of each. The third trailer is being built out for large animal emergency sheltering. Partnering with the Humane Society of Sonoma County they would also play a role in the shelter of animals at their facility, the SCAS physical shelter can be utilized. If the greater Operating Area is activated more resources are made available. If localized SCAS will work with City staff to determine the most ideal site to set up an emergency animal shelter.

Agenda Item Number 9 Agenda Item Number 9
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20 8. Enforcement & Legal Authority (SCAS)
a) Enforcement History:

Sonoma County Animal Services has been providing shelter and field services since the 1960’s. SCAS provides enforcement services for the Unincorporated area of Sonoma County, the City of Santa Rosa and the City of Healdsburg.

Our enforcement authority comes from State law, County and City ordinance. Our officers issue citations for infractions and misdemeanor, file reports for felony charges through the District Attorney's office, County Counsel, and City Attorney’s office. We do have the authority and powers of a peace officer while working on cases related to animals which does give us the authority to make arrests and obtain search warrants.

California Penal Code (PC) 830.9 and PC 832 provides animal control officers with this authority and training requirements.
i. Provide data on citations issued, investigations conducted, cases referred to the District Attorney, and cruelty/neglect cases pursued in the last 3 years.

Over the last three years we have submitted:
20 cases to County Counsel for potentially dangerous and Dangerous animal cases. 55 cases have been submitted to the District Attorney’s office including animal cruelty cases 36 cases to the City of Santa Rosa City attorney for potentially dangerous and dangerous animal cases We are coming up on the 1yr mark of providing services to the City of Healdsburg and have submitted 1 case to the City for prosecution.

Across our jurisdictions we have issued 2087 citations for animal related violations. (see attached spreadsheet for types of citations issued)

9. Quality Control, Reporting & Accountability (HSSC/SCAS) a) Performance Metrics:
i. What key performance indicators (KPIs) will you track (e.g., response times, outcomes, liverelease rate, reclaim times)? HSSC and SCAS submit data monthly to the National Shelter Counts database, which is aggregated across county, state, and national reports from other shelters. We support the use of standardized fields and will use the same fields to report our KPIs to the city. Shelter Counts Fields include the following data by cats, dogs, others, and total. This data for all animals from Sebastopol city limits would include:

Agenda Item Number 9 Agenda Item Number 9
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21 Stray At Large
Relinquished By Owner Total
Other Intakes
Transferred In
Outcomes
Adoptions
Returned To Field
Returned To Owner
Other Live Outcome
Transferred Out
Died In Care
Lost In Care
Shelter Euthanasia
SCAS also provides data transparency by making all data available online. HSSC keeps comprehensive data on each animal in our internal system.

Additional data to be reported to the city would include:
• Call logs
• Outcome of ACO deployment
b) Reporting to city:
i. Describe your standard reporting format. Provide a sample monthly/quarterly report.

Quarterly reports will be submitted in narrative and spreadsheet formats. Narrative report will include a summary of sheltering services provided with year-over-year comparison, the number of field service calls responded to, and the current status of incoming animals. Spreadsheet data will include:

Animal ID
Animal Name
Intake Date
Outcome Date
Current Status
Intakes
Breed
Color
Gender
Intake Circumstances
Please see examples attached
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22 c) Complaint Resolution:
i. Provide your protocol and timeline for resolving complaints about service or staff conduct.

Complaint Resolution
Our organization maintains complaint resolution process to ensure concerns regarding services or staff conduct are addressed promptly, fairly, and in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

Complaints may be submitted in person, by phone, email, or online. Complaints are acknowledged in a timely manner. Each complaint is assigned to the appropriate department manager for review.

Complaint Resolution
Our organization maintains complaint resolution process to ensure concerns regarding services or staff conduct are addressed promptly, fairly, and in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

Complaints may be submitted in person, by phone, email, or online. Complaints are acknowledged in a timely manner. Each complaint is assigned to the appropriate department manager for review.

Review and Investigation
Management conducts a preliminary assessment to determine the nature and level of concern. When appropriate, an internal review is initiated, which may include interviews, record review, and consultation with Human Resources or executive leadership. Matters involving alleged misconduct, discrimination, safety concerns, or regulatory issues are escalated immediately to senior leadership.

Resolution and Corrective Action
Findings are documented, and appropriate corrective actions are implemented as needed. Actions may include staff coaching, policy clarification, operational adjustments, or formal disciplinary measures when warranted.

Oversight and Compliance
The Executive Director maintains oversight of complaints involving staff conduct, animal welfare, or legal risk. All investigations and outcomes are handled in accordance with employment law, confidentiality standards, public records requirements, and applicable animal welfare regulations.

Our process emphasizes accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement, using complaint data to identify trends and strengthen service delivery over time.

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23 d) Contract Compliance:
i. How will you demonstrate that you are meeting contract obligations? In addition to meeting our contract obligations through our quarterly reports, we will provide access and transparency in our ongoing communications and strive for continuous improvement.

10. Owner Surrender & Crisis Support (HSSC)
a) Owner Surrender Policy:
i. Outline your process for owner surrenders, including intake criteria, limits, scheduling, wait times, and crisis-related exceptions.

We accept owner-surrendered pets by appointment and as space allows. We request that pet guardians call us to check availability and to schedule an appointment.

If the pet was adopted through HSSC, we provide a guarantee to take them back and request that the guardian call us to make an appointment for the return.

Bilingual services are available throughout our public programs including adoptions, food pantry, spay/neuter, community veterinary clinic
b) Social Services Coordination:
i. How do you support residents experiencing eviction, domestic violence, homelessness, or hospitalization who cannot care for their animals? HSSC provides up to 14 days of free boarding for animals brought in by first responders incident to arrest, medical emergencies. Additionally, our Community Action Team is dedicated to making sure that pet guardians have the supplies they need to care for their pets in times of need. We operate a donationsupported free pet food and supply pantry and free pet vaccine clinics that are accessible at both our shelter locations. We collaborate with human service agencies and family resources centers to distribute food and supplies at mobile events throughout Sonoma County. Our team works to connect pet guardians with additional resources through our network of community partners as needed.

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11. Proposed Cost
Humane Society Sonoma County
In Partnership with Sonoma County Animal Care Services (SCAS) Cost Proposal to the City of Sebastopol for 26-27 services Monthly Expenses
Humane Society Staff FTE
Hourly
Rate Annual
Annual
Cost
Operations Director 0.05 $40.87 $85,000 $4,250
Intake Coordinator 0.10 $20.00 $41,600 $4,160
Adoptions Counselor 0.10 $21.00 $43,680 $4,368
Community Outreach Coordinator 0.08 $22.00 $45,760 $3,432 Animal Care Technician 0.14 $23.00 $47,840 $6,698
Subtotal 0.47 $127 $263,880 $22,908
Benefits 25% $5,727
Total HSSC Personnel $28,635
HSSC Operations $-
Software, licensing and subscriptions for sheltering, medical, and volunteers for 5 users/mo $1,000 Supplies for sheltering and medical services $2,500
Utilities $1,200
Subtotal $4,700
Staff +Ops $33,335
HSSC Total $38,721
SCAS Subcontract $31,258
SCAS Subtotal $31,258
HSSC + SCAS $69,979
Indirect 10% $5,386
Annual Total $75,365
Monthly Estimated Total /12 $6,280
Estimated total per animal /100 $754
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City Council Meeting Packet of March 17, 2026

Proposal to Provide Animal Control Field Services for
the City of Sebastopol
CONFIDENTIAL – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION
Prepared for: Chief Sean McDonagh
Sebastopol Police Department
City of Sebastopol
Submitted by: Brian Whipple Director
Sonoma County Animal Services
Department of Health Services, Public Health Division
Submitted: February 16th, 2026
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Introduction
Sonoma County Animal Services (SCAS) proposes offering comprehensive Animal Control Field Services and Licensing for the City of Sebastopol.

Sonoma County Animal Services and the Department of Health are dedicated to achieving the best possible outcomes for the residents and animals of Sonoma County through the creative and transparent stewardship of limited public and private funds. Data driven decision making enables us to meet our goals. We invite the City of Sebastopol to continue our partnership as we work to advance our shared vision and goals through the engagement of individuals, local government, tribal government, community organizations, and the broader community.

Our goal is to serve our community with equity in mind. Through data-driven practices we strive to ensure equitable access to our programs and services for all residents of our community. We partner with community groups and stakeholders to facilitate services to our most vulnerable community members through education and outreach.

SCAS will work closely with the City of Sebastopol to identify the needs of the City and will efficiently deliver animal services that keep pace with community expectations and demands, most notably, timely response, public access to information and services, and continued increase in the number of positive outcomes for the animals in our care.

Appendix A summarizes Sonoma County Animal Services Action Plan, Vision, Guiding Principles, Goals and Objectives.

Contractor’s Level of Experience
Animal Services System in Sonoma County
Sonoma County Animal Services continues to work diligently to improve our system of care for the animals and people within our jurisdiction. We have made great strides through a variety of initiatives:
• Decreased our animal length of stay
• Increased our efforts to return animals to their owners without the owner or animal ever having to step foot in the shelter
• Developed a robust transfer program
• Increased our social media, marketing, and outreach programs • Decreased our euthanasia rate with the goal that all adoptable animals will have a positive outcome
• Increased collaboration with our veterinary and community partners as well as other local animal welfare organizations
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City Council Meeting Packet of March 17, 2026

• Developed a strategic and efficient emergency/disaster response program.

These initiatives have built a platform for Sonoma County Animal Services to become the main resource for animal welfare within Sonoma County, meeting the needs of the community with in-house programs and a network of local partners. Our goal is to provide quality services that are based on best practices, past success, and community feedback. We maintain an active presence in the community, serving not only as an enforcement and adoption agency but also as a collaborative partner to our residents, committed to supporting every facet of animal welfare.

This system of care increases the overall health of the people and animals we serve.

Sonoma County consists of 1,575 square miles and a population of 482,650. The jurisdictions serviced by SCAS encompass approximately 1,600 square miles with a population of 335,494 with rabies control services extending county-wide. SCAS is responsible for enforcing local and state laws and regulations that pertain to animals and their care, and public safety. SCAS is a division of the Department of Public Health within Sonoma County Department of Health Services.

SCAS administers the state-mandated rabies program, which includes reporting bites and quarantining animals. With the operation of a county shelter at 1247 Century Court, SCAS is also responsible for the care of stray, sick, and injured animals no longer in the care of their owners. In addition to the unincorporated areas in the County, SCAS currently provides services by contract to the City of Santa Rosa and the City of Healdsburg.

In operating the shelter and providing animal control services, SCAS ensures that all assigned personnel are properly trained, qualified, and authorized to perform their respective duties.

Field Services: SCAS has 10 full-time Animal Control Officer (ACO) positions and one fulltime Supervising Animal Control Officer (SACO) position. All new ACOs undergo a 12-week field training program, which they must pass before being approved for regular field service. ACOs are also required to pass the California POST 832 Arrest course and the California POST 832 Firearms course. During their probationary period, all ACOs must complete 60 hours of training on a variety of subjects, including report writing, evidence collection, safe animal handling, animal fighting investigations, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. This training will result in all ACOs being certified as Animal Control Officers in the State of California. ACOs have a variety of tools and resources at their disposal to ensure their own safety and the health and safety of the animals in their care. These include Ford F250 vehicles fitted with amber emergency lights, spotlights, communications equipment, and a rear box manufactured specifically for the impoundment of animals in the field. Rear boxes are equipped with internal and exterior lighting and a cooling system.

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Additional tools include .22 caliber rifle and .12-gauge shotgun, ballistic vest, expandable baton, OC spray, handcuffs, portable radio, shotgun shell Carrier and Ruger 10/22 Magazine pouch to be worn on duty belt, two sizes of rigid leashes or “Ketch-Poles,” and assorted cages, traps, and other tools used for the humane capture of animals.

Administrative Services: SCAS has 6.5 FTE administrative staff to assist customers with adoptions, surrenders, redemptions and licensing during shelter counter hours on TuesdaySaturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Administrative staff also provide telephone service from 9:00 a.m. -5:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, assisting customers with calls for field service and questions regarding rabies control, licensing, and animal control concerns. SCAS also has 1 FTE Front Office Supervisor who oversees the above business processes, acts as custodian of records, and manages the database and website. We utilize Docupet for licensing which has an online licensing system available 24/7.

Management: SCAS is overseen by our Director, who brings over 30 years of experience in animal welfare and enforcement. He is supported by our Operations Manager, who has 17 years of experience in law enforcement, customer service, and staff development; our Program Analyst, with nearly 20 years of experience in program development and evaluation; and our Supervising Animal Control Officer, who oversees field operations and brings 36 years of experience.

Proposed Scope of Work
SCAS proposes to provide animal control and licensing services for the City of Sebastopol. For ease of administrative operations, SCAS proposes that the City of Sebastopol adopt animalrelated fees per the County of Sonoma fee schedule.

Field Services
SCAS proposes animal control regulation (field) services that are aligned with the standard field services currently provided by SCAS in unincorporated Sonoma County, the City of Santa Rosa and the City of Healdsburg. Over the years, this suite of field services has been refined to ensure maximum effectiveness within the limits of available resources and budget. SCAS can work with the City of Sebastopol and other contracted jurisdictions to adjust and expand levels of service in the future, as resources are available.

Investigation and Response to the Following:

Animal Bites: Sonoma County is declared by the State to be a rabies endemic area. Under the California Code of Regulations and the Health and Safety Code, SCAS is recognized as an acting agent for the local health officer for all matters concerning rabies control within the County of Sonoma including all municipalities. Under CCR 2606, any person who Agenda Item Number 9 Agenda Item Number 9
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has knowledge of a suspected exposure is to contact the local health officer. As the agent for the local health officer, SCAS takes all reported potential rabies exposures from local hospitals, veterinarians, municipal agencies, or directly from members of the community.

Animal Control Officers promptly respond to reports of potential exposure, investigating in person or by phone and taking appropriate action in compliance with California Health & Safety Code §§120210–121640 and relevant local municipal codes. By law, quarantine and/or testing is required for any animal bite to a human or for exposures of domestic animals to wildlife. The purpose of the quarantine is to monitor the animal for emergent rabies symptoms to determine if the bite has exposed the victim to rabies. Only the quarantine or a brain tissue test can positively determine exposure to the rabies virus.

SCAS worked with our municipal partners to develop a uniform bite report format and schedule that is compliant with state law and local ordinances. All hospitals, human and veterinary, along with animal shelters have the form to use for proper reporting of animal bite exposures. SCAS responds to all rabies exposures throughout Sonoma County including all municipalities. SCAS prepares and submits the State Bite Report to the California Department of Public Health on a yearly basis.

Animal Cruelty, Abuse, and Neglect: SCAS collaborates with local police departments, town/city attorneys, and the district attorney’s office to ensure animal abuse cases are prosecuted. Officers will respond at any time day or night to investigate allegations of animal cruelty. Animals that are seized are provided proper veterinary care either by our in-house veterinarian or transported to a local veterinary partner for examination and treatment. Evidence is collected and reports are submitted to the district attorney’s office to prosecute the case.

Animals are housed at SCAS until the case has been adjudicated.

Nuisance Animal Complaints: Animal Control Officers will respond to and process animal nuisance complaints in a timely manner. Response times will be consistent with those outlined in Field Service Hours section.

Impoundment of Animals:

Pick-up: ACOs exercise the authority to impound domestic animals under the following circumstances:
a) If the ACO has a reasonable suspicion that the animal is a stray dog in violation of the leash law
b) If the ACO has a reasonable suspicion that the animal is livestock in violation of any applicable prohibition of livestock at large. ACOs may impound loose livestock onto any private property which is secure enough to hold the animal(s) in order to alleviate any Agenda Item Number 9 Agenda Item Number 9
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immediate threats to the safety and welfare of both the public and the animals. If the ACO has a reasonable suspicion that the livestock originates from a property in the vicinity, the ACO may impound loose livestock onto any private property which is secure enough to hold the animal(s) in order to locate the owner and make arrangements for the livestock to be returned to the owner’s property. If the ACO has impounded any animal onto property in this manner, the ACO shall notify the property owner or lessee of the presence of the animals. If the ACO is unable to contact the property owner or lessee, the ACO shall post a notice on the property with contact information for the department.
c) If the ACO has a reasonable suspicion that the animal poses an immediate threat to public safety and welfare
d) If the person in care and control of the animal has been arrested, hospitalized, or is otherwise incapable of caring for the animal’s immediate needs. When applicable, ACOs may make appropriate arrangements with approved family or friends of the person in order to avoid impoundment.
e) If the ACO has a reasonable suspicion that the animal is subject to rabies quarantine under CA CCR 2606. If an animal is subject to rabies quarantine, the ACO shall make a determination if the quarantine will be done in the home of the animal owner or if the animal shall be impounded and quarantined at the Humane Society of Sonoma County Santa Rosa shelter. Animals will be quarantined at the shelter if the ACO has any concerns that a home quarantine will not be completed successfully. Determining factors may be, but are not limited to, the temperament of the animal and/or its owner, the security provided by the animal owner’s home, and whether the animal was at large at the time of the bite. The ACO may also approve a quarantine performed in the office of a licensed veterinarian.

Impounded domestic animals may be kept in the ACO’s vehicle for an extended period of time while the ACO investigates the incident, attempts to locate the owner of the animal, or handles other calls for service. Live animals will not be kept in the vehicle for any period that may negatively affect the animal’s health due to the animal’s condition, environmental factors, or any other reason. It should be noted that the ACO’s vehicle is designed for safely securing and transporting live animals, and is equipped with a cooling system, and as such live animals may be kept in the vehicle for longer periods than standard passenger vehicles. ACOs are trained in evaluating many factors in determining how long a live animal may remain in the ACO vehicle.

Return: ACOs will encourage the return of any lost/stray animal (impounded by field personnel) to the rightful owner in the field. Currently, ACOs do not collect impound fees in the field. If an officer returns an animal to its owner, he or she will check to see if the Agenda Item Number 9 Agenda Item Number 9
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dog is licensed, and, if not, a citation will be issued. It is the officer’s discretion to issue a warning notice/citation to the animal owner if there is a violation of the leash law.

Enforcement- Issuance of Warnings and Citations: SCAS will enforce all appropriate animal control and care related provisions of the City of Sebastopol Municipal Code including the issuance of warning notices or citations as necessary for violations of the provisions of the Municipal Code or State law. We are working to add the capacity for ACOs to write Administrative Citations to keep minor infractions out of the court system. SCAS has completed an equity analysis using the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) framework to create a program that best serves the community.

Emergency Services: After Hours Animal Control: SCAS will provide “on call” emergency response to any situation involving animal medical emergencies or danger to humans, upon being requested by the Sebastopol Police Department (SPD.) Each evening, after 5:30p.m., the ACO normally assigned for emergency calls in the unincorporated areas of the county will contact SPD dispatch and provide contact information for that evening and the following morning up until 7:30 a.m. ACOs respond from home while on call and response times can be extended. As such, SPD should be prepared to respond to any animal control calls to protect the public until an ACO arrives. The ACO will be available to respond to Sebastopol “Priority Calls” defined as:
• Dangerous/aggressive domestic animal at large: The animal presents a clear threat to public safety and is currently at large or able to go at large at will. This may also include capturing a rabies-suspect animal in order to quarantine and test it. • Sick or injured domestic animal: The animal is in immediate need of emergency medical care or euthanasia, and the person in care and control of the animal is not present or able to provide care for the animal. Domestic animals with minor injuries or illnesses, which do not present an immediate threat to the animal’s safety and welfare, do not constitute an emergency. Sick or injured animals will be transported for emergency veterinary care by the ACO.
• Sick or injured livestock: In the case of sick or injured livestock, where possible, ACOs will contact a large-animal vet to respond and assess.
• Loose livestock: Livestock that is large enough to be a risk to public safety while at large.

This does not include loose small livestock such as chickens or rabbits. • Agency assist: Law enforcement officers from Sebastopol may request that SCAS pick up a stray animal impounded by SPD due to risk to public safety. This is a special circumstances approach that should not be used to address standard stray dog issues. • Owner arrest: An animal’s owner is arrested, and the owner cannot arrange for friends or family to care for the animal.

Routine Patrol: Animal Control Officers currently provide proactive routine patrols in all areas within our jurisdiction. SCAS officers increase patrols in areas that pose known challenges, such Agenda Item Number 9 Agenda Item Number 9
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as parks, to improve compliance with local leash law ordinances. During proactive patrols, animals may be found running loose and/or abandoned. When this occurs, officers will scan the animal for a microchip to reunite an animal with its owner.

Trapping: SCAS will provide trapping services to the residents of the City of Sebastopol involving domestic animals. Trapped, injured or sick wildlife can be transported to a California Fish and Wildlife licensed rehabilitation center during normal business hours. Response in these cases are not considered an emergency and will only be responded to during normal business hours. It is illegal for all California residents including SCAS officers to become involved in the trapping, taking, transportation, or rehabilitation of healthy wildlife for any reason except for the purpose of rabies control as allowed under the California Code of Regulations and the Health and Safety Code. For example, SCAS becomes involved if a human or domestic animal has a known bite exposure from wildlife, such as from a raccoon or skunk. SCAS does not possess the appropriate permits from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to become involved with any wildlife on public or private property for the purpose of nuisance abatement or rehabilitation.

Dead Animals: SCAS will accept delivery from the City of the remains of domestic and small wild animals for disposal without a fee. Town staff may, during normal business hours, drop off dead animals at the County Animal Shelter at 1247 Century Court, Santa Rosa. SCAS facilities cannot accommodate large, deceased animals. Deceased large animals or wildlife are to be transported to the Petaluma Livestock auction for disposal. Hauling for these animals is offered through a private company. SCAS animal control officers will respond to complaints or calls for dead animal pickup within the City limits. SCAS will transfer all deceased domestic animals to the County Animal Shelter.

Wildlife Calls: ACOs will exercise the authority to impound wild animals only if the ACO has a reasonable suspicion that there is a possibility that the wild animal has exposed a human or domestic animal to rabies or if the wild animal is sick or injured and can be transported to a CA State licensed wildlife rehabilitation center.

Regular Field Service Hours: Animal Control field hours are 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. seven days a week. On county/city-observed holidays, the on-call officer is available by telephone. The officer working the holiday will contact Sebastopol Police Department’s dispatchers to provide his or her contact information. Animal related complaints received by the City or the police department outside of regular service hours may be forwarded to SCAS for follow-up.

Response Time During Regular Service Hours: No specific response time can be guaranteed. To accommodate the level of service required by the City of Sebastopol, an ACO shall be assigned specifically to the “90” beat Monday through Sunday. The “90” beat consists of the western quadrant of Sonoma County, including Sebastopol. From 7:30am-5:30pm, this officer will Agenda Item Number 9 Agenda Item Number 9
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respond to all calls for service in this area and will not be called to a different area unless there is a dire emergency requiring such action. During down time the officer assigned to the “90” beat area will station themselves within the city limits and conduct proactive patrols and or community engagement activities. Officers from other areas will generally be available to assist during periods of high call volume in “90.” ACOs from SCAS have been effective at prioritizing calls and working as a team with other law enforcement agencies to provide coverage for all jurisdictions.

Emergency: We will provide responses to injured or sick animals and other emergencies involving danger to humans as priority 1 calls during normal business hours within 30 minutes or less and within 90 minutes or less outside of normal operating hours.

Non-Emergency: SCAS will respond to non-emergency calls as soon as possible based on appropriately prioritizing pending calls for service.

Veterinary Care and Treatment: Humane Society of Sonoma County will provide veterinary care for the majority of health care services during normal hours of operation. After hours and on recognized City/County holidays injured animals will be transported to local emergency animal hospitals for treatment if an owner isn’t present or identified.

Rabies Control
Vaccination: It is the responsibility of owners to make sure their animals are vaccinated. By law, a current rabies vaccination is required for a dog license to be valid. When a stray dog does not have a current rabies vaccination and/or license, the owner may receive a citation from an animal control officer. Per the Superior Court of California, only officers are authorized to issue citations. Animals (including dogs, cats, and livestock) that have bitten people or have been bitten by wild animals are quarantined based on California Department of Public Health policy.

The length of time an animal remains in quarantine is based on whether or not the domestic animal has a current rabies vaccination and the type of bite.

Microchip: As California law mandates, all dogs and cats that come to the shelter are microchipped prior to leaving the facility. We also offer microchipping for a small fee to walk-in customers.

Animal Impoundment: Sonoma County Animal Services holds dogs for seven days, often closer to 10 days when there is no known owner. If a dog has a microchip, is wearing a tag on its collar, or otherwise comes to us with owner identification, it is held for ten days. If there are holiday closures during this period, the hold time is extended to account for those days. In the event that an animal comes to us with illness/injuries severe enough to cause suffering, and vet care will not alleviate the distress, the animal will be humanely euthanized.

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Cats are free to roam and not subject to “at large” ordinances. *Shelter Business Hours: Our shelter at 1247 Century Court is open to the public as described below. We reserve the right to reasonably change the business hours from time to time as deemed necessary. We will continue to work with contracted jurisdictions to identify those hours of operation that best meet community needs and expectations within available resources.

Sunday – Monday Closed
Tuesday-Saturday Phone calls: 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Walk-in Counter service: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Adoptions and Redemptions: 12:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

County Holidays Closed
Administrative Services
SCAS proposes to provide all necessary administrative services to support field operations for the City of Sebastopol, as is provided for unincorporated Sonoma County, the City of Santa Rosa and the City of Healdsburg.

Fee Schedule: Fee schedule is attached as Appendix B.

Business Services: Sonoma County Animal Services has 3.5 FTE customer relations staff members and 1.0 FTE Extra Help customer relations staff members who are often the first point of contact for the organization. Questions about licensing, animals available for adoption, and lost and impounded animals are answered during these public hours. Calls regarding stray or dead animals, and bites are referred to our dispatch officers.

During our counter hours, new and renewal license payments are processed over the counter, impounded animals are returned to their owners, and animals are adopted to forever homes.

Stray animals brought to the SCAS facility are entered into our database, while shelter staff provide initial care for the animals.

In addition to direct customer service, the customer relations team also processes new and renewal of license payments and donations that are mailed in or paid through our online portal.

Rabies certificates are either processed manually or electronically and uploaded and approved in our online licensing system DocuPet.

Bite reports are either taken by customer relations staff or an Animal Control Officer. Once recorded, an officer contacts the victim, dog owner and witnesses, and tracks the animal on quarantine.

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Billing: Invoices are sent at the beginning of each month for license renewals and new licenses and have a thirty-day grace period after the license expiration date for payment. Licensing is currently handled both in house and through DocuPet. DocuPet handles all owner notification via postal service as well as digitally through email and provides follow-up to dog owners and reminder notifications to ensure compliance with licensing ordinances. Overdue licenses incur a penalty. Rabies certificates entered into our database Chameleon and DocuPet which drive the majority of new licenses. Any payments not received within four months of the due date move into collections proceedings.

Commercial Kennel and Pet Fancier licenses are valid for a calendar year. Bills are sent annually and are due by the expiration date of the license. Once payment is received, it is processed, and an inspection is scheduled with an animal control officer. If the inspection passes, a certificate is provided. When a property is out of compliance, the license holder is given two weeks to make corrections, and then an officer re-inspects. The maintenance of all commercial kennel and pet fancier licenses and their corresponding process are the responsibility of SCAS, regardless of jurisdiction.

Customer Service/Complaints: All SCAS staff focus on providing excellent customer service.

SCAS will collaborate with the City to designate a primary and alternate contact person for the purpose of addressing complaints. All complaints received by the City that require a response from SCAS will be made by telephone and/or electronic mail to the designated contact persons for the two parties. SCAS will provide an electronic mail response within two (2) business days as to the resolution or ongoing response on the matter.

State Mandated Bite Reports: Sonoma County Animal Services is responsible for submission of the annual State Mandated Bite Report to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) for the entire county and completes this annually. Any reporting requested by the City can be provided as soon as available.

Staff Training: While operating its shelter and providing animal control services, SCAS assigns personnel that are trained, qualified, and authorized to administer and/or enforce all laws, rules and regulations; operate all necessary equipment, have the ability to recognize animal breeds, diseases, and injuries, and are competent to administer first aid to animals in the field. SCAS will ensure that any employee serving the City of Sebastopol is trained and currently certified, or will be certified within 60 days, in accordance with state standards. SCAS will ensure that personnel maintain required certifications and maintain that status through the required continuing education.

Performance Metrics: SCAS will develop and implement accessible customer service surveys for animal care and control activities that can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of services and identify areas for improvement and inform program planning. Online, paper, and bilingual Agenda Item Number 9 Agenda Item Number 9
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surveys may be implemented. We invite the City of Healdsburg, City of Sebastopol and City of Santa Rosa to collaborate with SCAS on which metrics will be examined and the best methods for outreach into the community.

Disaster Preparedness: Prior to the 2017 Sonoma Complex fires, Sonoma County Animal Services was in the process of rewriting the Emergency/Disaster plan for animals. The draft plan was tested during this event, and the response was successful. Improvements were added to the Animal Annex based on our experiences during the event and input from response partners.

After the 2017 fires, Animal Services was chosen to join the Emergency Operations Center to coordinate the overall animal response during additional emergencies. Sonoma County Animal Services has also developed an Animal Disaster Service Worker volunteer program (ADSWv).

The Sonoma Community Animal Response Team (SCART) evolved from the States DSWv program. SCART is a trained and credentialed volunteer program that assists Sonoma County Animal Services by augmenting our response efforts. The Animal Annex was added to the overall county Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) in December of 2018. The plan was implemented during the February 2019 floods, again during the 2019 Kincade Fire, the 2020 LNU Glass fire. SCAS personnel have also been deployed to multiple response efforts throughout the North Bay. The Director of Animal Services is a member of the California Animal Welfare Association (CalAnimals) Emergency Management Committee which assists other agencies during response efforts and develops tools that can be used by jurisdictions across the state.

Regulation
Enforcement: Sonoma County Animal Services sends all criminal cases, including violations of State anti-cruelty laws, to the District Attorney’s office. The ACO investigating the case, the Supervising Animal Control Officer, Operations Manager and the Director all work closely with the attorney assigned to the case. Warrants are also filed with superior court judges to conduct investigations.

All citations are sent to the superior court’s traffic division, although we are working on incorporating administrative citation program into our violation process to provide people with infractions an opportunity to rectify the issue before being sent to court.

These citations will be similar to “fix-it tickets.” The goal of the administrative citation program is to create a means to compliance rather than going to court.

Currently, SCAS sends all appropriate civil infractions, including potentially dangerous and vicious dog designations, to county counsel for the unincorporated area of Sonoma County, the Santa Rosa City Attorney’s office, and the Healdsburg Police Department.

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Licenses & Fees for Dogs: SCAS provides full dog-licensing services, including license enforcement activity, for the Unincorporated County, the City of Santa Rosa and the City of Healdsburg. In late 2013, we implemented online licensing services, in both English and Spanish. The City of Sebastopol license and other fees ideally would correlate with the County and City of Santa Rosa fees. SCAS shall maintain records of license fees collected from City of Sebastopol residents.

License payments are recorded in Chameleon, and DocuPet and applied to the appropriate account code for each jurisdiction we represent.

Personnel, Supplies and Equipment: Sonoma County Animal Services is a full-service organization. All staff are Sonoma County employees and hired under civil service rules and equal opportunity employment laws. Medical equipment and pharmaceuticals are ordered through contracted vendors and comply with current drug laws. Animal control vehicles are regularly maintained by the County’s fleet operations. Dog licenses are sold in person at the main facility, over the phone with staff, and online through our contracted vendor DocuPet.

Service dog tags are ordered through National Band and Tag and tracked in our database. All forms, notices, invoices, envelopes, and letters are printed in-house, by local vendors. All licensing forms are printed and mailed by DocuPet. All other items needed for the normal course of business, such as postage or citation forms, are also provided by SCAS.

Statistical and Narrative Information: SCAS utilizes the Chameleon animal shelter database to record and monitor most business functions, including accounts payable, owner records, adoptions, license processing, rabies vaccinations, medical care, animal intakes and outcomes, bite information, barking complaints, and enforcement activities. A quarterly report is created and provided to the jurisdictions we serve. The following data can be provided:
• Animal intakes
• License compliance rates
• Number of licenses sold
• Disposition of complaints regarding animals
• Dangerous or potentially dangerous animals and dog-bite incidents • License compliance and records of licenses sold with names, addresses and license numbers
• Fees collected
SCAS works with its clients to gather and analyze any other requested information that is available. SCAS invites active participation by the City of Sebastopol to evaluate the effectiveness of services provided and identify areas for improvement.

Marketing: SCAS maintains an updated website that provides the community with information Agenda Item Number 9 Agenda Item Number 9
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pertaining to city, county, and state animal control regulations, fees, adoption procedures, animals available for adoption, found stray animals, calendar of events (e.g., adoption events and volunteer orientations), operating hours, emergency contact information, and other information identified as useful and necessary. During emergencies, pertinent information is populated on our website through the primary county webpage, and animal emergency information is regularly updated on our homepage. The SCAS website also has a link to the SCAS Social Media pages, (Facebook, Instagram, X (formally known as Twitter), Tik Tok and YouTube) that all have a large following and provides an additional way for Sebastopol residents to find their stray animals that have come to our shelter, learn how to license their dogs, and to contact us regarding any animal-related concerns they may have. Participation in many outreach events throughout the county also enables us to educate the public about our services.

Program Management: Our Director, Operations Manager, Supervising Animal Control Officer Field, and Program Analyst are available to work with City of Sebastopol staff to further identify education, outreach, and communication priorities specific to Sebastopol and to deploy existing resources to maximize impact and meet community needs and expectations. Partnerships are the foundation of our robust disaster response plan, along with many of our day-to-day operations such as our successful transfer program. We are also expanding our Humane Education program to promote the human animal bond and the important role animals play in our lives. SCAS would welcome ongoing partnership with Sebastopol businesses, organizations, and residents to spread the word about responsible pet ownership and available resources.

Cost
SCAS proposes a lump sum annual cost for the services proposed in the Scope of Work Sections above, based on historical data on number of calls for service and animal impounds.

SCAS’s total annual operating expenses for all jurisdictions served by SCAS, including staffing, equipment and supplies needed to serve to provide services, is $7,597,402.

The share of total operating expenses attributable to the City of Sebastopol is calculated based on animal related service call data. This results in a lump sum annual cost to the City of Sebastopol $31,258
Over the first year of services provided to the City of Sebastopol, SCAS will assess the fees collected for licenses, penalties, impounds, and relinquishments on behalf of the City of Sebastopol and report back on that assessment.

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Cost Summary
Monthly Charge for Field Services and Licensing $2,605
Annual Charges for Field Service and Licensing $31,258
SCAS proposes working with The City of Sebastopol to develop a contract for the FY25-26 through FY 26-27 (or any other term of mutual agreement) based on this annual lump sum estimate. Beyond FY26-27, SCAS suggests that the lump sum cost be re-calculated to reflect updated actual costs for the City of Sebastopol based on more recent data on number of calls for service and revenue generated from fees and licensing.

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Appendix A
Sonoma County Animal Services Action Plan
Vision, Guiding Principles, Goals, and Objectives
Vision
Sonoma County will be a safe and caring community that protects the health and well-being of all animals and people; a place where animals and people are valued, cared for, and recognized as vital parts of a healthy community.

Guiding principles
The following principles will guide the development and implementation of an effective action agenda for Sonoma County Animal Services:

A healthy community includes healthy people, healthy animals, and healthy environments.

A healthy community takes care of its natural resources and most vulnerable members, both human and animal, regardless of health, age, or condition. The mutually beneficial relationships between humans and animals enhance the quality of life in our community, offering companionship, support, and nurturing vital connections between community members.

The entire community shares responsibility for improving the health and welfare of animals in Sonoma County. Improvements in the humane and conscientious care and treatment of animals will require the commitment and involvement of animal owners and the support of all Sonoma County residents, local governments, community-based organizations, and others.

Focusing limited resources where they are most likely to have impact.

We must prioritize our efforts and resources on the root causes of animal-related problems and costs, where they have the greatest potential to prevent problems, improve quality of life, relieve suffering and save lives.

Promote evidence-based interventions and evaluation.

We must base our services and interventions on what is proven to work. For each goal, we will create a series of benchmarks for measuring and tracking progress.

Identify adequate and sustainable resources in accordance with community expectations and values.

We must identify strategies and mechanisms to efficiently provide the level of animal services that keep pace with community expectations and demands, most notably timely response, public access to information and services, and a significant reduction in the numbers of animals that are euthanized.

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Goals and Objectives
Goal 1: Reduce the number of stray and surrendered animals in Sonoma County Objectives:

1.1 Increase sterilization of companion animals

1.2 Increase sterilization of stray and feral animals

1.3 Increase retention of animals with their caretakers Goal 2: Increase the live release of animals in Sonoma County Objectives:

2.1 Increase percent of shelter intakes that are adopted

2.2 Increase percent of shelter intakes that are returned to their owners

2.3 Decrease percent of shelter intakes that are euthanized

2.4 Increase community options outside of the shelters to house and care for stray and abandoned animals while waiting for adoption (e.g. with rescues or foster families) Goal 3: Increase public safety by improving compliance with effective animal laws and ordinances
Objectives:

3.1 Increase consistency and effectiveness of animal ordinances across jurisdictions

3.2 Increase compliance with license requirements

3.3 Improve timeliness and effectiveness of calls for service Goal 4: Engage entire community in efforts to promote and protect the care and welfare of animals
Objectives:

4.1 Establish process and structure for cross-jurisdictional collaboration

4.2 Increase communication and community outreach

4.3 Increase community volunteerism for the care and protection of animals

4.4 Promote the use of private donations and resources to support the care and welfare of animals beyond those resources available from public sources

4.5 Develop countywide system to compile and transparently report indicator data and progress toward shared goals
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Exhibit B Proposed Fees
License Fees
Altered Dog: $17.00
Altered Dog Senior Citizen: $15.00
Unaltered Dog: $21.00
Late License Penalty: $9.00
Voluntary Cat License Altered/Unaltered: $14.00
Impoundment Fees
Impoundment Fees for Dogs and Cats are Determined by The Humane Society of Sonoma County Impoundment Fees Livestock
Livestock/Head 1st Impound plus transportation: $131.00 Livestock/Head 2nd Impound plus Transportation: $ 327.00 Livestock/Head 3rd Impound plus Transportation: $600.00 ACO Assistance Stray Livestock: Time Cost Recovery $383.00 ACO Field Release Dog/Cat (Unlicensed/Unaltered): $109.00 Owned Animal Pickup Fee
Live Small Animal (Dog/Cats/Pocket Pets): $54.00
Owner Surrender in Field: $190
Animal Disposal: $23.00
Group and Private Cremation Services: Available upon request at owners’ cost Agenda Item Number 9
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Appendix C About Us
Brian Whipple, Director of Animal Services
Brian Whipple, Director of Animal Services, is a law enforcement and animal care professional with over 30 years of experience in investigations, report writing, officer recruitment, career development, animal capture and behavior, animal sheltering and disaster response and planning.

He has extensive background in animal handling, community relations, and court room procedures. He was the incident commander for the animal disaster response efforts in Sonoma County for the 2017 Sonoma Complex Fires, the February 2019 Floods, and the 2019 Kincade Fire as well as being specifically requested to fill a command position during the Camp Fire response in Butte County and acted at the Incident Commander for the 2021 Caldor Fire. He has been with Sonoma County Animal Services since 2013.

Beth Wyatt, Operations Manager
Beth joined our team in 2024 after serving as a Supervising Ranger for Sonoma County Regional Parks. She has over 17 years of experience working as a law enforcement officer, an emergency medical technician, and a supervisor. She is adept at balancing competing tasks, adapting to shifting priorities, and proactively addressing emergent issues. She brings her communication and relationship-building talents to our department and has seamlessly integrated into our team, providing exceptional service to our customers through her supervision of the front office staff. Beth graduated with her MS in Emergency Services Administration and has participated as an emergency service worker for the County for the last few emergency activations.

Kevin Davis, Field Supervisor
Kevin Davis is the Field Supervisor for Sonoma County Animal Services. Kevin is Sonoma County native growing up in Petaluma. He has lived in The Town of Windsor since 1993. Kevin was the main officer assigned to The Town of Windsor from 1990 -2000. Kevin started his career with Animal Services in 1989 as an animal control officer. In 2012 Kevin was selected as the Animal Services Field Supervisor. Kevin has worked closely with local and state law enforcement agencies in order to resolve community/neighborhood issues. Kevin has been deployed on several occasions since 2015 assisting other communities during wildfires.

Michelle Rene, Volunteer Manager
Michelle Rene has a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in English (literature) with a minor in science and technical writing from the University of Arizona; and has worked for and County of Sonoma’s Public Health Division since 2014, and Sonoma County Animal Services (SCAS) since 2016.

She is also a 2014 Fellow of the Leadership Institute for Ecology and the Ecology’s Leadership for a Sustainable Future Program and participated in the Storytelling for Behavioral and Policy Change project. Michelle Rene, a native Californian, has lived in Cloverdale since 2000. Over the last seven years at SCAS, she has taken on increasing responsibilities, including volunteer Agenda Item Number 9
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management, overseeing front office operations, database administration, and website management.

Emma Diemert, Shelter Supervisor
Emma Diemer has lived in Sonoma County since 2018 and has been the Shelter Supervisor for Sonoma County Animal Services since October of 2022. Emma has worked in private veterinary hospitals and municipal shelters. She has an educational background in Animal Science and continued to stay update on best practices in shelter management and animal care. Emma has enjoyed helping fine-tune SCAS’ s shelter operation and looks forward to continuing to grow alongside SCAS.

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Appendix D Resumes
B R I A N F . W H I P P L E
2 2 33 S U N L I T A N N D RI V E , S AN T A R O SA , C A 9 5 40 3 ( 60 3) 7 3 1 - 73 51 | b r ia n w h ipp l e 76 @ gm a i l .co m

S U M M A R Y
Law enforcement and animal care professional with over 30 years of experience in investigations, report writing, officer recruitment, career development, animal capture and behavior, animal sheltering and disaster response and planning. Extensive background in animal handling, community relations, and court room procedures

E X P E R I E N C E
SONOMA COUNTY ANIMAL SERVICES, Santa Rosa CA 2013-Present Director of Animal Services
• Developed and implemented standard operating procedures for all facets of the animal control department.
• Developed strong partnerships with local and state law enforcement as well the District Attorney’s office.
• Act as Public Information officer for the media as well as giving talks to other organizations, County and City Councils and community groups.
• Advised the Director on the development and implementation of an employee recognition program and the tracking of good and bad performance.
• Investigated, managed and resolved complex employee relations issues. • Responsible for all operations including field, shelter and front office. • Development of standard operating procedures in all areas of the operation • Act as lead for emergency operations during disaster/emergency response field operations and sheltering.
• Development of the Sonoma County Emergency Animal Response Plan and a volunteer Animal Disaster Service Worker program to aid in emergency response • Partnership development with local humane organizations, state and local governments and organizations.
• Organized and instituted a low income spay/neuter program within the county. • Development of training plan for all staff.
• Serves as Incident Commander for all disaster related response within Sonoma County OA.

DELAWARE ANIMAL CARE AND CONTROL, Camden DE 2006- 2013
Major/Chief Animal Control Officer
• Developed and implemented standard operating procedures for all facets the animal control department.
• Instituted a progressive officer training program for all new hires as well as an in-service training program for officers.
• Developed strong partnerships with local and state law enforcement as well the attorney general’s Agenda Item Number 9
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office.
• Act as lead for emergency operations during disaster response field operations. • Act as Public Information officer for the media as well as giving talks to other organizations, County and City Councils and community groups.
• Instituted a community policing unit within the department focusing on strong communication and overall animal and human safety awareness.
• Advised the Director on the development and implementation of an employee recognition program and the tracking of good and bad performance.
• Investigated, managed and resolved complex employee relations issues. • Track and approve all reports, search warrants and arrest warrants. • Devised a monthly reporting system for all calls for service and departmental activity used in reporting to County, City and Town Councils.
• Perform performance evaluations for 32 officers and six dispatchers and develop a plan for improvement on certain aspects of career development.

MONADNOCK HUMANE SOCIETY, West Swanzey, NH 2000-2006
Director of Field Services and Facilities
• Assisted in the development and implementation of an animal control contract with a local communities focusing on better response and creative enforcement of local and state ordinances. • Instituted an all new animal cruelty investigation program including standard operating procedures, reporting guidelines, case management and media relations. • Acted as Public Information Officer for media relations • Selected to sit on the Governor’s Task Force for the humane treatment of animals to assist in the drafting of legislation and to testify in front of the House of Representatives and the Senate • Developed and implemented a standard of care guidelines for all animals going in and out of the shelter
• Assisted in the creation and implementation of a behavior modification program for canines with special or difficult behavior needs which was the first of its kind in an animal shelter in New Hampshire.
• Perform performance evaluations for eight animal care staff and one maintenance specialist. • Developed and implemented a community service program through the court system. • Plan and monitor expenditures and operational costs are consistent with the division’s budget.
• Prepare yearly budgets, recommend purchases to the director and ensure that the division stays within budget restrictions. Recommend budget cuts and identify potential savings with in the division.
• Only Certified Peace Officer in New Hampshire responding to Animal Cruelty investigations. Member of the Cheshire County Sheriff’s Department GREENHILL HUMANE SOCIETY SPCA, Eugene, OR 2000-2001
Animal Facilities Manager
• Developed and implemented an animal care and treatment program for all animals • Instituted a behavior evaluation program for all canines for adoption • Sourced, coordinated, and facilitated candidate selection, interview process, and new hire orientation Agenda Item Number 9
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to meet and exceed client’s business requirements.
• Collaborated with in house and local veterinarians for treatment plans for sick and injured animals. • Coordinated spay and neuter program with Oregon State University’s School of Veterinary medicine on a monthly basis including transportation and logistics of the OSU program. • Collaborated in the creation of new programs for the shelter that reduced the number of animals received by 26% and achieved a 100% placement rate for all eligible dogs. These programs are currently featured in national industry publications as some of the best and most innovative ideas in the humane field today.
• Responsible for redesigning animal intake, care and adoption forms and procedures, resulting in improved employee efficiency, improved care for the animals and a lower disease rate COLUMBINE ANIMAL HOSPITAL, Littleton, CO 1999-2000
Kennel Manager / Veterinary Technician
• Responsible for intake and return of all animals coming and going through the kennel • Track the care of each animal in the boarding facility • Develop care plans for animals that are in the kennel including those with special needs or special care needs.
• Responsible for setting up and break down of surgical procedures. • Assist veterinarians in daily treatment of animals.

COMPATIPUP CANINE SERVICES., Tiverton, RI 1995-1998
Kennel Manager / Assistant Dog Trainer
• Responsible for all aspects of kennel management, social boarding and obedience training. • Developed and managed a purchasing program for all aspects of the boarding kennel and training facilities.
• Extensive community involvement in teaching and solving animal behavioral issues. • Taught basic obedience classes, performed behavioral evaluations and provided corrective training

E D U C A T I O N
ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY, Bristol, RI September 95- December 1998 Veterinary Technology Bel-Rea Institute of Veterinary Technology, Denver, CO

KIMBALL UNION ACADEMY, MERIDEN, NH

C E R T I F I C A T I O N S
• Certified in Euthanasia in Oregon, New Hampshire, Delaware, and California • June 1998 – January 2000: Alameda East Veterinary Hospital, Denver CO Internship as a veterinary technician in emergency and critical care • August 2002: Cruelty Investigation Academy, Salemburg NC National Animal Control Association: Level One – 40 Hours Agenda Item Number 9
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• July – August 2002: Humane Society University
Basic Supervision: Online Course – 6 Weeks
• September 2002: Illegal Dog & Cock Fighting, Concord NH Investigation Training – 8 Hours
• March 2003: Ice Rescue Technician Training Course, Hancock NH Life Saving Resources: Certified Ice Rescue Technician – 12 Hours • April 2003: New Hampshire Police Standards and Training, Keene NH Police Academy: Certified Police Officer in the State of NH • June 2003: Cruelty Investigations Academy, Hartford CT National Animal Control Association: Level Two – 40 Hours • February 2004: National Cruelty Investigation School, Tampa FL Humane Society of the United States, Code 3 Associates:

Level One – 40 Hours
• September 2005: Equine Investigations Academy, Durango CO Equine Investigations Academy, Skill Development – 24 Hours Technical Studies – 24 Hours
University of Missouri – Columbia / Code 3 Associates, Level One • Selected to serve on the New Hampshire Governors Commission for the Humane Treatment of Animals in 2004 and 2005
• Founding member of the New Hampshire Animal Fighting Task Force • June 2006 Center for Domestic Preparedness Anniston Alabama Completed NIMS 700 • June 2006 Completed Incident Command System 100 – 400 Center for Domestic Preparedness Anniston Alabama
• March 2007 Completed Agricultural Terrorism and Bio-Security Preparedness, Dover DE • March 2007 Certified on the Delaware Judiciary Information System (DELJIS) • March 2007 Certified on the Law Enforcement Investigations System (LEISS) • Member of the Delaware State Animal Rescue Team
• March 2009 Certified in Tactical Baton, ASP
• March 2009 Certified in Handcuffing/Restraint ASP
• April 2009 Major Case Management, Delaware State Police Academy • April 2009 DEMA ICS Operations/EOC Interface
• June 2009 Survival Spanish Delaware State Police Academy • February 2011 Use of Force AELE/ New Castle County Police Department • April 2011 Certified as Taser Instructor, Taser International • April 2014 P.C. 832 Firearms Training POST, Woodland Community College • April 2014 POST PC 832 Arrest, Santa Rosa Junior College Public Safety Training Center • May 2014, POST Supervisory Course 80 Hours, Santa Rosa Junior College Public Safety Training Center
• June 2014 Supervisory Effectiveness Program Series 1, UC Davis • January 2015 QPR Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Program, Sonoma County • November 2015 IS-00011.a Animals in Disaster Community Planning, FEMA Agenda Item Number 9
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• November 2015 IS-00800.b Introduction National Response Framework, FEMA • November 2015 Frist Responder Guidelines to Equine Emergencies Level 1, UC Davis • December 2015 IS-00111.a Livestock in Disaster
• February 2016 CA Fire Service Training Large Animal Rescue • September 2017 Cal OSHA Aerosol Transmissible Disease Training • March 2017 RDPC AWR-328 All Hazards Preparedness for Animals in Disasters • January 2018 ACTS Firearms Training
• February 2018 RDCP MGT-448 All Hazards Planning for Animal, Agricultural, and Food Related Disasters
• June 2018 FEMA IS-775 EOC Management and Operations
• June 2018 Homeland Security PCII Authorized User
• August 2018 IS- 00005a An Introduction to Hazardous Materials • March 2019 Western Institute for Food Safety and Security/Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium/ Animals in Disaster Instructor
• June 2019 FEMA IS-235.c Emergency Planning
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Beth Wyatt
Operations Management
[email protected] • (707) 565-5401
Santa Rosa, CA
Forward-thinking professional with experience in optimizing organizational efficiency and driving successful team performance while ensuring regulatory compliance at local, state, tribal, and federal levels. Remarkable efficiency in forecasting demand, analyzing staffing needs based on visitation and projected budgets, and providing insightful reports to management. Adept at implementing public information campaigns and delivering presentations to government, community, and neighborhood groups. Instrumental in recommending emergency service policies, spearheading training/programs, and presenting trainings on autism emergency response and disaster preparedness. Strategic team player, skilled in cultivating relationships with cross-functional stakeholders and driving continuous improvement in operational workflows. Expert in designing and presenting training on "Autism and Disaster Preparation: A Training for Emergency Services Providers" at national and international conferences.

Areas of Expertise
♦ Operational Excellence
♦ Organizational Leadership
♦ Community Outreach
♦ Supervision & Administration
♦ Collaborative Relationships
♦ Training & Presentation
♦ Cross-functional Communication
♦ Strategic Planning & Execution
♦ Emergency Response
Professional Experience
Sonoma County Animal Services, Santa Rosa CA 2024 - Present Operations Manager
Manage Customer Relations team to provide exceptional customer service at the County animal shelter. Evaluate staff performance and develop training plans. Collaborate with staff, volunteers, and community partners to ensure the welfare of animals. Recommend changes to policy and procedure and increase efficiencies within shelter operations. Coordinate with emergency management personnel to ensure shelter readiness during local disasters.

Sonoma County Regional Parks, Santa Rosa, CA 2007 – 2024 Supervising Ranger, 2019 – 2024
Park Ranger II, 2016 – 2020
Park Ranger I, 2007 – 2016
Coordinate regularly with local law enforcement, fire, and EMS providers during emergencies and large-scale disasters. Execute community outreach and public information campaigns by driving efforts with multiple nonprofits, community groups, tribal partners, and neighboring stakeholders. Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal COVID-19 guidelines in collaboration with human resources. Offer excellent services while acting as a proactive member of a multi-disciplinary homeless outreach task force focused on addressing chronic homelessness. Manage overall staff supervision by performing annual reviews, counseling, and disciplining full-time employees. Streamline organizational processes by monitoring the performance of a diverse team of both badged and un-badged employees. ● Independently developed and presented training on Autism recognition and response to park rangers, local law enforcement, fire departments, search and rescue teams, and EMS providers. ● Improved organizational performance by hiring and empowering seasonal/full-time operations staff of 20-30 people. ● Established extra help hours and fulfilled staffing needs based on seasonal visitation in line with the designated budget. ● Leveraged exceptional collaboration skills to organize annual training for a staff of 20 sworn peace officers in collaboration with the Public Safety Training Center.
● Addressed customer service complaints, concerns, and comments by providing top-tier services Education
Master of Science in Emergency Services Administration
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CSU Long Beach, CA, 2021
Bachelor of Art in Studio Art
Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA 2003
Training
Federal Emergency Management Independent Study Certificates IS-00230.d Fundamentals of Emergency Management, August 2019 IS-0130 Introduction to Continuity of Operations, May 2020 IS-00520 Introduction to Continuity of Operations Planning for Pandemic Influenza, May 2020 IS-00029.a Public Information Officer Awareness, May 2020 IS-00042 Social Media in Emergency Management, August 2020 IS-00242.b Effective Communication, August 2020
IS-00800.d National Response Framework: An Introduction, August 2020 IS-0201 Forms Used for the Development of the Incident Action Plan Course, January 2021 IS-02200 Basic Emergency Operations Center Operations, February 2021 IS-00010.a Animals in Disaster: Awareness and Preparedness, November 2023 IS-00011.a Animals in Disaster: Community Planning
IS- 00042. A Livestock in Disasters
Other Certificates
Emergency Medical Technician, June 2007
PC 832 Arrest and Control, March 2008
Basic Wildland Firefighting including ICS 100, 200 and NIMS, January 2020 Peace Officers Standards and Training Media Relations Training (16 hours) December 2020 Peace Officers Standards and Training Internal Affairs Investigations (16 hours) May 2023 Agenda Item Number 9
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EMMA ROSE DIEMERT
[email protected] 251 554 3777
Santa Rosa, CA

CERTIFICATIONS
• Certification in Humane Euthanasia
• Veterinary Assistant Controlled Substances Permit
• Fear Free Certification for Shelters
• SAFER Certified Tester
• Beef Quality Assurance Certification

QUALIFICATIONS
• Enthusiastic, dependable, eager to learn; committed to excellence in performance • Passionate about all animals, their well---being and quality of life • Proficient in the following software; AVImark, PetPoint, Chameleon, Cornerstone, R Programming • Strong telephone etiquette skills
• Proficient in MS Office applications including; Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook

EDUCATION
o Veterinary Technician Classes
o Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa, CA
o Bachelors of Science in Animal Sciences, minor in Development Psychology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL Graduated May 2017
CLUBS & ACTIVITIES:
o Bioinformatics Individual Research
o Block and Bridle – Member
o Women in Science – Member
o Pre-Veterinary Medical Association – Intramural Chair/Member

WORK EXPERIENCE
Animal Health Technician
Sonoma County Animal Service, Santa Rosa, CA
March 2018 – March 2019
Lead Kennel Technician
Balanced Behavior. Windsor, CA
May 2017 – March 2018
Administrative Assistant
Canine Companions for Independence. Santa Rosa, CA
May 2016 – August 2016
Research Assistant
Auburn University, Auburn, AL
May 2016 – May 2017
Intake Technician
Lee County Humane Society, Auburn, AL
June 2013 – Dec 2013
Kennel Technician Intern
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The Haven No---Kill Adoption Shelter, Fairhope, AL 36532 August 2011 – March 2015

Kennel / Veterinary Technician
Animal Wellness Center of Fairhope Fairhope, AL 36532

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT/VOLUNTEER
o Volunteer Sales Associate with The Haven Resale Shop
o
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Kevin Davis
1247 Century Ct. Santa Rosa, CA 95405 | (707) 565-7106 | [email protected] Professional Summary
Experienced Supervising Animal Control Officer with over 30 years in animal welfare, law enforcement, and public safety. Skilled in supervising field and shelter staff, enforcing state and county regulations, managing emergency responses, and ensuring public health and animal safety. Demonstrates the ability to lead high-performing teams, implement policies, and maintain regulatory compliance while optimizing operational efficiency.

Professional Experience
Supervising Animal Control Officer
Sonoma County Animal Services 1989- Present
• Supervise and coordinate field and shelter staff, including training, performance evaluation, and disciplinary actions.
• Act as a technical resource for officers on animal control, shelter operations, and regulatory compliance. • Implement directives of the Animal Care and Control Director, ensuring uniform application of rules, regulations, and policies.
• Oversee animal care, impoundment, quarantine, licensing, and euthanasia procedures. • Respond to complaints, investigate violations of animal control laws, and appear as a witness in court. • Coordinate rabies clinics, vaccinations, and reports of potential exposures to humans or animals. • Manage equipment and vehicle assignments, staff schedules, and operational logistics. • Participate in budget preparation and compile statistical and production reports.

Key Achievements
• Develop training programs for staff, ensuring compliance with state laws, county ordinances, and animal welfare standards.
• Lead emergency and disaster response operations, including animal rescues and rabies exposure management. • Enhance shelter operations and field effectiveness through strategic planning and process improvements. • Supervise high-risk operations involving capture, transport, and care of vicious, injured, or unlicensed animals.

Certifications & Training
Law Enforcement & Animal Control:
• POST Supervisory Course (80 hours), Arrest, Firearms, Baton & Impact Weapons, Legal Updates • State Humane Officer Training Academy (Marin County)
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• Livestock & Poultry Welfare Certification
• Blood Sports (Dog/Cock Fighting) Certification
• M26 Advanced Taser & Taser X26 Instructor Certification • California Certified Euthanasia Technician
Emergency Management & Safety:
• FEMA Certifications: IS-100.B, IS-200.B, IS-700.B, IS-800.B, FEMA 10, FEMA 11 • Office of Emergency Services SEMS G606
• Disaster/Emergency Worker Certifications (Flood Response, 1995–2006) • CPR & First Aid
Supervisory & Leadership Training:
• UC Davis Supervisory Effectiveness Program Series 1 & 2 • Sonoma County Supervisory Skills & Academy Certifications • Job Steward Basic Training (SEIU)
• Numerous on-the-job leadership and management courses, including Elder Abuse Training, First Responder Guidelines for Equine Emergencies, and POST Control Law Enforcement updates County of Sonoma Courses:
• Workplace Safety, Effective Disciplinary Practice, Discrimination Law, Motivating Employees, Conducting Investigations, Preventing Discrimination, Managing Marginal Employees, Ethics in the Workplace, Continuous Improvement, Disability Interactive Process, and more
Education
• Santa Rosa Junior College — 60 Semester Units, Administration of Justice • University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ — B.A., English, Magna Cum Laude • Leadership Institute for Ecology and the Economy, Santa Rosa, CA — Fellow, Leadership for a Sustainable Future Program
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Michelle Rene
Cloverdale, CA | 707-486-6818 | [email protected]
Experience: January 2010 to Present
Leadership and Project Management
• Manage volunteers, including orientations, communications, and tracking required documents and training, and handling day-to-day needs. • Manage and supervise customer service and accounting staff of five, including training, scheduling, conflict resolution, and performance management. • Streamline business processes for improved customer service, accounting and data analysis workflows.
• Spearheaded the implementation of a new dog licensing system (DocuPet) and collections system (Enterprise Financial System).
• Spearheaded the transition to an updated server and upgrade of the Chameleon Database, including cross-collaboration with the County’s Information Systems Department and HLP, Inc., for Sonoma County Animal Services. • Managed all aspects of the Federal Financial Participation (FFP) time study, including reviewing activity logs, preparing spreadsheets, correcting Excel formulas, and entering data to meet state funding requirements for Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health (MCAH).
• Raised $34K (178% over goal) through silent auction donations, sponsorships, ticket sales, and a “fund-a-need” auction as chair for the Leadership Institute for Ecology and the Economy’s Leader in Sustainability Awards dinner and fundraiser.

Research and Data Analysis
• Create SQL queries for data analysis and auditing, and workflow improvement. • Edit, create and upload to the Chameleon Database Crystal Reports, to support data gathering and improve work efficiency.
• Research, analyze, gather and summarize documents for public records requests and subpoenas as the custodian of records.
• Compile quarterly statistical reports to inform management decisions regarding dog licensing compliance and revenue generation.
• Audit and correct transactional database; create monthly shelter outcome reports and enter data for the Shelter Animal County in support of community engagement.

Graphic/Web Design and Desktop Publishing
• Update, edit and create content for the Sonoma County Animal Services website.

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• Designed and updated Facebook cover and website images, bookmarks, posters, park signs, and flyers for Sonoma County Animal Services • Collaborated on cross-organizational efforts for branding of all materials sent to the general public, including direct mail letters, e-blasts and newsletters for Wells Fargo Center for the Arts.

Skills
Platforms: Macintosh OS X/lower | Windows XP/lower
Software/Databases: Adobe Creative Suite | Microsoft Office | iWork | Visio | Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio | Chameleon | Tessitura | Raiser’s Edge EFS Employment
Program Planning and Evaluation Analyst
Sonoma County Animal Services December 2023 to Present
Administrative Aide, County of Sonoma,
Sonoma County Animal Services July 2016 to December 2023 Administrative Aide, County of Sonoma
Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health February 2015 to July 2016 Administrative Aide, County of Sonoma
Public Health Program Support February 2014 to February 2015 Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County
Development Associate (temporary) June 2013 to February 2014 Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa, CA
Database Entry (temporary) June 2012 to October 2012
Grants Manager August 2007 to May 2011
Certifications
ICS 100B, 200, 700 October 2018
ed2go Online Courses: Sonoma State University
• Introduction and Intermediate SQL December 2018
• Project Management December 2015
University of California Davis Extension
• Supervisory Effectiveness Program Series 1 - Leading People February 2016 • Supervisory Effectiveness Program Series 2 - Leading Processes May 2016 Education
Leadership Institute for Ecology and the Economy, Santa Rosa, CA Fellow, Leadership for a Sustainable Future Program June 2010 University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
Bachelor of Arts, Magna Cum Laude, English May 2000
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CERTIFICATE

THIS ACKNOWLEDGES THAT
Michaela Anne Brunson
IN ACCORDANCE WITH PROVISIONS SET FORTH IN CALIFORNIA’S HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE 26220 - 26230, BY AUTHORITY VESTED IN THE CALIFORNIA ANIMAL WELFARE ASSOCIATION, IS A

CERTIFIED ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER
CACO Certificate Number 1438, Date of Expiration 5-31-2028 MAY 16,
2025 SIGNED, Jill M. Tucker, CEO
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CERTIFICATE

THIS ACKNOWLEDGES THAT
Galand B. Chapman
IN ACCORDANCE WITH PROVISIONS SET FORTH IN CALIFORNIA’S HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE 26220 - 26230, BY AUTHORITY VESTED IN THE CALIFORNIA ANIMAL WELFARE ASSOCIATION, IS A

CERTIFIED ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER
CACO Certificate Number 1458, Date of Expiration 8-31-2028 AUGUST 21,
2025 SIGNED, Jill M. Tucker, CEO
Agenda Item Number 9
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CERTIFICATE

THIS ACKNOWLEDGES THAT
Anthony Faas
IN ACCORDANCE WITH PROVISIONS SET FORTH IN CALIFORNIA’S HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE 26220 - 26230, BY AUTHORITY VESTED IN THE CALIFORNIA ANIMAL WELFARE ASSOCIATION, IS A

CERTIFIED ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER
CACO Certificate Number 1444, Date of Expiration 6-30-2028 JUNE 18,
2025 SIGNED, Jill M. Tucker, CEO
Agenda Item Number 9
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CERTIFICATE

THIS ACKNOWLEDGES THAT
Chelsea Hayes
IN ACCORDANCE WITH PROVISIONS SET FORTH IN CALIFORNIA’S HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE 26220 - 26230, BY AUTHORITY VESTED IN THE CALIFORNIA ANIMAL WELFARE ASSOCIATION, IS A

CERTIFIED ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER
CACO Certificate Number 1439, Date of Expiration 5-31-2028 MAY 27,
2025 SIGNED, Jill M. Tucker, CEO
Agenda Item Number 9
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CERTIFICATE

THIS ACKNOWLEDGES THAT
Ryan Anthony Jedd
IN ACCORDANCE WITH PROVISIONS SET FORTH IN CALIFORNIA’S HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE 26220 - 26230, BY AUTHORITY VESTED IN THE CALIFORNIA ANIMAL WELFARE ASSOCIATION, IS A

CERTIFIED ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER
CACO Certificate Number 1457, Date of Expiration 8-31-2028 AUGUST 21,
2025 SIGNED, Jill M. Tucker, CEO
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CERTIFICATE

THIS ACKNOWLEDGES THAT
Cristiano Martinez
IN ACCORDANCE WITH PROVISIONS SET FORTH IN CALIFORNIA’S HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE 26220 - 26230, BY AUTHORITY VESTED IN THE CALIFORNIA ANIMAL WELFARE ASSOCIATION, IS A

CERTIFIED ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER
CACO Certificate Number 1416, Date of Expiration 1-31-2028 JANUARY 22,
2025 SIGNED, Jill M. Tucker, CEO
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CERTIFICATE

THIS ACKNOWLEDGES THAT
Andrew O’Brien
IN ACCORDANCE WITH PROVISIONS SET FORTH IN CALIFORNIA’S HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE 26220 - 26230, BY AUTHORITY VESTED IN THE CALIFORNIA ANIMAL WELFARE ASSOCIATION, IS A

CERTIFIED ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER
CACO Certificate Number 1452, Date of Expiration 7-31-2028 JULY 23,
2025 SIGNED, Jill M. Tucker, CEO
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CERTIFICATE

THIS ACKNOWLEDGES THAT
Michaella Patt
IN ACCORDANCE WITH PROVISIONS SET FORTH IN CALIFORNIA’S HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE 26220 - 26230, BY AUTHORITY VESTED IN THE CALIFORNIA ANIMAL WELFARE ASSOCIATION, IS A

CERTIFIED ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER
CACO Certificate Number 1451, Date of Expiration 7-31-2028 JULY 18,
2025 SIGNED, Jill M. Tucker, CEO
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CERTIFICATE

THIS ACKNOWLEDGES THAT
Dustin Root
IN ACCORDANCE WITH PROVISIONS SET FORTH IN CALIFORNIA’S HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE 26220 - 26230, BY AUTHORITY VESTED IN THE CALIFORNIA ANIMAL WELFARE ASSOCIATION, IS A

CERTIFIED ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER
CACO Certificate Number 1443, Date of Expiration 6-30-2028 JUNE 18,
2025 SIGNED, Jill M. Tucker, CEO
Agenda Item Number 9
Agenda Item Number 9
City Council Meeting Packet of March 17, 2026

CERTIFICATE

THIS ACKNOWLEDGES THAT
Anthony Valentino
IN ACCORDANCE WITH PROVISIONS SET FORTH IN CALIFORNIA’S HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE 26220 - 26230, BY AUTHORITY VESTED IN THE CALIFORNIA ANIMAL WELFARE ASSOCIATION, IS A

CERTIFIED ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER
CACO Certificate Number 1445, Date of Expiration 6-30-2028 JUNE 18,
2025 SIGNED, Jill M. Tucker, CEO
Agenda Item Number 9
Agenda Item Number 9
City Council Meeting Packet of March 17, 2026

violation_no violation_date offense
V24-013151 3/25/2024 5-115 Row Labels Count of offense
V24-013152 3/24/2024 5-115 5-115 133
V24-013245 6/21/2024 5-115 5-117 10
V23-012998 10/3/2023 5-115 5-119 14
V23-012968 9/21/2023 5-115 5-127 6
V23-012969 9/21/2023 5-115 5-170 18
V23-012965 9/21/2023 5-115 5-171 19
V23-012966 9/21/2023 5-115 5-41 341
V23-013038 11/2/2023 5-115 5-48 1
V23-012988 9/20/2023 5-115 5-70 7
V23-012988 9/20/2023 5-115 6.04.140 42
V23-012987 9/29/2023 5-115 6.04.340 42
V23-013033 10/30/2023 5-115 7-08.040 3
V25-013986 4/27/2025 5-115 7-08.120 9
V25-013986 4/27/2025 5-115 7-12.010 842
V23-012961 9/17/2023 5-115 7-12.100 501
V23-012961 9/17/2023 5-115 7-28.010 4
V23-013015 10/16/2023 5-115 7-30.200 10
V23-013015 10/16/2023 5-115 7-30.210 44
V25-014075 5/25/2025 5-115 F & A 17121 6
V24-013406 10/15/2024 5-115 H&S 122335(B) 4
V23-013011 10/13/2023 5-115 OTHER VIOL 24
V23-013011 10/13/2023 5-115 PC 597.7 7
V24-013235 6/13/2024 5-115 Grand Total 2087
V24-013235 6/13/2024 5-115
V23-013008 10/9/2023 5-115
V23-013008 10/9/2023 5-115
V23-013008 10/9/2023 5-115
V24-013124 2/23/2024 5-115
V23-013007 10/6/2023 5-115
V24-013130 2/29/2024 5-115
V24-013130 2/29/2024 5-115
Agenda Item Number 9
Agenda Item Number 9
City Council Meeting Packet of March 17, 2026

Animal ID Animal Name Intake Date Outcome Date Current Status Breed Color Gender Shelter
Location Circumstance
33713 12.5.25 Hbg
Stray Dog 'Tilly'
Dec-05-2025 6-Dec-2025 Reclaimed German Shorthaired Pointer Mix
Brown / White Female Stray (With ID)
33615 Hbg Stray
11/16 Coba
Nov-17-2025 17-Nov-2025 Reclaimed American Pit Bull Mix White / Brown Female Stray (With ID) 33762 Emergency
Board Lb
Dec-23-2025 14-Jan-2026 Reclaimed Siberian Husky Mix Black / White Male Emergency Boarding
33434 Meike Oct-02-2025 11-Oct-2025 Adopted Domestic Medium Hair Mix Torbie / Brown Tabby Female Stray (No ID) 33435 Pim Oct-02-2025 11-Oct-2025 Adopted Domestic Medium Hair Mix Silver Tabby / Grey Tabby Male Stray (No ID) 33657 Hannah
Montana
Nov-24-2025 8-Dec-2025 Adopted Domestic Medium Hair Mix Black Tabby / White Female Stray (No ID) 33658 Cody Nov-24-2025 12-Dec-2025 Adopted Domestic Medium Hair Mix Grey / White Male Stray (No ID) 33659 Kim Possible Nov-24-2025 6-Dec-2025 Adopted Domestic Medium Hair Mix Brown Tabby / White Female Stray (No ID) 33660 Zack Nov-24-2025 8-Dec-2025 Adopted Domestic Medium Hair Mix Orange Tabby / White Male Stray (No ID) 33661 Lizzie Mcguire Nov-24-2025 10-Dec-2025 Adopted Domestic Medium Hair Mix Tortie / White Female Stray (No ID) 33642 Ezekiel Nov-21-2025 7-Dec-2025 Adopted Terrier Mix Grey / White Male Stray (No ID) Agenda Item Number 9
Agenda Item Number 9
City Council Meeting Packet of March 17, 2026

33744 Blush Dec-11-2025 23-Dec-2025 Adopted Domestic Short Hair Mix Black / White Female Stray (No ID) 33749 Starfire Dec-13-2025 27-Dec-2025 Adopted American Pit Bull Mix Tan / White Female Stray (No ID) 33750 Raven Dec-13-2025 13-Jan-2026 Adopted American Pit Bull Mix Brindle Female Stray (No ID) 42 Dog Adoptions
Animal ID Animal Name Received Date
Current Status
Date Current Status Breed Color Gender
Shelter
Location Circumstance
33714 Elena Dec-06-2025 22-Jan-2026 Available For
Adoption
German Shepherd Mix Brown / Black Female Dog Adoptions Stray (No ID) 33715 Katherine Dec-06-2025 22-Jan-2026 Bite Quarantine German Shepherd Mix Brown / Black Female Dog Adoptions Stray (No ID) 2 Agenda Item Number 9
Agenda Item Number 9
City Council Meeting Packet of March 17, 2026

Quarterly Report, October – December 2025
During this quarter the Humane Society of Sonoma County (HSSC) - Healdsburg provided sheltering services for 44 animals from the City of Healdsburg. This quarter last year we provided services for 44 animals from the City of Healdsburg. Attached is a report for the Healdsburg jurisdiction which includes Animal ID#, Jurisdiction, Finders Address, Animal Type, Intake Status, Intake Circumstance and Current Status. This report includes the date at which the animal entered the care of the HSSC - Healdsburg along with the date of its final outcome.

Our animal control field services provider responded to 170 calls during this quarter.

This quarter the animals that arrived included dogs, cats, puppies, kittens, and guinea pigs:

Their current status is:

Adopted = 34
Reclaimed/Redeemed = 8
Stray Hold/Quarantine = 1
Emergency Hold = 0
Available for Adoption = 1
DOA = 0
Euthanized = 0
In Foster = 0
Under Vet Care = 0
Awaiting Spay/neuter = 0
Transferred out = 0
Returned to habitat = 0
Unassisted Death = 0
2025 YTD total adoptions: 410 2024 YTD total adoptions: 306 Any questions may be directed to
Cynthia King, Executive Director, [email protected] or
Rebecca Plattus, HSSC Healdsburg Shelter Manager - 707-542-0882 ext. 103, [email protected] Agenda Item Number 9
Agenda Item Number 9
City Council Meeting Packet of March 17, 2026

Resolution NUMBER: XXXX-2026
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEBASTOPOL AMENDING THE FY 2025–26

ADOPTED BUDGET TO PROVIDE APPROPRIATIONS FOR INTERIM ANIMAL CONTROL AND SHELTERING

SERVICES AND TO AUTHORIZE THE CITY MANAGER TO ISSUE NOTICE OF TERMINATION TO NORTH BAY

ANIMAL SERVICES (NBAS) FOR THE EXISTING MONTH TO MONTH AGREEMENT EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY

OR AS SOON AS PRACTICABLE TO MINIMIZE SERVICE GAP
WHEREAS, the City of Sebastopol historically has provided animal control and sheltering services through contracted service providers; and
WHEREAS, the City currently maintains a month-to-month agreement with North Bay Animal Services (NBAS) for animal control and sheltering services; and
WHEREAS, due to documented concerns regarding service quality, compliance with legal mandates, and the loss of sheltering facilities by NBAS, City staff has recommended termination of the existing month-to-month agreement and the pursuit of interim service alternatives; and WHEREAS, to ensure continuity of services, protect public safety, and comply with state law requirements related to animal control, licensing, and impoundment, City staff has recommended entering into a three-month interim contract with the Humane Society of Sonoma County (HSSC) for animal sheltering services covering the period of April 1, 2026 through June 30, 2026; and WHEREAS, the proposed interim sheltering services with HSSC are estimated to cost approximately $9,680.25 for the three-month period, or $3,226.75 per month, based on historical service levels and population; and
WHEREAS, additional short-term animal control field services may be required during this interim period, and the City Manager has requested authority to expend up to $3,000 per month for such emergency or short-term services, should they become available; and
WHEREAS, the FY 2025–26 adopted budget does not include sufficient appropriations to cover these unanticipated interim animal control and sheltering costs; and WHEREAS, the proposed budget amendment is necessary to ensure continuity of essential services while long-term animal control and sheltering solutions are developed and incorporated into the FY 2026–27 budget;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Sebastopol hereby approves the FY 2025–26 Adopted Budget to appropriate funds for interim animal control and sheltering services in the Police Department budget in an amount not to exceed $8,000.

Category Description Amount
Adopted Budget FY 2025–26 Budget 25,000.00
Existing Commitment NBAS (July–March @ $1,575/month) (14,175.00) Subtotal Budget Residual after NBAS 10,825.00
Sheltering Costs HSSC – April (3,226.75)
HSSC – May (3,226.75)
Agenda Item Number 9
Agenda Item Number 9
City Council Meeting Packet of March 17, 2026

HSSC – June (3,226.75)
Additional Services April–June Short-Term Field Services (9,000.00) Net Impact FY 2025–26 Balance (7,855.00)
The above and foregoing Resolution was duly passed, approved, and adopted at a meeting by the City Council on the 17th day of March 2026
I, the undersigned, hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution was duly adopted by the City of Sebastopol City Council by the following vote:

VOTE:

Ayes:

Noes:

Absent:

Abstain:

APPROVED:

Jill McLewis, Mayor
ATTEST:

Mary Gourley, Interim City Manager/Assistant City Manager/City Clerk, MMC APPROVED AS TO FORM:

Alex Mog, City Attorney
Agenda Item Number 9
Agenda Item Number 9
City Council Meeting Packet of March 17, 2026