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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005/04/26 - Agenda Packet - Special AGENDA RANCHO CUCAMONGA CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING Tuesday, April 26, 2005 -~ 1:00 p.m. Civic Center ~ Council Chambers 10500 Civic Center Drive ~- Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730 A® Pledge of Allegiance Roll Call: Alexander CALL TO ORDER __, Gutierrez , Michael , Spagnolo , Williams B. PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS This is the time and place for the general public to address the City Council. State law prohibits the Council from addressing any issue not previously included on the agenda. The Council may receive testimony and set the matter for a subsequent meeting. Comments are to be limited to five minutes per individual. C. ITEM(S) OF BUSINESS PRESENTATION BY TAIMIE BRYANT RE THE HAYDEN LAW DISCUSSION OF ANIMAL RELATED ISSUES - MICROCHIPPING AND VETERINARIAN SERVICES DISCUSSION OF PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION D. ADJOURNMENT I, Debra J. Adams, City Clerk of the City of Rancho Cucamonga, hereby certify that a true, accurate copy of the foregoing agenda was posted on April 21,2005, per Government Code 54954.2 at 10500 Civic Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga, California. C I T Y ANCHO OF CUCAMONGA Repo DATE: TO: FROM: SUBJECT: April 26, 2005 Mayor and Members of the City Council Jack Lam, AICP, City Manager Michelle Dawson, Management Analyst III ANIMAL MICROCHIPPING SERVICES AT THE RANCHO CUCAMONGA ANIMAL SHELTER Recommendation It is recommended that the City Council approve the proposed plan to provide animal microchipping services at the Rancho Cucamonga Animal Shelter. BackRround At the February 16, 2005 meeting of the City Council, the Council directed City staff to formally request that the County of San Bernardino Animal Care and Control Department resume microchipping services at the Rancho Cucamonga Animal Shelter. Staff from the City Manager's Office has worked with County staff to develop a program to resume offering this service to customers of the Animal Shelter as well as take advantage of an offer from the H.O.P.E. animal rescue group to provide free microchips to the Shelter. H.O.P.E.'s proposal is to provide 1,000 microchips to be used for all dogs and cats adopted from the Rancho Cucamonga Animal Shelter. The H.O.P.E. offer of free microchips is for the adopted animals only, therefore "walk in" customers bringing their pet into the Shelter to be microchipped are not eligible for the free chip offered by H.O.P.E. and would need to pay for the microchipping. Microchip System: Microchip identification systems involve the injection of a tiny computer chip under the skin of an animal. The microchip has an identification number programmed into it and is implanted with a hypodermic needle. Once an animal is injected with the microchip, it can be identified for life by this unique number. Special scanners, which are generally used throughout the animal shelter and animal control industry, are used to read the number on the microchip. With a phone call to the microchip manufacturer the animal owner's information can be determined. The Rancho Cucamonga Animal Shelter will be using microchips manufactured by AVID, an industry leader. Reqistration: Microchips are sold in batches to veterinarians, breeders, and shelters and those batch numbers are kept on record with the microchip manufacturer. April 26, 2005 Staff Report: Shelter Page 2 of 3 Animal Microchipping Services at the Rancho Cucamonga 'Animal When a lost animal is scanned at a shelter and the AVID identification number is found, shelter staff calls AVID and with that microchip number they are given the name of the veterinarian or shelter that implanted the microchip. That veterinarian or shelter must then be called in order to get the animal owner's information. The microchip can also be registered with AVID's PetTrac Recovery System.. If the owner pays a fee to be registered directly with AVID, the owner's information will be available directly with the one phone call to AVID without going through the veterinarian, breeder, or shelter that implanted the chip. Because shelters are not open 24 hours, AVID encourages people to register directly with them because the PetTrac Recovery System is operated 24 hours and the reunion between the animal and its owner can be facilitated more quickly than if a party needs to wait until the shelter with which the animal is registered opens for business. Two Ways to. Pumhase AVID Microchips: When batches of microchips are purchased from AVID, they are pumhased in one of two ways--the microchips alone, or the microchips with a pre-paid AVID registration. In orders of over 1,000, the microchips are pumhased for $4.95 each (not including sales tax). With the pre- paid AVID registrations, they are essentially $9.70 each-- $4.95 for the microchip and $4.75 for the pro-paid AVID registration. To register with AVID's PetTrac Recovery System without the pro-paid forms the cost is $15. For example, if a shelter pumhases microchips without the pro-paid AVID registration, they pay $4,95 per microchip. If the animal owner wanted to have that microchip registered with AVID, they would be provided with the information forms which they would send directly to AVID for a fee of $15. Proposed Pro.qram: All animals adopted from the Rancho Cucamonga Animal Shelter will be microchipped at the time of adoption for free using the microchips donated by H.O.P.E. In order to keep the services free per the wishes of H.O.P.E., there will be no charge for the injection of the chip or the data entry and maintenance of the owner information database by Shelter personnel. H.O.P.E.'s offer includes the microchips alone, not the pre-paid registrations for the microchips. Therefore, the animals adopted from the Shelter will be microchipped for free, their owner's information will be kept on record at the Shelter, and they will be provided with information regarding registering separately with AVID. If they want to register with AVID they will need to forward their information and $15 directly to AVID. Microchipping Animals Adopted from the Animal Shelter: Product/Service AVID microchip Registration at R.C. Animal Shelter Total fee required AVID PetTrac Registration (optional) Fee $0 (donated by H.O.P.E.) $0 $0 $15 paid directly to AVID by the animal owner* *In order to offer the pre-paid AVID registration to the adopting owner of a Shelter animal, the City Council may want to consider funding that portion of the program. Council could in effect "match" H.O.P.E.'s donation of 1,000 microchips (approximately $5,000 cost) with a donation of the pre-paid AVID registration for each of those donated microchips for a cost to the City of approximately $5,000. April 26, 2005 Staff Report: Shelter Page 3 of 3 Animal Microchipping Services at the Rancho Cucamonga*Animal This would guarantee that the microchip is registered both with the Shelter and with the AVID PetTrac Recovery System and saves the adopting pet owner $15 for this service. '~Valk In" customers bringin, g their family pets into the Shelter to have the microchip injected will be charged a nominal fee. The H.O.P.E. microchips are being donated for those animals being adopted from the Shelter, they are not being donated for the use of anyone walking in and requesting the microchipping service for their pet. Because the AVID PetTrac Recovery System can facilitate the reunion of microchipped animals and their owners and is available 24 hours per day, staff recommends that the AVID microchips purchased for this use include the pre-paid AVID registration. Otherwise, when Shelter staff implants a microchip and gives the AVID information to the customers with a recommendation that they send it in so the animal is registered both at the Shelter and with AVID, the owner would have to pay $15. Additionally, there is no guarantee that the owner will register with AVID at all. If the Shelter purchases the pre-paid AVID registrations along with the microchips, the owner is guaranteed to have the AVID PetTrac Recovery registration and receives the Shelter discounted rate for the registration. So instead of paying $15 for the AVID registration they pay the Shelter's reduced rate of $5.00. Microchipping Animals of "Walk In" Customers at the Animal Shelter: Product/Sen/ice Fee AVID microchip Registration at R.C. Animal Shelter AVID PetTrac Registration Total fee required AVID PetTrac Registration fee for the ~nimal owner if the Shelter did not include this in the microchipping fee at the time of service $5 $5 $5 $15 $15 The program as proposed will provide implantation of the microchip and registration at the Shelter for free for all adopted animals in accordance with the H.O.P.E. offer. If the adopting per owner wants to also register their information with the AVID PetTrac Recovery System, they can register directly with AVID for $15. For "walk in" customers, we propose a total fee of $15 for the implantation of the microchip, registration at the Shelter, and registration with the AVID PetTrac Recovery System. Attachment: Letter from H.O.P.E. regarding donation of microchips Respectfully Submitted, Michelle Dawson Management Analyst III Feb 16 05 11: 15a HRNCY R. RUDOOCK 909-980-593! p. 1 H.O.P.E. AVID CH~P PROPOSAL November 30, 2004 Nancy A. Ruddock (909) 989-4501 Insertion of the 'AVID' micro-chip into animals has been shown to greatly improve the reunion of lost pets with their owners. It also reduces shelter stays, maintenance costs and unnecessary euthanasia of lost family pets. I propose to donate, through the HOP.E. animal rescue group, one thousand (1000) AVID micro-chips to be used, at no cost, for all animals (cats and dogs) adopted fi.om the Rancho Cucamonga Shelter on Arrow Highway in Ranch Cucamonga. Along with the 'chips,' a scanner for the local shelter and the San Bemardino Shelter located in Devote will be provided. This plan will require the following in order to be effective: 1. TRAINING OF PEKSONNEL TO INSERT CHIP (DONE BY 'AVID') (This is done at the shelter and scheduled at a mutually convenient time) RECORDING OF ALL CHIPPED ANIMALS BEFORE LEAVING THE SHELTER. THESE RECORDS WILL BE KEPT IN A DATABASE BY Ti-[E RANCHO SHELTER PERSONNEL. SUGGEST A "COUPON" FOR ANY ANIMALS TOO YOUNG TO BE CHII~PED AT THE TIME OF ADOPTION. SCANNING OF ALL ANIMALS RECEIVED AT BOTH THE ~ RANCHO CUCAMONGA AND DEVOKE SI-[ELTERS IMMEDIATELY UPON BEING IMPOUNDED AT THE SHELTER. DAILY CALL "LOG" OF ANIMALS THAT ARE SCANNED AND HAVE A CI--IEP-OWNERS MUST BE NOTIFIED BY TELEPHONE AND LETTERJPOSTCARD ON THE DAY THEY ARE IMPOUNDED "H.OP.E." TO OVERSEE THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE 'AVID' PROGRAM. "HO.P.E." TO BE ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THE KICK-OFF CAMPAIGN TO ANNOUNCE THIS ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY TO HELP REDUCE THE EUTHANASIA RATE OF HEALTHY AND ADOPTABLE DOGS/CATS AT THE RANCHO CUCAMONGA SHELTER. T H E C I T Y 0 F I~AN C IlO C U CAH 0 N GA Staff Report DATE: TO: FROM: SUBJECT: April 26, 2005 Mayor and Members of the City Council -- Jack Lam, AICp, City Manager Michelle Dawson, Management Analyst Ill OPTIONS FOR VETERINARY CARE AT THE RANCHO CUCAMONGA ANIMAL SHELTER Recommendation It is recommended that the City Council review options for the provision of veterinary care at the Rancho Cucamonga Animal Shelter and provide direction to City staff for future consideration and action. Background At the February 16, 2005 meeting of the City Council, the Council directed City staff to formally request that the County of San Bernardino Animal Care and Control Department provide the City with information and options for enhanced veterinary care for the animals housed at the Rancho Cucamonga Animal Shelter. In response, County staff proposed that the services of the County Veterinarian be used at the Animal Shelter for approximately eight hours per week at a cost to the City of approximately $100 per hour. Specific details regarding the level of care and treatment that would be included for this fee have not been provided by the County. The City Council directed City staff to research other veterinary options for the Animal Shelter and provide that information to the Council. Current Level of Service: The County's policy on veterinary care for animals impounded at the Animal Shelter is attached for your review. In summary, sick or injured Shelter animals are brought to the attention of a Shelter supervisor who determines if veterinary care is appropriate to maintain the health of the animal during the mandatory holding period prescribed by State law. Veterinary care does not include treatments which may be safely postponed until the end of the holding period, such as orthopedic surgery or other extensive treatments. In the case of illness, the Shelter's general population is considered when determining appropriate levels of treatment. As an example of the extent that veterinary care has been provided to Shelter animals in the past, between the nearly six month period of July 1, 2004 and December 17, 2004, 28 Shelter animals received care at April 26, 2005 Staff Report: Page 2 of 5 Options for Veterinary Care at the Rancho Cucamonga Animal Shelter a veterinarian office at a cost of approximately $1,292. (This amount does not include spay and neuter services for the animals adopted from the Shelter, some of which is recovered by the County in the adoption fees collected). It should be noted that in December, 2004, the City requested that the holding period for Shelter animals be extended to 30 days. County staff indicates that veterinary costs have increased at our Shelter. as a result of the extended hold periods, but at the time this memorandum was written we had no specific data on these costs. Potential Veterinary Services that could be performed at the Animal Shelter: · Conduct health evaluations of Shelter animals at intake · Administer vaccinations · Perform spay and neuter of all animals adopted from the Shelter · Provide spay/neuter clinics and/or spay/neuter all adoptable animals (these are policy decisions) · Conduct health checks of all Shelter animals through rounds, diagnose illnesses and injuries, and prescribe medications and other medical procedures as necessary · Assist in cruelty investigations · Make recommendations and oversee the maintenance of a healthy, disease- controlled environment in the Shelter facility · Perform euthanasia procedures · Work with Shelter staff and volunteers to develop a behavioral program for animals to assist in their potential for adoptions and mental health while at the Shelter · Conduct autopsies on dogs, cats, and other animals as required · Maintain necessary records related to services provided · Handle rabies cases as required · Develop protocols for the treatment of illness and injury Veterinary Care: What other Municipal Shelters provide: City staff has reviewed a number of different models for veterinary care at other municipal Animal Shelters. In general, all of the services listed above are provided at the following Shelters in different models: The City of Moreno Valley provides space at their Shelter facility for a contract veterinarian to treat sick and injured Shelter animals and perform the spay/neuter on all adopted animals. The veterinarian provides full-service medical care for the animals, including surgeries, Monday through Friday and after hours when available. For emergency care when the veterinarian is unavailable, the animal must be transporled by staff to an emergency veterinary clinic. Additionally, the veterinarian conducts private veterinary practices at the facility, with the Shelter animals being his top priority in terms of time availability. The City provides all equipment and supplies other than the medical tools, they pay the veterinarian $2,000 per month, and they have 4 animal care technicians.on staff to assist the veterinarian along with their other Shelter duties. The veterinarian keeps all revenue from vaccinations as well and the revenue from the private services he performs at that facility. April 26, 2005 Staff Report: Page 3 of 5 Options for Veterinary Care at the Rancho Cucamonga Animal Shelter Approximately 8,600 dogs and cats enter the Shelter every year. (In 2004, 4,880 dogs and cats entered the Rancho Cucamonga Animal Shelter). The City of Irvine also provides space at their Animal Shelter for a contract veterinarian. In this model, the City provides the veterinarian with an office and animal exam and treatment rooms, pays for all supplies, and provides one Senior Animal Care Specialist and additional Animal Care Specialists as needed to assist with clinic functions. The veterinarian works at the Shelter 3 days per week for at least 9 hours per day evaluating the Shelter animals and providing medical care as required, spay/neutering all adopted animals, and training staff and volunteers to assist in basic care. For emergency care when the veterinarian is unavailable, the animal must be transported to an emergency veterinarian clinic. The City pays the veterinarian $8,000 per month ($96,000 annually) plus expenses for supplies. The veterinarian does not perform any private practice services at the facility. Approximately 2,700 dogs and cats enter the Shelter every year. The City of Redlands contracts with five local veterinarians to perform spay/neutering of all adoptable animals off-site. Additionally, they contract with one veterinarian to visit their Shelter twice per month to evaluate and assess all Shelter animals. This veterinarian also provides a Veterinary Assistant to work at the Shelter 4 hours per day, 6 days per week providing care to the animals, administering medications, and following up with the veterinarian's directions. The Vet Technician also consults with the veterinarian by phone and Shelter staff transports animals .that cannot be treated at the Shelter to the veterinarian for off-site attention. For emergency care when the veterinarian is unavailable, the animal must be transported to an emergency veterinarian clinic. The Vet Technician also assists in Shelter operations such as kennel cleaning, administration of euthanasia, and phone coverage. The City purchases medical supplies through the veterinarian who charges the City $60 per visit to the Shelter for evaluations, $18.50 per hour ($23,100 annually) for the services of the Vet Technician, and $65 for each office visit for ~nimals that require care beyond what can be provided at the Shelter. Total costs for these services for this one contract average approximately $3,000 per month. Approximately 2,800 dogs and cats enter the Redlands Shelter every year. Options for Veterinary Service: The options and costs for veterinary care at the Shelter vary depending on the desired level of service. In talking with the staff at the Shelters we have visited, many have tried different forms of veterinary care at their facilities. As examples of options the City may want to explore further, we provide the following options, making the assumption that all of the services listed on the previous page will be provided: Hire a full-time veterinarian to be an employee of the City. This option would require the acquisition of medical and surgical equipment and a determination would need to be made regarding the availability of sufficient space at the existing facility to accommodate a full-time, full-service veterinarian. An option to consider would be to allow the veterinarian to perform private practice services at the facility in addition to the Shelter services since treating the Shelter animals is probably not a full-time job for a veterinarian (as in the Moreno Valley model). April 26, 2005 Staff Report: Page 4 of 5 Options for Veterinary Care at the Rancho Cucamonga Animal Shelter Potential cost: It is estimated that the annual cost to provide salary and benefits for a full-time veterinarian could be approximately $140,000. The City would probably have to provide insurance coverage for the services being provided. One full-time Vet Technician would also be required to assist the veterinarian; this position would cost approximately $42,000 annually including benefits. Costs to equip the existing facility are estimated between $6,000 and $11,000, with monthly expenses for medicines and supplies estimated between $1,300 and $2,000 per month. We do not have an estimate at this time on the cost to expand the facility if additional space is required. There would be some cost savings in that the services currently paid to contract veterinarians for spay/neuter and other care would no longer be required. Additional revenues may be attained if the veterinarian provided services to the public as well. (Note: City staff contacted Dr. Flores, the veterinarian from whom Nicole Myerchin received an estimate for his services as either a part-time contractor or a full- time employee providing veterinary care at the Rancho Cucamonga Shelter. Dr. Flores indicated that the cost estimate for his service was probably outdated and would need to be increased since his offer was from October, 2004..He was unable to provide details on the specific levels of service he would provide but indicated he would be interested in making a formal proposal to the City if we issue a Request for Proposals in the future). Contract with a veterinarian to come into the Shelter to perform all Shelter medicine and spay/neuter services on-site (the City of Irvine model). This would also require the acquisition of medical and surgical equipment and a determination of space availability. We do not have an estimate at this time on the cost to expand the facility if additional space is required. The desired number of hours for a contract veterinarian to provide services in the Shelter would also have to be determined. Potential cost: we estimate that a contract veterinarian would charge between $60-$80 per hour plus expenses. For example, contract veterinary services for 3 days per week, 8 hours per day, would cost approximately $75,000 to $100,000 annually plus medicines and supplies. The veterinarian would be required to provide insurance unless the City covered this expense. A Vet Technician would be required also, which could be provided by the veterinarian at an approximate cost of $23,000 annually on a part-time basis or more for full-time services. There would be a cost savings due to the spay/neuter services being performed in-house. Continue to contract for spay/neuter services with local veterinarians and contract with a veterinarian to care for the injured and ill animals at the Shelter on-site on an expanded level of service (the City of Redlands model). This would also require the acquisition of medical equipment but not surgical equipment. A possible factor to be considered in this option is to have the contract veterinarian provide a Veterinary Technician to work part-time at our Shelter. The contract veterinarian would supervise the Technician and perform assessments and evaluations of the Shelter animals on a scheduled number of days per month. Potential cost: This varies depending on the number of days per month that the veterinarian assessed the Shelter animals and the number of hours worked per day by the contract Veterinary technician. If the veterinarian April 26, 2005 Staff Report: Page 5 of 5 Options for Veterinary Care at the Rancho Cucamonga Animal Shelter assessed the animals once per week, and the Veterinary Technician worked at the Shelter 4 days per week per 4 hours per day, this option is estimated to cost approximately $30,000 annually. Shelter staff could be trained to cover for the Vet Technician when they are not at the Shelter. In addition, we would still have to pay contract veterinarians for spay/neuter services and would have to pay the contract veterinarian for office visits for-animals that could not be treated at the Shelter. Medicines and supplies would also have to be funded. Staff recommends that the City Council review this information and do the following: 1) Provide general feedback on the levels of veterinary services to be provided; 2) Provide direction to staff regarding the various options such as the examples and models discussed above; 3) If appropriate, direct staff to develop a Request for Proposals stating the desired levels of service, education and experience requirements for veterinary services; and 4) Provide direction to staff on whether they want staff to request additional details on the County's proposal to provide veterinary care at the Shelter in the interim. Attachments: County Policy on Veterinary Care of Impounded Animals Offer of services from Dr. Flores Respectfully Submitted, Michelle Dawson Management Analyst III SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY ANIMAL CARE & CONTROL PROGRAM Policy Item: Shelter Services Veterinary Care of Impounded Animals The Programs policy regarding veterinary care of impounded animals is as follows: 1. If the animal is to severely injured to move or where a veterinarian is not available and it would be more humane to euthanize the animal, it may be euthanized under the provisions of Section 597(f) of State of California Penal Code. 2. Animals that are irremediably suffering from a serious illness or severe injury and newborn animals that need maternal care and have been impounded without their mothers shall not be held for owner redemption or adoption, as authorized under Section 17006 of the State of California Food and Agriculture Code. With the authorization of a supervisor they are to be immediately euthanized as to relieve their suffering and or to protect the health of the general population. Animals that become sick or injured after being impounded at the Shelter are to be brought to the attention of a supervisor. The supervisor will determine if veterinary care is appropriate to maintain the health of the animal dbring the mandatory holding period prescribed by Sections 31108, 31752 and 31754 of the State of California Food and Agriculture Code. This would not include treatments (such as orthopedic surgery or other extensive treatments), which may be safely postponed until the end of the holding period. In the case of illness, the welfare of the shelter's general population is to be considered when determining appropriate disposition of the animal. To Who. k M~ UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES TA1MIE L. BRYANT, Ph.D., J.D. PROFESSOR OF LAW uc~ SCHOOL OF LAW BOX 951476 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 9oo95q476 Phone: (31o)2o6-3763 Fax: (31o) 2o6-7olo E-Mail: bryant@law, ucla.edu April 28, 2005 The Honorable Bill Alexander Mayor, City of Rancho Cucamonga lo5oo Civic Center Drive Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730 Dear Mayor Alexander: I am writing to thank you and the Council for the thoughtful reception I received when I spoke to the Council regarding the Hayden shelter reform legislation that was enacted in 1998. I appreciate greatly the Council's willingness to inform themselves directly about legal requirements of animal shelter management, especially considering the breadth of legal issues the Council must cover on all aspects of government relevant to the people of the City of Rancho Cucamonga. I am also ¢vriting to make a correction to my remarks. I misstated the Civil Code section that mandates kind treatment of animals. It is Civil Code section 1834--not ~815 and 18~6-- that states explicitly that animals held by depositaries shall be treated kindly. The exact language of the section is as follows: Civil Code sect¥on 1834. A depositary of living animals shall provide the animals with necessary and prompt veterinary care, nutrition, and shelter, and treat them kindly. Any depositary that fails to perform these dutYes may be liable for civil damages as provided by law. The Civil Code sections to which I explicitly referred--Civil Code sections ~8~5 and 18~6--clarify that public and private shelters are depositaries of living animals--not just private individuals who pick up strays. Much time and ink were spent when the Commission on State Mandates evaluated the question of the Hayden legislation's effect on required levels of veterinary care. I should not burden you with that analysis, since the Council asked only what the Hayden shelter reform legislation requires and, more generally, what California law requires of shelters. But, the fact that there was so much time and ink spent on the question reflects the fact that your service provider, like many service providers, has had to "get up to speed" on many aspects of shelter management law that were scattered among many different California Codes. As you noted Tuesday, the role of Hayden's legislation was perhaps more educational than innovative. It has been six years since the law was Page 2 enacted, however, and it would be nice to see more implementation of State law regulating animal sheltering. I hope that my students and I can be of help to the Council when we put together a databank of laws specific to sheltered animals. It will certainly be a test of the students' legal research skills to locate all of thera! Surely such a databank would facilitate the efforts of service providers and those who contract with them to engage in lega!ly compliant animal services. Controversy about specific instances will always arise, of course, but it seems it would be at least a good starting plaee to find out what laws pertain to those instances without relying exclusively on the word on the contract service provider---whoever that might be. In the meantime, if I can be of any ~urther help to you or to the Council I would be glad to do so. Sincerely, Taimie L. Bryant Professor of Law