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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011/10/10 - Minutes - Special October 10, 2011 CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA CITY COUNCIL MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING I A. CALL TO ORDER A special meeting of the Rancho Cucamonga City Council was held on Monday, October 10, 2011, at Central Park in the Alta Loma Room located at 11200 Base Line Road, Rancho Cucamonga, California. Mayor L. Dennis Michael called the meeting to order at 4:02 p.m. Present were Council Members: Bill Alexander, Chuck Buquet, Diane Williams, Mayor Pro Tem Sam Spagnolo and Mayor L. Dennis Michael. Also present were: John Gillison, City Manager; Linda Daniels, Assistant City Manager; Joe Pulcinella, Animal Services Director; Chris Paxton, Human Resources Director; Erika Gamez, Animal Care Supervisor; Barbara Hansen, Community Programs Specialist; Heather Bolton, Secretary; Dr. Michele Toomoth, Veterinarian and Debra McNay, Records Manager/Assistant City Clerk. I B. PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS I Cynthia Stukey encouraged everyone to visit and evaluate the Animal Care and Services Center in order to establish a baseline of operations. She suggested that the adoption fees be reviewed as they are nearly double that of other agencies. Erica Cox indicated that she currently volunteers at the Center. She spoke in support of a new procedure to schedule appointments for owner surrenders. She noted that this would help with the animal intake numbers. Dana Keithly, the coordinator for the Best Friends grant program, noted the need to ensure that there was accessibility to the resources at the Center. She indicated that there was not enough room on the walking chart to fit the necessary information. The dogs housed for the longest period of time at the Center should be listed at the top and the form is not located in a convenient area. Also addressed was access to the bathtub, which is in a locked room and often not accessible for the volunteers to bathe the animals. I C. ITEM OF BUSINESS I C1. Status Report on April, 2011 Animal Care and Services Department Workshop Recommendations Joe Pulcinella, Animal Services Director, introduced the members of the Animal Care and Services Department and gave a PowerPoint presentation on the recommendations made at the April, 2011 Animal Care and Services Department workshop. Mr. Pulcinella noted that the recommendations included expanding the Foster Care program, studying successful practices, reviewing and clarifying Special City Council Meeting Regarding Animal Care and Services Department October 10, 2011 - Page 1 of 5 policies, addressing the no-kill misperception, improving access to Center services, performing additional operational improvements and hosting a Volunteer workshop Mr. Pulcinella addressed the expansion of the foster program, noting that the services provided by Longmont Humane Society in Colorado and the Seattle Humane Society in Washington were studied due to their successes with foster care. The foster manual has been finalized and waivers and contract forms have been developed and reviewed with the City Attorney's office. The next steps will be to recruit volunteers and create individual orientation programs. In reviewing other Animal Services programs, Mr. Pulcinella noted a challenge in finding open admission, municipal animal service programs since many organizations do not publish or release statistics. As an initial comparison, the Director provided statistics from the Maddie's Fund Internet site for organizations with similar intake statistics. Dane County, Wisconsin enjoyed a 83% placement rate, so Mr. Pulcinella contacted the Director to talk about their successes. Mr. Pulcinella noted that the Center's placement rate was 78% in 2009. Mr. Pulcinella discussed ideas that have been implemented from other successful animal services programs. Some of the Center's recent promotions have been based from the Nevada Humane Society's price point, value added and frequency adoption programs. The Center's behavior evaluation is based on the SCRAPS and Helen Woodward Animal Center models. Mr. Pulcinella indicated that the Best Friends grant has been successfully educating the public about the benefits of pit bull adoptions (36 dogs have been adopted). The Animal Care and Services Center has also instituted play groups similar to those at the Longmont Humane Society. Regarding potential policy changes, Mr. Pulcinella reported that staff looked at the Ordinance regulating the number of animals. Staff was unable to find evidence that raising this number would have an impact on the number of adoptions. The Planning Department had provided information on a survey of cities that was done regarding the number of allowable animals. Mr. Pulcinella indicated that the regulations were consistent with those of surrounding cities The Director recommended a policy change to require appointments for an owner to surrender their animal, as this would provide time for reconsideration and counseling, as well as help to regulate the flow of animals coming into the Center. Also, Mr. Pulcinella suggested restricting the number of puppies to two that can be surrendered by a non-resident owner. He reported that the Center was heavily impacted by non-residents dropping off litters of puppies this year and expected that staff would be recommending limiting this number to two puppies per non-resident owner if this happens again next year. The Director addressed ways in which the no-kill misconception was clarified. He stated that information has been placed on the intake forms, on the Internet site and on the telephone system and provided examples for the City Council and members of the audience. Mr. Pulcinella reported that line placement was moved in order to accommodate patrons wishing to visit the animals. Also, a large informational sign has been placed in the lobby that contains forms and instructions. The back of the sign thanks visitors as they are leaving the facility. The Director noted that additional operational improvements have been made, including implementing play groups with the Best Friends Pit Crew and volunteers, volunteer cleaning opportunities and additional volunteer orientations that are offered every other month. Special City Council Meeting Regarding Animal Care and Services Department October 10, 2011 - Page 2 of 5 The Director reported on the first Animal Center staff/volunteer workshop that was held on June 28, 2011. As a result of this workshop, a three-member volunteer Liaison Committee was formed, a central e-mail address was established for the volunteers and committees were formed to address the topics raised at the April, 2011 workshop. Mr. Pulcinella provided information on the four committees that were formed: Public Awareness; Euthanasia; Animal Well-Being and Volunteer Utilization. He presented a chart showing the staff and volunteers serving on each committee and the items to be discussed. Regarding the Euthanasia Committee, the Director stated that the Committee was formed to foster communication and to address misconceptions. Before an animal is euthanized, there are multiple evaluations and many different factors are considered. He reported that the Committee has agreed to establish communication protocols in order to address the concerns voiced at the workshop. Heather Bolton, Secretary, addressed the discussion held by the Public Awareness Committee, which was formed to address concerns of the public's awareness about the Animal Care and Adoption Center. She reported that the current programs and activities were reviewed with the Committee members. Also, staff will be communicating the monthly adoption specials to the volunteers, creating an animal interest flyer for each kennel and creating a FAQ flyer for the front office. Erika Gamez, Animal Care Supervisor, spoke about the Animal Well-Being Committee. This Committee was formed to clarify the procedures and protocols concerning the well-being of the animals housed at the Center. She reported that topics including cleaning and safety, behavior and socialization, rescue groups, staffing requirements and establishing a system of communication between staff and volunteers. Barbara Hansen, Community Programs Specialist, reported on the Volunteer Utilization Committee, which was formed to review the present and future utilization of volunteers. She reported on the Committee's goal to use volunteers more often at the Center. The Committee will be establishing protocols to use volunteers during holidays, procedures for volunteer identification, publicizing the volunteer guidelines on the Volunteer Board and Petscoop and contacting inactive volunteers. Chris Paxton, Human Resources Director, noted the pending retirement of Mr. Pulcinella. The recruitment process is underway for a new Director, who should be hired by early December. Mr. Paxton expected that the new Director would start implementing his/her vision in the spring/summer of 2012. In conclusion, Mr. Pulcinella noted that the Department has made significant strides in the first 5 years of operation but noted that there is still work left to be done. He reported that efforts are underway to expand the Foster program; address the no-kill misperception; facilitate self service; increase volunteer orientations and implement play groups, policy changes and ideas from other successful programs. The Department is dedicated to the vision of "Creating a Community in which Every Adoptable Pet Finds a Home" and is focused on making this vision a reality. Council Member Alexander expressed a concern with the timing of this workshop, as several months have passed since the April meeting with no information or substantive action being taken. He did not believe that the Director had been aggressive enough in addressing the concerns raised at the workshop. Council Member Alexander did not see anything in the presentation about conforming to Hayden's law nor has he seen a copy of Mr. Winograd's report. City Manager John Gillison stated that he had provided Mr. Winograd's to the City Council members Special City Council Meeting Regarding Animal Care and Services Department October 10, 2011 - Page 3 of 5 Council Member Alexander noted that the rescue groups need to be better utilized. There should be mandatory spay and neutering in the City. In conclusion, he encouraged the Council to visit the Animal Care and Services Center and stressed the need to keep animals from being euthanized. Council Member Buquet noted that he is familiar with the Center and has seen Mr. Winograd's report. He was glad to see the work being done on the Foster program and inquired on the timeline. Also discussed was the recruitment of the new Animal Services Director, with Mr. Paxton addressing the recruitment process and when he expected the position to be filled. In response to Council Member Buquet, Mr. Pulcinella confirmed that the Animal Care and Services Center had a 78% placement rate in 2009. This year was used for comparison as the statistics on the Maddie's Fund Internet site were from 2009. The Director indicated that he has statistics for 2010 and confirmed that he would provide these statistics to the City Council. Council Member Buquet hoped that the Department was looking at the behavior evaluation system. Also, he referenced the survey that was done on the number of allowable animals and indicated that Chino Hills' regulations should be explored further. Regarding the suggestion to restrict the number of puppies to two that can be surrendered by a non-resident owner, Council Member Buquet wondered what the owner would do with the other puppies. In response, Mr. Pulcinella noted that the Center would not accept any of the puppies and would refer the owner to a facility that would accept all of the animals. In response to Council Member Buquet, Mr. Pulcinella confirmed that the Euthanasia Committee has resolved the concerns regarding euthanasia that were expressed at the workshop. Council Member Buquet suggested that more lead time be given on upcoming activities as a Thursday notice for a weekend activity is often not sufficient. The Director confirmed that the facility is open 7 days a week and that there are clear and visible signs. Also discussed were the hours of operation, the recruitment process and the intent to pursue appointments for owners to surrender their animals. In response to Council Member Williams, Mr. Pulcinella confirmed that the Animal Care and Services Center works with over 110 rescue groups to place animals. In response to Council Member Williams, Heather Bolton indicated that the Frequently Asked Questions are currently on the Internet but are being duplicated for visitors to the facility. Mayor Pro Tem Spagnolo referenced the intake survey and inquired why California cities were not used. Mr. Pulcinella noted that most cities the size of Rancho Cucamonga contract out their services. The Maddie's Fund Internet site was chosen as it contained similar intake statistics. In response to Mayor Pro Tem Spagnolo, Mrs. Bolton reported that the forms are not yet available on the Internet but will be posted once they are completed. Mayor Pro Tem Spagnolo pointed out the challenges to the Department staff in constantly being scrutinized. He suggested that the Council refrain from visiting the facility and limit the discussion to the policy issues. He thanked Mr. Pulcinella for taking on this very difficult project. Mayor Michael stated that he would like to see the information from other cities on their adoption fees for comparison purposes. He concurred with the suggestion to pursue appointments for owners to surrender their animals. In regards to the comments made by Dana Keithly, Mayor Michael inquired about the accessibility of the bathtub. Dr. Michele Toomoth discussed the availability and location of the bathtub with the City Council and the audience. Mayor Michael confirmed that the operations at the Animal Care and Services Center were still a work in progress. He looked forward to seeing some good recommendations from the new Animal Care and Services Director. John Gillison, City Manager indicated that he would follow up from this Special City Council Meeting Regarding Animal Care and Services Department October 10, 2011 - Page 4 of 5 meeting with a memorandum to the City Council addressing the work being done in these areas and the timelines for completion. I D. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 5:39 p.m. Respectfully submitted,A F c Debra L. McNay, MMC Assistant City Clerk/Records Manager Approved: October 19, 2011 Special City Council Meeting Regarding Animal Care and Services Department October 10, 2011 - Page 5 of 5