TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute all documents necessary to enter into agreements with the cities of Cerritos, for a not to exceed amount of $572,468; Los Alamitos, for a not to exceed amount of $146,857; Seal Beach, for a not to exceed amount of $306,000, and Signal Hill, for a not to exceed amount of $147,683; for the provision of various animal care services by the City of Long Beach's Animal Care Services Bureau from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2024, with two additional two-year renewal options and an adjusted compensation schedule based on costs of service per capita, at the discretion of the City Manager. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
Animal care services are essential for the health and welfare of people and animals. For over 30 years, the City of Long Beach's Animal Care Services Bureau (LBACS) has provided various services, including shelter, impound, and emergency calls for service (Services) to the cities of Cerritos, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, and Signal Hill (Contract Cities). The current agreements with the Contract Cities expired on June 30, 2022, with no remaining renewals. LBACS is requesting approval to enter into new agreements with the Contract Cities for a term of two years, with two additional two-year renewal options.
On July 8, 2010, the City Council authorized Agreements with the Contract Cities to establish parameters for the City of Long Beach's (City) provision of Services to the contracted cities and established a Compensation Schedule based upon a total budget allocation model. This allowed the contracted cities to pay its respective share of LBACS' total budget for Services. On May 15, 2012, the Agreements were amended to extend the term, establish a revised Compensation Schedule, and incorporate an escalator, which matched the percent change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) since the last adjustment.
On June 14, 2016, the City Council authorized new agreements with the Contract Cities to continue Services and to update the Compensation Schedule.
In 2019, the City incorporated a Compassion Saves model for LBACS. The goal of the Compassion Saves model is to save every healthy and/or treatable animal who may have otherwise been euthanatized. This includes various types of veterinary care and behavioral training to increase adoption rates. Since the Compassion Saves model was implemented, LBACS has increased its adoptions rate by 45 percent and reduced its euthanasia rate by 33 percent. The combined live release rate for cats and dogs has more than doubled from 2010. While the Compassion Saves model has been successful in saving the lives of shelter animals, operation costs have increased significantly, especially with respect to veterinary care. Despite having volunteers and rescue groups to help offset some of these unbudgeted health expenses, it is no longer feasible for LBACS to provide contact services based on a total budget allocation model.
To more accurately reflect the cost of providing these services, LBACS proposes to restructure the Compensation Schedule to allocate LBACS actual costs across all Contract Cities on a per capita basis. By incorporating the cities’ population, the Compensation Schedule will recover the actual costs associated with LBACS’ Compassion Saves model. The Contract Cities have been notified that this change will require them to align their policies with the Compassion Saves model to continue their partnerships with LBACS for animal care services.
The proposed Agreements will contain the following terms and conditions:
• Term: Two years, from July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2024.
• Renewal Options: Two (2) additional two-year renewal options with cost adjustments based on per capita costs.
• Fees: Contract amount shall reflect actual per capita costs. The Contract City’s minimum and maximum not to exceed amounts are based on if all the cities enter into agreements (minimum) with the City or if none of the other cites enter into agreements (maximum). The population for the per capita rate is based on the 2020 Census data.
|
Contract Cities Compensation Schedule |
|
City |
Minimum |
Maximum |
|
Cerritos |
$522,616 |
$572,468 |
|
Los Alamitos |
$124,177 |
$146,857 |
|
Seal Beach |
$266,083 |
$306,000 |
|
Signal Hill |
$124,894 |
$147,683 |
• Authority: LBACS Bureau Manager or designee shall serve as Director of Animal Cares Services for the Contract City.
• Policy Model: Contract City must agree to have policies aligned with LBACS’ Compassion Saves model.
• 24-hour Services: Services will be provided twenty-four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days a week. LBACS will maintain a telephone with a listed number which will be answered twenty-four hours every day.
• Animal Shelter: The City will provide shelter services to Contract City.
• Animal Control Patrol: LBACS to patrol streets of Contract City with designated animal control officers at same frequency Long Beach provides itself.
• Ordinances: Contract City shall adopt by reference (in the form of an Ordinance) Title 6 of the Long Beach Municipal Code concerning animals to be the animal control ordinance of the Contract City. Subsequent changes, amendments, additions, deletions, or revisions to the Long Beach Municipal Code regulating animals will have no force or effect on the animal control ordinances of the Contract City without action by the Contract City’s City Council or governing body.
If the animal control Ordinances of the Contract City are amended during the term of the agreement, the Contract City shall give notice of the proposed change to the City within one hundred and twenty (120) days of the Ordinance being approved by the Contract City’s City Council or governing body. The City shall notify the Contract City of any objections to the amendments within ten (10) days of receiving the notice. If the Contract City and the City cannot come to a mutually acceptable agreement concerning the amendment, the City shall have the right to terminate the Agreement by giving sixty (60) days’ notice to the Contract City.
• Municipal Code Violations: Contract City shall retain fines for violations of animal control Ordinances.
• Coyotes: LBACS will respond to emergency situations involving public safety, sick or injured animals, provide data collection and monitoring, public educational materials, and admin support, in accordance with the City’s Coyote Management Plan. LBACS will not perform or participate with trapping and euthanizing coyotes unless there is a documented attack.
• Priority Response: Request for services shall be prioritized as emergency and non-emergency. Calls for service from Contract City residents will be prioritized in the same manner as they are for Long Beach residents.
• Enforcement of State of California statues and ordinances: LBACS shall enforce all applicable State statutes and Ordinances.
• Level of Service: LBACS will provide Services at the same level it provides to the residents of Long Beach.
• Investigate Animal Cruelty: LBACS will investigate complaints related to animal cruelty brought to its attention.
• Labor and Materials: The City shall furnish and supply all labor, supervision, equipment, and supplies necessary to furnish the level of service to be rendered. In the event that supplies, stationery, forms, decals, notices, citations, or other materials must be used that carries the name of the Contract City, the Contract City shall supply at its own cost and expense.
• Pet License Service: All Contracted Cities will adopt LBACS pet licensing fees. All revenue generated by pet fees will be kept by LBACS. In the case that Contracted Cities pet licensing revenue goes beyond their contracted amount, the difference will be paid to the Contract City.
• Pick Up and Impound Strays: Upon request from an authorized representative of a Contract City or any resident of a Contract City, LBACS will pick up and impound stray animals that are sick, injured, or found to be at large, loose and/or unattended on public streets and private property within the Contract City’s city limits in a timely manner.
• Reports: LBACS will keep and maintain books and records pertaining to licensing of animals, collection of fees, and impounding of animals. LBACS will maintain a record of all complaints and provide a monthly report to the Contract City detailing the way the complaints were handled.
• Termination: Either party may terminate the agreement by giving the other party sixty (60) days prior notice.
This matter was reviewed by Deputy City Attorney Anita Lakhani on September 1, 2022 and by Budget Analysis Officer Greg Sorensen on September 8, 2022.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action is requested on, October 11, 2022, to proceed with the execution of the Agreements to allow the City to enter into agreements with Contract Cites to provide animal care services.
FISCAL IMPACT
The anticipated revenue from the Contract Cities is budgeted and will accrue to the General Fund Group in the Parks, Recreation and Marine Department at an estimated minimum amount of approximately $1,000,000 annually. The estimated minimum amount is in addition to pet license service fees. This recommendation has no staffing impact beyond the normal budgeted scope of duties and is consistent with existing City Council priorities. The total revenue received by the Parks, Recreation and Marine Department may adjust based on which cities agree to this new contract. There may be an adjustment to the fee schedule based on costs of service per capita, this change will be at the discretion of the City Manager. The award of these contracts will result in a positive impact on jobs, as revenue from the Contract Cities will recover the costs of operating a comprehensive animal welfare program for each city.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
BRENT DENNIS
DIRECTOR
PARKS, RECREATION AND MARINE
APPROVED:
THOMAS B. MODICA
CITY MANAGER