HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 9386_NFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 93••
In October 2010, the Solid Waste Division was transferred to the Code Compliance Department.
As part of the transfer and reorganization, the department has been working on service
efficiencies and long-term funding strategies. The Solid Waste Fund has had relatively consistent
costs and revenues even through the economic downturn. Staff reviewed the fund balance,
revenue and cost forecasts, reserve fund policies, contract negotiations /renewal's and short/long-
term capital needs, including three additional citizen drop-off centers and operating equipment.
At the end • the day, the fund is healthy, can support additional solid waste services and support
a larger percentage of code compliance services that are currently paid through the General
Fund. The fund cannot be used for general City services (must be solid waste oriented).
Action Taken
The following service improvements are being implemented to improve the City's response t#
public health, welfare and safety issues:
Wildlife Response Team (already implemented to address wildlife issues)
o 2 Animal Control Officers*
Additional Animal Care and Control Officers (additional staff to respond to calls for service)
o 8 Animal Control Officers*
Safe Neighborhood Initiative Team (specialized team to address high violation areas)
* 4 Code Enforcement Officers
* 3 Animal Control Officers*
* 1 Support Staff
Four Litter Teams (will deploy four community service crews to address litter and blight
throughout the city)
o 4 Crew Leaders
Commercial Waste Enforcement (address dumpster, container, litter and other violations
that occur on commercial property, along gateway arterials, etc.)
o 2 Code Enforcement Officers
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS
Overtime Pay for Animal Control Officers (better response to emergency and police calls
for service after hours)*
*Animal Care and Control services will be funded through the General Fund savings created by charging the
Solid Waste Fund for existing Code Compliance services that were originally budgeted under the General
Fund but are eligible tobe paid from the Solid Waste Fund.
Benefits of Service Improvements
Along with these improvements, four Code Enforcement Officers will be added to work high
violation areas and additional overtime will be provided so that officers can attend neighborhood
and community meetings on a more regular basis.
These improvements will result in better service delivery to the public and a more timely response
to high priority calls. The department is excited about the opportunity to better serve the
community and improve public safety.
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS
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To the Mayor and Members of the City Council
Subject: Code Compliance Service Improvements
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Staff anticipates that the Solid Waste Fund will be able to support these additional services for the
next three
• five years, and perhaps as many as seven. Staff will monitor the fund closely and
be prepared to implement vacancy management policies and other cost reduction strategies to
avoid fee increases. This approach balances the need to provide essential services now and
manage costs over the long run.
These additional services will be funded ($1,166,743) for the remainder of FY1 1, with an M&C for
the City Council's consideration in June, and will be included in the City Manager's proposed
FY12 budget.
Tom Higgins
Interim City Manager
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INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL
Attachment A
Animal Care and Control has 13 field officers that must provide 24/7 coverage throughout the City
and Tarrant County. Factoring in days off and court time, there are only 3 to 4 officers on shift
during the day and one officer on-call in the evening. The City receives approximately 50,000
animal calls for service each year, but, due to staffing limitations, Animal Care and Control can
only respond to about 72% of them. Except for dangerous animals, some of these calls are not
answered for several days.
While the economy has played a role in increased service requests (abandoned animals and
cruelty), the biggest impact has come from the growth in the City. In 2006, the department
needed 10 additional officers; however, there was only enough funding to add four. No additional
staff has been added since that time, while the City has grown • approximately 100,000
residents. In addition to the population growth, the development of neighborhoods outside of
Loop 820 has increased the travel time for staff. In many cases, officers can spend well over
one-third to one-half • their day driving to/between calls and the animal shelter,
Budget reductions have also played a role, Over the past few years, the City has reduced shelter
staff by three positions. This resulted in closing the shelter on Sundays, and staff is facing an
additional closure day. Closing the shelter two days a week was factored into the budget
reductions, but every attempt has been made to keep it open for adoptions and reclaims. This
has also impacted field operations as field officers have had to take on some of the duties that
were once handled by shelter technicians.
Finally, staff continues to see high service demands for stray large breed dogs that pose a
substantial risk to the public and/or have attacked a person or other animal. The implementati
of tranquilizer rifles has been highly successful in catching many • these animals. However,
,Vangerous dogs take longer to process, and staff is not getting to as many low risk stray calls.
On average, an officer can respond to about 12 to 15 calls per day. At the end of each day, there
are between 300 and 500 calls that they cannot get to. In the summer, this can be as high as
700. While staff does respond to some of these calls the next day, too many are closed out
because we simply cannot get to them.
Animal Care and Control is truly a public safety service. While calls are prioritized, situations with
animals are often unpredictable and can transition from a stray dog call to an aggressive dog call
in a short period of time. Citizens expect to receive some form of officer response as a result of a
report of a stray animal so that potential tragedies can be prevented. Currently, staffing levels
have created a large gap between citizen expectations and response capabilities.
ISSIED BT THE CITTITIANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS