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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 7298 No INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS N D 7298 Page I of To the Mayor and Members of the City Council July 5, 1988 Subject: ANIMAL SHELTER AND ANIMAL CONTROL OPERATIONS During the past twelve months the City Council has received three Informal Reports . I .R. No. 7201 (June 30, 1987 ) , I . R . No. 7209 (August 4. 1987 ) , and I .R . No. 7231 (November 24, 1987 ) , regarding the conditions of the City Animal Shelter. The City Council has also approved M&C G-7524 (April 5, 1988 ) authorizing the City Manager to prepare and send out a Request for Proposal for the purpose of providing an animal control facility and for i t s operation . These Informal Reports and M&C are attached for your information. Additionally , the City staff has received a large number of calls regarding the reduced level of service by the Animal Control staff . Recently, the Public Health Department was informed that the Texas Department of Health revoked our quarantine certification . These three topics , ( 1 ) animal control ; (2) the quarantine facility; and ( 3) animal shelter , will be discussed in this informal report and provide the City Council with background information on each of these topics and the correct status of each . ANIMAL CONTROL OPERATIONS Since August 28, 1987, animal control operations have been oPL operating at reduced levels of service compared to of prior years . The following changes in operating hours and services provided were implemented last August due to vacant positions and a reduction of three staff positions in the 1987-88 budget , and worker' s compensation cases . Animal control is open 8 a .m. - 5 p .m. Sunday through Saturday . Animal control officers are available during those hours to: a) investigate animal bites , b) pick up dead . animals , and c) pick up pets as requested by their individual owners . Animal control no longer responds to calls after 5 p .m . Individuals can contact the facility at 8 a .m. the following day. There is no immediate response to stray animals . Stray animals are impounded by officers if seen while on duty . Areawide efforts to capture strays is scheduled for neighborhoods with multiple complaints . The kennel is open to the public Monday through Saturday , 10 : 30 a .m. - 4: 30 p .m. Citizens are able to adopt a pet or pick up their impounded pet during those hours . Animal control no longer responds to stray livestock calls . ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER i FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CiTY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 7298 ipffOAt{ To the Mayor and Members of the City Council July 5, 1988 v� z xr� Subject: ANIMAL SHELTER AND ANIMAL CONTROL OPERATIONS In addition to these changes , we are now utilizing a tranquilizer system to aid in the capture of stray animals . The system uses a .50 caliber pump air delivery system in both pistol and rifle form with a maximum range of 20 yards . Disposable liquid or dry powder darts are being used. These darts pose no safety threat to the animal and do not have to be recovered . The liquid drug components are xylazine and ketamine hydrochloride . These drugs act within 15 minutes of intramuscular injection and produce a sound sleep for up to two hours . Animal control officers are undergoing extensive training in target practice and equipment use. Field deployment of the system is done under close supervision . Animal control officers have begun utilizing this system in the Como area , which has had long-standing problems with packs of stray dogs . Field officers now report that they are more efficient in capturing stray animals in a timely manner. The response from the citizens in this area has been favorable. As the City Council is probably aware, the Public Health Department is under considerable public pressure to maintain the same level of service we provided a year ago. The Health Department will continue its efforts to implement new procedures in order to offer service to the public under our current manpower and facility constraints . lfARANTINE FACILITY On May 6, 1988, the Texas Department of Health revoked the City' s quarantine certification . The State cited the facility' s lack of space, size of cages and improper drainage. As a result , we implemented the following procedures : Owners are required to take their pets that have been involved in a bite accident to their veterinarian or an approved quarantine facility . Stray animals that have been involved in a bite accident will be isolated at the animal control facility for up to 72 hours . After every attempt is made to identify the animal ' s owner, the animal will be euthanized. Its head will be sent to Austin for rabies testing. As always , animal control officers will investigate each reported incident . 0n June 17, 1988, the Public Health Department requested an estimate from Transportation and Public Works on the cost of replacing existing cages and floor repair in the quarantine section of the facility. Transportation/Public Works estimated that these repairs would cost approximately $24 ,000. These repairs would be temporary in order for us to meet the state health department' s quarantine requirements . They do not address the overall maintenance and space problems of the facility . ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS ---*- INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 7298 **ors M"O 6E fokr To the Mayor and Members of the City Council July 5, 1988 0 v x {PROP subject: ANIMAL SHELTER AND ANIMAL CONTROL OPERATIONS It is recommended that the quarantine procedure outlined above be followed and monitored closely. Should major problems develop , staff will consider making the temporary repairs to the quarantine facility . ANIMAL SHELTER The first discussion to replace the animal shelter occurred in 1985 when a preliminary plan for a new shelter was developed and submitted for consideration to be included in the 1986 Capital Improvement Program. At that time, the decisi on was made not to include the shelter in the 1986 CIP bond election . The three IR 's sent to the City Council and the respective staff presentations outlined the conditions of the shelter and the need to replace it . Three alternatives for the replacement of the shelter were presented to the City Council for consideration. Informal Reports No.s 7209 and 7231 outline the Council ''s requests for additional information and the responses from staff . In March 1988, a City Council committee , after hearing that the City could not use shelter design plans from other Cities , instructed staff to develop a request for proposals (RFP) for the provision of animal shelter services . It was further agreed that the City would also submit a proposal to be compared with the proposals received from the private sector. The City Council approved M&C G-7524 (April 5, 1988) authorizing the City Manager to prepare and send out an RFP . The draft of the RFP has been developed and will be discussed with the City Council . Staff suggests that the City Council committee that has worked with staff to review alternatives be involved in the review of the proposals . Unless otherwise directed , the staff will continue to provide the animal control services as outlined in this report , will continue to implement the quarantine procedure as described , and finalize the development and issue an RFP for an animal shelter and its operation . (o�uglas arman City Manager ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS �—!