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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 7708 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 7708 b, To the Mayor and Members of the City Council April 6.19M *ex Subject: Ian ANIMAL CONTROL PROGRAM UPDATE In January 1992, kenneling activities were transferred to the Humane Society. This update on Animal Control activities will begin at this point in time. The overall activity of the program in FY 1991-92 Will be reviewed and then a comparison will be made of the program's performance in the first four months of FY 1992-93 to the same time period in the previous fiscal year. Issues currently being addressed by the Animal Control Program will be discussed along with the steps that are being taken to improve its effectiveness and efficiency. GENERAL UPDATE On January 1, 1992, the kenneling activities were transferred to the Humane Society of North Texas (Refer to Table 1, City/Humane Society Contract). In the nine months from January 1992 through September 30, 1992, kenneling charges totaled $85,317; fee collections retained by the Humane Society totaled $51,840, for a net payout to the Humane Society of$33,476. In the current fiscal year, kenneling charges for the first four months totaled $29,985; fee collections retained by the Humane Society totaled $19,142, for a net payout to the Humane Society of $10,843. Through the efforts of Dr. James Agyemang, Animal Control Administrator, a strong, cooperative working relationship with the Humane Society has been established. Initially, the condition of the kennels was a concern. However, improvements in the Humane Society's kenneling facilities were noted in a recent facility inspection by the Texas Department of Health Regional Veterinarian, Dr. Thomas G. Mumane. Dr. Mumane wrote that "The overall appearance was very attractive and all aspects of cleanliness and maintenance appeared to be Well managed." Dr. Mumane's closing remark was"Management appears to be attentive to all operational requirements." PROGRAM ACTIVITIES In FY 1991-92, the Animal Control Division recorded 27,399 requests for service (Refer to Table 2, FY 91-92 Activity Report). In June, July and August, the Division received its greatest number of requests for assistance. In FY 1991-92, 14,295 animals were impounded; 1,333 animal bites were investigated; and 7,338 calls were dispatched to pick up dead animals. Additionally, citizens received 1,451 warning notices concerning their need to comply with the Animal Control Code; 719 citations were issued, resulting in the collection of$11,299 in fines. Finally, $34,766 was collected in dog/cat license fees during the year. A significant reduction in Animal Control funding occured in FY 1992 19RCKMORD CITY SECRETARY FT WORTH, TEX. ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORL 1-11961 , 140RA.AL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. Z= To the Mayor and Members of the City Council April ls.19w Page 2 of 6 Subject: ANIMAL CONTROL PROGRAM UPDATE constraints required the layoff of six Animal Control field officers and one assistant supervisor. The Animal Control program now operates with 13 full-time employees, eight of whom are field officers. The annual budget to support the Animal Control operation is$460,905. The hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. -6 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Services that are available to the public include animal bite investigation, stray animal pick-up, license registration, aid to injured animals, humane traps for small animals, barking dog complaints, dangerous dog complaints, call dispatch for small dead animal pick-up, and educational programs. Graph 1, Animal Control Activity, is a comparison of animal control activities for the first four months of FY 1992- 93 to the same time period in the previous fiscal year. As can be seen, significant changes have occurred in the program. Service responses have increased by 11 percent, animal bites have increased by 12 percent, dispatch calls for dead animal pick-up have increased by 13 percent, issuance of citations has increased by 10 percent and payment of citation fees has increased by 19 percent. Warning notices issued have increased by 14 percent. A reduction of 33 percent has been experienced in license fees. Also, impoundment of animals has decreased by 10 percent. Table 3, Activity by Council District, shows the level of activity by Council District. Approximately 25 percent of the program activity takes place in Council District No. 2. Increases have been recorded in overall program activity. The Animal Control field officers are assigned to five territories as shown on the map (Refer to Exhibit 1, Map of Territories). Each officer is increasing daily mileage due to the number of service responses they are assigned and the distances they must travel in their territories. The field officers are relying more on warning notices and citations to being about compliance. The increased use of animal traps has reduced the number of times an officer has to respond to repeat calls on problem animals. Increased citizen cooperation has enabled the officers to work more efficiently. CURRENT ISSUES ADDRESSED BY ANIMAL CONTROL Citation Procedures To enhance compliance with the Animal Control Ordinance, a warning notice was created by the Animal Control Division (Refer to Exhibit 2, Warning Notice). When a Violation of the Animal Control Ordinance is observed, rather than issuing a citation, an Animal Control Officer now issues a warning notice and the citizen has three days to comply with the ordinance. The citizen is advised that failure to immediately correct,the Violation will OFFICIAL RECORD CRY SECRETARY _UV_ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER LOW���,is , ' I&ORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 7708 (0To the Mayor and Members of the City Council A01 6.IN3 - Subject: Von ANIMAL CONTROL PROGRAM UPDATE result in issuance of a citation to appear in court. Additionally,workshops were scheduled with the Prosecuting Attorney's office to address the citation process. Animal Control Officers have improved their skills in writing citations and the working relationship with the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney has improved. Licensing Program Additional activities to seek citizen compliance With the Animal Control Ordinance for payment of dog and cat licenses have been initiated. As noted previously, a 33 percent decrease in payment of license fees has been experienced in the first four months of this fiscal year. The department initiated a program to enlist the cooperation of local veterinarians in selling the City license tags for animals. Visits were scheduled with local veterinarians, with the delivery of a packet of materials which could be used in their clinics. Posters which could be displayed in the clinic were produced in both English and Spanish to encourage clients to purchase a license for their pet. Also, the specific reference from the City Code requiring that all dogs and cats must be vaccinated against rabies and licensed by the City was provided in poster form. Additionally, a copy of the 00", fee schedule for animal licensing requirements was included in the packet. To enhance the application process, an Animal License Application form was provided. As of January 29, 1993, 36 of the 43 veterinary clinics in the City of Fort Worth were participating in the animal licensing program. The veterinarians who participate in the program collect the$5.00 license fee and retain$2.00 of the fee collected, forwarding the remaining amount to the Animal Control Division. Liffetime tags are available for $35.00 for neutered pets. Citizens have the option of purchasing the annual license or the lifetime tag from the Health Department Animal Control Division for $10.00 and $35.00, respectively. A comparison of the Fort Worth licensing program to other cities in the metroplex is shown in Table 4, Survey of Cities in Metroplex with Licensing Programs. Nine of the seventeen cities charge more for pets not spayed/neutered. Five of the seventeen cities surveyed provide rebates to veterinarians who sell city animal Both the participating and non-participating veterinarians forward a list of the clients who vaccinate their animals at their clinics to the Animal Control office monthly. In forwarding this IiA the veterinarians are complying with the City Ordinance, Chapter 6. Section 6.41, which requires that veterinarians provide to the Animal Control Division a list of their clients who have purchased vaccinations for their animals. The Animal Control staff mail a renewal letter (Refer to Exhibit 3, Renewal Letter) to citizens who did not purchase a tag. OFFICIAL RECORD CITY SECRETARY ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH,TEXAS 140RMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 7708 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council April 6.1w3 Page 4 of o X Subject: is" ANIMAL CONTROL PROGRAM UPDATE Staff is currently proposing that if the citizen fails to respond to the renewal letter, a follow-up post card (Refer to Exhibit 4, Post Card) be mailed. If the citizen fails to respond to the post card within thrity days, a citation will be issued for failure to comply with the City Ordinance. Although veterinarians participate in the program to sell city tags, it is evident that many do not wish to pressure their clients to purchase a city tag. Graph 2, Sale of Animal Licenses, contrasts the sale of vaccinations by local veterinarians from October 1992 through December 1992 to the sale of city tags during the same time period. A total of 6,854 vaccinations were sold as compared to a total of 2,249 city tags sold. Only 23 percent of the clients who purchased vaccinations for their animals also purchased city tags for their animals. There is no doubt that we must improve citizen compliance with the licensing program. To understand the potential benefit to the community, the pet population for the City of Fort Worth has been estimated, using a formula developed by the American Veterinary Medical Association. This formula is based on the assumption that there are 52.5 million dogs and 57 million cats in the United States. Applying this formula to the 1992 population estimate for the City of Fort Worth -449,800, an estimate of 94,895 dogs and 103,165 cats is identified as the potential animal population. If all owners of pets paid a $5.00 city tag fee, $990,300 would be generated in the licensing program. These revenues far exceed the cost of operating the Animal Control program. An effective licensing program not only generates revenue, it also enhances rabies control efforts and compliance with state laws. The license tag enables the Animal Control officers to immediately identify the owner of the animal and institute quarantine procedures. Because any animal bite should be taken seriously, it is essential that the owner of the animal involved in a bite be quickly identified. By increasing the number of animals that are properly tagged in the City of Fort Worth, bite animals can be placed under observation immediately. Additionally, lost animals can be more easily identified by the tag and the owner can be contacted by the Humane Society. An effective licensing program is especially important in the City of Fort Worth because we confinue.to experience an increase in bite incidents. In the first four months of the current fiscal year, we experienced a 12 percent increase in bite incidents as compared to the same time period of the previous fiscal year. Graph 3, Bite Incidents by Council District, shows that District 2 has the most bite incidents, 58 (16 percent), followed by Districts 8 and 9. Circumstances surrounding bite incidents are shown in the following charts. Chart 1, Bite Animals, Owned/Stray, shows that 64 percent of the bite animals are owned animals. Chart 2, Bite Animals, Confinement, shows tha =nt of the OFFIN RECORD CITY SECRETARY -%JR"$11TV" ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER M J S INOORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 7708 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council April a.1993 Page 5 of 6 Subject: ANIMAL CONTROL PROGRAM UPDATE bite animals were unrestrained at the time of the bite. Finally, Chart 3, Owner/Victim Relationship, shows that the majority of bite victims did not know the owner of the bite animal. The critical point the charts make is that bite incidents are occurring in every Council District by animals that are owned and unrestrained. To effectively respond to-these incidents, Animal Control Officers must be able to identify the owner of the animal. A license tag enables the Animal Control Officer to take the initial step. We are currently looking into alternative approaches in licensing animals in the City. One approach that is being considered at this time is the use of one tag to identify both the rabies vaccination and the city tag identification. We will be working with the veterinary community to develop a more user friendly licensing program. Staff Productivity Improvements have been implemented in the Animal Control operation impacting the staff and enhancing the staffs ability to serve the public. The department initiated a continuing education program that enabled the Animal Control staff to obtain 8 hours of continuing education credits approved by the Texas Department of Health. Topics in the program included Professional Behavior, Bite Investigation and Shipping Procedure, Court Related Topics, and Ordinance Awareness. For the first time, all the Animal Control officers could attend the educational program in that there was no registration fee attached to the presentations. Education will continue to be emphasized, not only for the Animal Control officers, but also for citizens in the community, The public needs to be educated in responsible pet ownership; especially in light of the fact that owned dogs and owned cats that are unrestrained are the main offenders in bite incidents. Improvements in automation were made with the expansion of the computer system. Previously only licensing and a few other duties were computerized. With the addition of the computers, several more facets-dispatching, record keeping, and call information- can now be computerized. Additionally, management information reports that result in improved productivity are now produced. The division purchased thirty more box traps for cats and six traps for dogs. The cat traps are available to citizens for a deposit of$35.00. Animal Control officers service the dog traps as well as bait the dog traps for street-wise dogs. The additional traps allow for more efficient impoundment. They do, however, require tiff e-#e vehicles are not able to transport the traps. OFFICIA1 RECORD CITY SECRETARY L FT. WORTH, TEL ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH,TEXAS IW-ORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 7708 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council Apr#G.1993 Page a of s 41 X Subject: ANIMAL CONTROL PROGRAM UPDATE There is one area that remains as a concern. Due to the loss of personnel, fewer units are on the street; consequently, citizens have to wait longer for service. Citizens making requests for service in the afternoon hours or who place low priority calls are often advised that the officer will respond on the following day. Often officers are unable to complete their entire call load and start the next day with requests carded over from the day before. The officers find this frustrating and several are feeling-overwhelmed by the demand. Citizens are complaining more about the delay in response time. The goal of Animal Control is to protect the health and safety of the citizens in the community. We are hopeful that eventually we will be able to initiate community education programs that will address responsible pet ownership on a broad scale. Daily we receive phone calls from citizens who are concerned about unrestrained animals in their neighborhood. These citizens are willing to assist in identifying areas where the unrestrained dogs are roaming and also to volunteer to watch baited dog traps that are left in their neighborhood. With the continued support of citizens in the community, animal control problems eventually can be resolved so that ultimately we will be able to have an Animal Control program that emphasizes prevention of bites, transmission of disease and responsible pet ownership. �_Z�ob Terre City Manager Attachments OFFICIAL RECORD CITY SECRETARY ET. WORM, TEX. ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH,TEXAS iw to w cwr, roaw rw 0; a O � _ co cr cr � U) co Z z V) •t cti c 0 +o� w .- V + w Q Cf OO 0 N J .�U)0 0 cv O ca w Q c;`o cc C4 `t a U u Z as b' w '- F- Z F .� r0 ci V- 40 • O Z Z w r: w m r. c?Lo u W Q W `t cQ N z d X Gi Y u w H O of 0 _ o o Z Z J LL a E !- © Q Z � or w m W Q} Z a n cai °n z o ° N Ln.>a Q ci 0 o ui n n cr#i Z ru _ � s `t v 0 i cn co Z s o ri cv l w r: •t v em) n ai Q et m sn U . 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A* wI5 `°°=t=- f _ CITY OF FORT WORTH lq�kTgk COUNTY� SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICT PLAN ADOPTED AUGUST. 1992 #no." fn trot MICE Sf DALLAS-FORT �pv`TN Etl'tiit'}ttE - (WT ERNAIt.. y,1RPORi of - 4r*'st�� �.° «. l O 4.1 -T.T`f• to.03 tYMffgFUYE ..9: s�,,z, yoKrr CKS ' ( E + -'KC tuipol Hill.0 ar M f�� 1 tE ..,,y`�rtt r' MIr w it y 6 'r f { � t ' _ arc i-w of �1 Kt M LEGEND MAYOR (ELECTED AT LARGE) RAY GRANGER OISTRICT NO. 2 CARLOS PUENTE DISTRICT N0. 3 CHUCK Si LCDx r DISTRICT N0. 4 MORRIS MATSON QW5 DISTRICT NO. 5 EUGENE Me CRAY It rn na DISTRICT N0. 6 JEWEL WOODS DISTRICT NO. 7 WILLIAM MEADOWS DISTRICT NO. B VIRGINIA WELL WEBBER rr,.®� _as .... Jgf{NSOk COUNTY� � �� � -OI STRICT NO. 9 OAYtO CNAPPELL Exhibit 1 OFFICIAL RECORD Map of territories CITY SECRETARY f -FT. WORTH, TEX. Exhibit 2 CITY OF FORT WORTH PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT ANIMAL CONTROL DIVISION WARNING NOTICE No. Date__j_._! This is a WARNING notice and does riot require a court apperance Owners nerve Add" Telephone Desc iptlort d animal:Breed Sex-- File a City area Llc.s Rabies M Color and rna*ings sntaIl__ ined.k._,_ You are being warned for failure to: Obtain license__Restrain an animal_„_, Obtain tables vacdnadon _ Have animal wear we Other Failure to Immediately correct the above vloistion(s)will result In Issuance of a citation to appear In court.The fine on each citation Issued may be as much as $200. Important In the case d veodnatlon and licensing violations,call ArMW Control Oivtsiort within 3 days d wamktp 8 you pet Via w*nd vacanead or licensed. call 871-7344 or 871-7290 0 t tcAnowtedpt ownership of the above,described cairns! Synaaves of owner Q The sbove4stad porson is the owner of tltt sbo"sfer enknat aperrt m owner +p* ,i Anhtd C�xwdOrltcer a�ltp�rwatun N UAfty FT. WDRT t . � if tt LU CC zt 0 0 if CL a LL I to U) cni LL Z LL w w CL 0 oi 0 0 w of 0 0 0 0 0! ol 99 goo F- L.) 0 0! 0 EXHIBIT 3 RENEWAL LETTER February 23, 1993 1 - Dear 2--: We appreciate your being a responsible pet owner by licensing your animal with Fort Worth Animal Control. The license tag will enable us to contact you if your pet wanders from home and is impounded by our staff. Last year, the Animal Control Division impounded 14,295 animals. About 500 of these animals were reunited with their owners because they wore city license tags. This year the Division Is emphasizing responsible pet ownership, reduction of the stray population and preventive measures for dog and cat bites. Over 1333 animal bites involving Fort Worth citizens will be investigated by Animal Control in 1992. . The renewal of your pet license is due in March 1993. You may obtain the annual license tag from a participating veterinary clinic for 15.00,or from the Animal Control Office for 110.00. You may purchase a lifetime tag for 135.00 provided the pet is spayed or neutered. If you choose to renew at the Animal Control Office, include your rabies vaccination certificate. N you want to purchase a lifetime tag, provide proof of altering with your remittance. Sincerely, l James Agyemang, Administrator Animal Control Division Enclose with your payment to the address above NAME INVOICE ! 3— ADDRESS DATE Please renew the following license numbers: LICENSE I EXPIRATION DATE AMOUNT DUE aac=a /n 7C■[a s is Elsa now= == = 4— 5-- a- 7- A CITY LICENSE IS VALID FOR THE LENGTH OF THE VACCINATION ONLY. '► IF YOU HAVE ALREADY RENEWED YOUR PET LICENSE, THANK YOU AND PLEASE DISREGARD. NOTICE. RD RY X. EXHIBIT 4 CITY OF FORT WORTH ANIMAL CONTROL DIVISION NOTICE TO COMPLY PQst Card Information This will be mailed to citizens who vaccinate their pets, but fail to-purchase a city license. This will be a follow-up to the Renewal Notice. Our records indicate that you need to purchase a license tag for your pet. The City Code requires that all dogs and cats be vaccinated and licensed before they are four (4) months of age. Failure to obtain a 00p, license for your pet may result in the issuance of a citation and a fine of $500 for VWh day the violation continues. You may obtain a license from participating veterinarians for $5 per animal. You have thirty (30) days to purchase the license tag before a citation is issued. If you have any questions, please call Animal Control at 871-7345. Nuestros registros indican que necesita comprp( una licencia para su animal domestico. La ley de la ciudad requiere que todos gatos y perros sewn vacunados y licenciados antes de que cumplan 4 meses. Falta de obtener una licencia para su animal domestico puede resultar en multa de $500 por gA-O-a dia que la violacion continue. Usted puede obtener una licencia con veterinarios participantes por $5 por animal. Tiene trienta (30) dias para obtener la licensia etiqueta antes que le resulte la multa. Si usted tiene preguntas, por favor flame a el departamento de Control de Animales a el numero 871-7345. ell 0FRCK RECORD CITY SECRETARY &-FT. WORTH, TEL-i {li -- - _ D ft en ev F- _ ttj w U) Z J W d � t3 J M © - - Z c� t - a a �.. ..- - - N�> e _ an - - - - - - - W W ::....:.:..:..:.:- .::.:..:..::.::.. to ..:...... .:o . C3 w W p ..... ... . ............._. . a z ,::::.:= - = - - u. O - W - OFFICIAL RECORD CITY SCCRFTARY FT. WORTH, TEX. r co cl z 59 8 Lij cc ?, � {ran:. :i+�i?WVyi` A�%sN .y x�A �� "'r+,s°a' ''s �..4w''•'t; �s v 8 8 O O Oa 40 h► (D tt? Q M tV *- CE a IAL RECORD 8 8 oiY SECRETARY a FT. WORTH, TEX. r- r • i i 0 • E go cn • a .. • s. " r. 0 * 0 k C' OFFICIAL RECORD WORTH,CITY SECRETARY • CL i t rh i IZL i • • • uj • r Ln X Dti � tt , t + t z _r" ' r cy t '+ .. `C t i • • ■ ..A a z V- t ix • LL L RC RECORD CITY a � i a t: f IT SECRETARY 7WORTH,