Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 02 Cooperative Agreement for Low Cost Spay and Neuter Services for Cat Owners AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Meeting Date: 7/1/2013 Meeting Type: Work Session/Reg. Mtg Staff Contact/Dept.: Michael Harman/Police Staff Phone No: 726-3729 Estimated Time: 30 Minutes/05 Minutes S P R I N G F I E L D C I T Y C O U N C I L Council Goals: Preserve Hometown Feel, Livability, and Environmental Quality ITEM TITLE: COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT FOR LOW COST SPAY AND NEUTER SERVICES FOR CAT OWNERS ACTION REQUESTED: Work Session: Discuss the next steps available to manage roaming cat populations in Springfield and provide direction. Regular Meeting: Authorize the City Manager to enter into a cooperative agreement with WAG to provide transportation and low cost spay/neuter services for cats. ISSUE STATEMENT: The City is considering entering a cooperative agreement with Willamette Animal Guild (WAG) to provide transportation and low cost spay/neuter services for cats for Springfield residents. Other options could include modifying existing ordinances to regulate cats roaming at large. ATTACHMENTS: Attachment 1: MOU and Process Outline Attachment 2: Memo in Support of WAG Partnership DISCUSSION/ FINANCIAL IMPACT: City leaders and Police Department Animal Control staff are frequently asked to address the issue of free roaming cats in the community. The resources necessary to hire staff to address roaming cats or to contract for shelter and adoption services have historically been cost prohibitive. One option would be to modify the existing City Ordinance which prohibits dogs at large to include all animals, including cats. Such a modification would subject cat owners who allow their pets to roam freely to fines. Because of the difficulty involved in enforcing such an ordinance, especially the challenge of identifying a cat’s owner, this is not a recommended option. Another option is to manage cat populations by encouraging responsible cat ownership practices to include spaying and neutering owned cats. Doing so should reduce the population of unwanted free roaming cats. This is the recommended option. City Staff have been working with Willamette Animal Guild, or WAG, to develop a cooperative program that will provide low cost spay and neuter services for cats to Springfield residents, as well as transportation to and from the WAG facility. Funding would come from fundraising efforts in the community. Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to enter into a cooperative agreement with WAG to provide low cost spay and neuter services to Springfield cat owners. Attachment 1, Page 1 of 3 Attachment 1, Page 2 of 3 Attachment 1, Page 3 of 3 Attachment 2, Page 1 of 2 M E M O R A N D U M City of Springfield Date: 7/1/2013 To: Gino Grimaldi COUNCIL From: Michael Harman, Police Services Bureau Manager BRIEFING Subject: Cat Population Management Options MEMORANDUM ISSUE: Should the City support a cooperative program with Willamette Animal Guild to provide transportation and low cost spay and neuter services for cats owned by Springfield residents? COUNCIL GOALS/ MANDATE: Preserve Hometown Feel, Livability, and Environmental Quality BACKGROUND: City leaders and Police Department Animal Control staff are frequently asked to address the issue of free roaming cats in the community. The resources necessary to hire staff to address roaming cats or to contract for shelter and adoption services have historically been cost prohibitive. One option would be to amend the current ordinance to extend the prohibition of animals at large to include cats, with violations resulting in a fine not to exceed $720.00 pursuant to 5.418(3). Current Municipal Code prohibits any keeper of a dog or of any farm animal to allow those animals to run at large, except for bees and cats (Municipal Code 5.418). The current staff assigned to animal control duties include a 1.0 Animal Control Officer, and the vast majority of that person’s time is devoted to addressing issues related to dogs. The difficulty in identifying owners of roaming cats and of addressing feral or community cats would make enforcement a challenge, and would require much more resource than is currently available. Also, there would be significant effort involved in changing the community expectation around indoor/outdoor cats. This is not a recommended option. Staff recommends that the Council consider authorizing the City Manager to enter into a cooperative agreement with Willamette Animal Guild, or WAG, to provide transportation and low cost spay and neuter services for Springfield residents who own cats. According to research cited by WAG staff, cat ownership rates are fairly stable across income distributions, but cat owners who’s incomes are above the poverty line are 90% likely to spay/neuther their pets, whereas owners who’s incomes are below the poverty line are 90% likely NOT to spay/neuter their pets. For Springfield residents, the issue is likely compounded by the fact that both of the regional low cost clinics, WAG and Greenhill, are located in West Eugene. MEMORANDUM 6/27/2013 Page 2 WAG has offered to identify community partners, businesses, who are willing to manage the paperwork and to receive cats from residents on scheduled days. WAG will transport the cats to the WAG facility, up to 15 per scheduled day, and return them to the business by days end for the owners to reclaim. Attachment 1 provides a brief outline of the anticipated process as well as the expected costs for the program. Funding beyond the $10 paid by residents and money contributed by WAG will come from donations from the community. It is not anticipated that General Fund dollars will be used to support this program. Rather, staff and public officials will advertise and promote the program, and encourage willing partners to donate funds for the cooperative effort. When sufficient funds are in place for the next set of surgeries, another date will be scheduled and assigned to a community partner for reservations. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Take no action to change existing Animal Control Ordinances. Authorize the City Manager to enter into a cooperative agreement with WAG to provide transportation and low cost spay/neuter services for cats.