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WELCOME TO THE MAY 13TH, 2024,
[CALL TO ORDER]
UH, TRAVIS COUNTY, AUSTIN ANIMAL ADVISORY COMMISSION.WE ARE AT AUSTIN CITY HALL, UM, ON, LIKE I SAID, MAY 13TH, 2024 AT 6:00 PM SO I'LL CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER AND CALL ROLL.
AND OUR NEWEST COMMISSIONER, LAURA HOKE HERE.
I, IT IS BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE'VE HAD A COMPLETELY FULL HOUSE, SO I APPRECIATE EVERYBODY TAKING THE TIME TO BE HERE.
I ALSO WANNA WELCOME, UH, COMMISSIONER HOKE TO THE ANIMAL ADVISORY COMMISSION.
UM, I ASKED HER IF SHE'D BE WILLING TO SAY, UH, BRIEFLY INTRODUCE HERSELF, AND SHE RELUCTANTLY AGREED
SO, UH, COMMISSIONER HOKE, WOULD YOU MIND INTRODUCING YOURSELF TO US? SURE.
UM, IT'S BEEN A, IT'S BEEN A MINUTE.
THIS IS MY SECOND COMMISSION, BUT MY FIRST ONE WAS, UM, UNDER MAYOR WYNN.
I'VE BEEN IN AUSTIN SINCE 1991 EXCEPT FOR ABOUT THREE YEARS.
UM, I HAVE A VARIED BACKGROUND IN JOURNALISM, PUBLIC RELATIONS, WORKING FOR NONPROFITS.
UM, NOW I'M A REALTOR AND, UM, BECAUSE I JUST KNOW AUSTIN SO, SO WELL.
UM, I WAS ONE OF THE FIRST PEOPLE AT THE TABLE WHEN AUSTIN PETS ALIVE GOT STARTED AND WAS THEIR PRO BONO COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR FOR ABOUT THREE YEARS.
UM, BUT HAVE ADOPTED ALL OF MY ANIMALS THROUGH THE AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER.
UM, I'M HERE FOR THE ANIMALS AND HERE FOR DEFINITELY MY FIRST FEW MEETINGS TO JUST LISTEN.
UM, I HAVEN'T BEEN NEARLY AS PLUGGED IN AS A LOT OF YOU, I'VE BEEN HEARING FROM PEOPLE, UM, ACROSS THE CITY, AND A LOT OF THEM ARE MAKING ASSUMPTIONS THAT I KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON AND I'M GONNA BE CATCHING UP PRETTY QUICKLY.
I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.
SO I LOOK FORWARD TO LEARNING AND PARTICIPATING AND JUST, YOU KNOW, BEING A PART OF THE COMMISSION.
[PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL]
UM, PUBLIC COMMUNICATION.UH, WE HAVE THE FIRST SPEAKERS REMOTE, HEATHER MYERS.
HELLO, MY NAME IS HEATHER MYERS AND I AM A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT THREE AND A CURRENT VOLUNTEER AT THE AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER.
I AM HOPING THAT AS PART OF TONIGHT'S DISCUSSION ON ITEM FOUR RELATED TO THE URGENT PLACEMENT LIST, THAT THIS COMMISSION WILL ASK MR. BLAND TO ADDRESS A COUPLE OF CONCERNS.
I SHARED THOSE CONCERNS WITH COMMISSIONER LINDER ALONG WITH BACKGROUNDS AS FOR THEY'RE RELEVANT.
SO IF I DO GET CUT OFF, SHE HAS A COPY OF THEM.
UM, FIRST, WHEREAS THE VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE BY THIS COMMISSION IN 2022 AND THE CITY FUNDED AUDIT IN 2023 FOUND ISSUES AND AACS RECORD KEEPING PRACTICES.
I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT HAS CHANGED BETWEEN THEN AND NOW THAT ENSURES THE URGENT PLACEMENT LIST IS BASED UPON ACCURATE AND COMPLETE INFORMATION.
SECOND, I'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND UPON WHAT DATA THE AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER DETERMINE THAT THE URGENT PLACEMENT LIST IS A SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION THAT WILL HAVE A MEANINGFUL IMPACT ON OVERCROWDING.
AT THE LAST COMMISSION MEETING, MR. BLAND TOUTED THAT THE LIST, QUOTE UNQUOTE WORKS SINCE IT MOVED A LOT OF JOBS VERY QUICKLY.
HOWEVER, HE FAILED TO MENTION THE CHAOS, FEAR, AND COMPASSION FATIGUE LESS THAN HIS WAKE FURTHER ERODING STAKEHOLDER RELATIONSHIPS AND THE PUBLIC TRUST AND A A C THIRD, I THINK EVERYONE HERE KNOWS THAT THAT EUTHANIZING FIVE DOGS OR 30 WILL NOT SOLVE THE CURRENT OVERCROWDING ISSUE.
SO, I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHETHER MR. GLAND'S PLAN IS TO SYSTEMATICALLY AND ROUTINELY EUTHANIZE DOGS ON THIS LIST ON AN ONGOING ENROLLING BASE BASIS.
IF THE ANSWER IS YES, I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHETHER MR. GLAM HAS DISCUSSED THE STRATEGY IN DETAIL WITH THE CITY LAW DEPARTMENT OR CITY COUNCIL AS TO WHETHER SUCH ACTIONS WOULD BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE CITY'S NO KILL PLAN FOUR.
WHEREAS MR. BLAND'S PLAN CLAIMED AT THE LAST COMMISSION MEETING THAT THE URGENT PLACEMENT LIST IS BASED ON THE BEST PRACTICES OF THE KANSAS CITY PET PROJECT.
I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT OTHER BEST PRACTICES, PROGRAMS, OR POLICIES OF THE KANSAS CITY PET PROJECT THAT THE AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER HAS IMPLEMENTED.
FIFTH, AS A FOLLOW UP TO THE FOREGOING, I'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT STEPS THE AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER HAS TAKEN TO ALLEVIATE, TREAT, OR OTHERWISE IMPROVE UPON THE BEHAVIORS NOTED ON THE URGENT PLACEMENT LIST AND AN EFFORT TO MAKE THOSE DOGS MORE ADOPTABLE.
FINALLY, I'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT ADDITIONAL AND SPECIFIC EFFORTS MR. BLAND HAS TAKEN TO MAXIMIZE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE COMMUNITY AND PLACE AND
[00:05:01]
OR KEEP MORE DOGS IN HOME.GOTTA MEET ONE OF THE CITY AUDITS, ONE OF THE CITY AUDIT FINDINGS IN 2023.
WAS IT DUE TO OPERATIONAL WEAKNESSES NOTED IN THE CUSTOMER SERVICE PROGRAM? THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH DOGS BEING PLACED IN HOMES.
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THIS PAST WEEKEND THE COMMUNITY WAS INFORMED VIA EMAIL BLAST THAT PLACEMENTS WERE CRITICAL.
AND YET YESTERDAY, THERE WAS NO FOSTER COORDINATOR ON SITE TO PROCESS FOSTER.
I FIND IT INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE THAT MR. BLAND IS DOING EVERYTHING HE CAN TO REMEDIATE THE CURRENT SPACE CRISIS, AND YET HE CAN'T EVEN STAFF HIS BUSIEST DAYS TO MAXIMIZE POTENTIAL ADOPTIONS FOR FOSTERS.
IN PERSON WE HAVE CAROLINE CLAY.
UM, THANKS FOR HAVING ME AGAIN.
I VOLUNTEER WITH LOVABLE PIT BULL RESCUE AND WHEREVER NEEDED TO ADVOCATE FOR DOGS IN AUSTIN.
OVER THE LAST WEEK, I HAVE NOTICED AN ALARMING NUMBER OF STORIES OF PEOPLE TRYING TO GET DOGS OFF THE URGENT PLACEMENT LIST OF FOSTER OR ADOPT AND BEING TURNED AWAY FOR VARIOUS REASONS.
I'VE SPOKEN TO TWO OF THOSE PEOPLE BY PHONE OR EMAIL WHO ARE HAPPY TO TALK DIRECTLY WITH THE COMMISSION TO ELABORATE.
AND I'VE REACHED OUT TO OTHER FOR MORE DETAILS.
THEY WEREN'T ABLE TO MAKE IT TONIGHT, BUT I WANTED TO SHARE THOSE TWO ANECDOTES.
SO FIRST IS LINDSAY, WHO PLANNED TO BE HERE, BUT TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID YESTERDAY.
SO THANK YOU TO HER FOR NOT BRINGING THAT HERE.
BUT SHE'LL ALSO EMAIL HER DETAILED STORY.
SO, LINDSAY VOLUN HAS VOLUNTEERED IN RESCUE FOR EIGHT YEARS AND HAS EIGHT YEARS OF FOSTER AND RESCUE EXPERIENCE.
IN JANUARY, SHE WENT TO A A C TO GET A DOG TO FOSTER DURING THE FREEZE.
SHE WALKED INTO A A C AND TOLD THE GREETER AN EMPLOYEE THAT SHE WAS APPROVED FOR FOSTER AND READY TO TAKE HOME A DOG.
SHE, THE EMPLOYEE, RESPONDED THAT THEY WERE ASKING FOR A TWO WEEK MINIMUM.
WE'RE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING LONGER TERM.
ANYWAY, UM, SHE WAS TOLD BY THE EMPLOYEE THAT THERE WAS AN HOUR WAIT TO MEET WITH THE COORDINATOR.
AND THEN THE EMPLOYEE SAID THAT SHE WOULD NOT PUT HER ON THE LIST UNTIL SHE WALKED AROUND AND LOOKED AT THE DOGS.
LINDSAY SAID, I KNOW WHO I'M HERE FOR.
AND SHE WAS TOLD SHE STILL NEEDED TO WALK AROUND.
FIRST, SHE ASKED IF SHE COULD BE PUT ON THE LIST WHILE SHE WALKED AROUND AND THE PERSON TOLD HER THERE WAS NO POINT BECAUSE THE DOG SHE WAS INTERESTED IN MIGHT NOT EVEN BE THERE.
SHE SAID, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THAT DOG.
SHE JUST WANTED TO TAKE HIM A FOSTER.
THE EMPLOYEE REPEATED THAT SHE WOULDN'T PUT HER ON THE LIST TILL SHE WALKED AROUND.
SHE WAS TAKEN ABACK AND DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE PUSHINESS AND LEFT DOGLESS.
SHE'S SHARED HER STORY WITH OTHERS AND HEARD IT'S NOT UNIQUE.
LINDSAY WENT ON TO FOSTER SUSIE FROM SAN ANTONIO ANIMAL CARE SERVICES, WHICH IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA, THEY'RE EXTREMELY HIGH KILL.
SHE WAS CALLED 10 MINUTES AFTER SHE FILLED OUT HER APPLICATION.
AND I KNOW THAT NOT EVERYONE WILL GET BACK WITHIN 10 MINUTES, BUT CALLED HER BACK AND MATCHED HER WITH SUSIE, WHO WAS TO BE KILLED THAT DAY.
SO THAT'S WHO SHE'S PLACED WITH.
SHE ALSO WANTED TO BE HERE, BUT HAD A CONFLICT TONIGHT.
SHE WENT TO A A C TO FOSTER JESSA.
MORE RECENTLY, SHE HAD A BAD EXPERIENCE AND FELT THE COORDINATOR WAS RUDE TO HER, BUT SHE FOLLOWED UP BY EMAIL AND CONTINUED IN AN EFFORT TO GET JETAR OUT OF THE SHELTER.
BUT SHE NEVER RECEIVED A RESPONSE.
DONNA WENT ON TO FOSTER LUNA FROM THE WILLIAMSON COUNTY SHELTER AS A RESCUE VOLUNTEER WHO FACILITATES MEET AND GREETS WITH THE SPECIFIC PROTOCOL TO KEEP OUR DOGS, RESIDENT DOGS AND PEOPLE SAFE.
AND THE MOM OF A PIT BULL WITH RESOURCE GUARDING.
I UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE RIGHT PLACEMENT, SO I'M ABSOLUTELY NOT SAYING JUST GIVE THE DOG TO ANYONE, ESPECIALLY AS A PIT BULL PARENT AND VOLUNTEER FOR A PIT BULL RESCUE.
I WANT TO ADVOCATE FOR THE BREED THAT A LOT OF THE DOGS ON THE LIST ARE, AND I KNOW THAT'S IMPORTANT, BUT IN THESE CASES, THE PEOPLE HAVE HAD EXPERIENCE FOSTERING, HAVE EVEN BEEN APPROVED OR FOSTERED WITH A A C BEFORE AND TRIED TO FOLLOW THE RULES TO BE TURNED AWAY, THEN WENT ON TO FOSTER SUCCESSFULLY WITH OTHER RE RESCUES.
SO MY CONCERN AND WHY I WANTED TO MAKE THIS KNOWN IS THAT HOW CAN WE GET DOGS OFF OF THE URGENT LIST WHEN THIS IS THE EXPERIENCE PEOPLE ARE HAVING? THANK YOU.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, I'M ALWAYS HERE PLEADING FOR SPAYED AND NEUTER, BUT I'M CONCERNED, UH, WITHIN THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS I HAVE BEEN FINDING DOGS BEING DUMPED OUT THERE OFF A FALWELL LANE.
AND, UH, MR. BLAND COULDN'T TAKE 'EM IN AND GOD BLESS AUSTIN HUMANE SOCIETY BECAUSE THEY TOOK 'EM IN AND THEY WAS FULL AND THEY WAS, THERE WAS A MAMA DOG AND THREE PUPPIES SINCE THEN.
AFTER THAT, I FOUND ANOTHER DOG OUT THERE DUMPED IN THAT MR. BLAND AND THEM, THEY TOOK IT IN, WHICH I APPRECIATED.
BUT THEN JUST HERE, JUST A WEEK OR SO AGO, A FRIEND OF MINE THAT FURNISHES ME WITH CATS THAT HE GETS OUT THERE IN ELROY AT RIGHT THERE AT EIGHT 12 IN ELROY IS HIS SECOND HOUSE.
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FIVE PUPPIES DUMPED ON HIM.THEY WERE LITTLE, UH, UH, LAB PUPPIES, BLACK PUPPIES.
AND I'VE BEEN WORKING PUPPIES MORE THAN DOGS, MORE THAN CATS LATELY.
AND I, I CAN'T, I CAN'T FOSTER THIS, THIS, THIS LAW THAT Y'ALL HAVE MADE OR RULE THAT YOU'VE MADE YOU FIND A FOSTER.
I CAN, I DON'T HAVE, I DON'T HAVE, I JUST DON'T WANNA BE KNOCKED DOWN BY ONE OF THEM AND, AND BE, YOU KNOW, AND HAVE SOME PROBLEMS. AND THEN I COULDN'T DO MY WORK FOR Y'ALL ON THE, UH, TNR ON THE CATS.
SO WE'VE GOTTA MAKE SOME KINDA, UH, LEEWAY THERE FOR PEOPLE THAT CANNOT KEEP THE DOGS.
AND, AND, AND, AND I'VE SOLVED, I'VE THAT THERE IS, I'VE SEEN PEOPLE STANDING IN LINE THERE SAYING THAT THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN'T TAKE TAKE 'EM.
SO I I WE NEED HELP, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT THEIR APARTMENT WON'T LET 'EM HAVE THEM, AND THEY FOUND A DOG.
AND, AND, AND IT'S, IT'S A SHAME YOU CAN'T LEAVE THE DOG OUT THERE, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE HE'S GOT TO EAT AND WHATEVER.
BUT THAT'S WHAT I, I WONDER IF THAT WE CAN FIND SOME KIND OF LEEWAY WHEN WE TAKE HIM IN AND, AND, UH, WE CAN'T KEEP HIM.
AND I'M JUST ASKING FOR HELP THERE IN THAT SITUATION.
IF WE COULD WORK OUT SOMETHING IN, IN THAT.
AH, THANK YOU, UM, CHAIR CLINTON, VICE CHAIR LINDER AND MEMBERS OF THE ANIMAL ADVISORY COMMISSION.
IT'S GREAT TO SEE SO MANY OF YOU HERE IN PERSON.
WELCOME TO THE COMMISSION, COMMISSIONER HOKE.
UM, IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
AND, UM, THANK YOU TO THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE JOINED TECH TECHNOLOGICALLY OR VIRTUALLY, HOWEVER YOU SAY THAT BECAUSE IT'S GREAT THAT YOU CAN BE HERE IN THAT FORUM THROUGH THAT MECHANISM WHEN YOU CAN'T BE HERE IN PERSON.
I HOPE SOMEDAY IT'LL COME DOWN AND WE CAN TALK TO YOU AFTER THE MEETING.
THIS, THIS IS A GREAT TURNOUT.
UM, I ALSO WANNA THANK A PD OFFICERS FOR BEING HERE.
IT'S GREAT TO SEE SO MANY OF YOU HERE, AND I APPRECIATE THE ATTENTION THAT A PD IS GONNA GIVE TO ITEM SIX.
SO I DO HAVE A REQUEST OF ALL OF YOU, UM, OUT OF RESPECT FOR THEIR TIME.
I HOPE YOU'LL MOVE THE ITEM UP ON THE AGENDA, PERHAPS RIGHT AFTER YOU APPROVE THE MINUTES SO THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE TO SIT THROUGH A NUMBER OF ITEMS. THEN AGAIN, IF, UM, YOU CHOOSE NOT TO, I STILL APPRECIATE THAT THEY'RE HERE AND LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY.
I MAY NOT BE SITTING IN THIS ROOM THE WHOLE TIME.
I MAY GO ELSEWHERE AND LISTEN TO YOU, BUT I WILL BE PAYING ATTENTION.
I, I REALLY THINK THIS IS A GREAT COMMISSION AND I, I APPRECIATE THE WORK YOU'RE DOING.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT, UM, THE SPAY NEUTER WORKING GROUP IS GONNA HAVE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS THAT I SUPPORT.
I WILL NOT SPEAK TO THEM AT THIS TIME.
I HOPE THAT YOU CAN CONTINUE TO WORK ON SPAY NEUTER 'CAUSE I DO THINK THERE ARE SOME TWEAKS THAT ARE NECESSARY.
BUT TONIGHT, IF YOU APPROVE WHATEVER YOU SUPPORT, I APPRECIATE THAT.
I APPRECIATE THE TIME THAT THE SPAY NEUTER WORKING GROUP MEMBERS HAVE PUT INTO IT, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO WORK WITH YOU.
AND SINCE I HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF MORE TIME, THANK YOU DIRECTOR BLAND, I KNOW YOU HAVE A TOUGH JOB LISTENING TO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE SAID ABOUT YOU.
I DO THINK THAT YOU HAVE, UM, SOME, SOME CHALLENGES AND I THINK OPEN INTAKE IS ONE OF YOUR CHALLENGES.
I WOULD HOPE THAT WE CAN GET A PLAN THAT INCLUDES ADEQUATELY FUNDING THE SHELTER SO THAT WE CAN HAVE OPEN INTAKE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE AGAIN, AND, UH, I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR DISCUSSION.
SO WE'LL MOVE TO ITEM TWO, STAFF BRIEFINGS.
UH, NUMBER TWO, STAFF BRIEFING REGARDING MONTHLY REPORTS PROVIDED, I'M SORRY, ITEM
[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
ONE, APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES.UM, APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE ANIMAL ADVISORY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING ON APRIL 8TH, 2024.
SO I, I JUST WANTED TO NOTE THAT UNDER THE PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS GENERAL, WE HAVE ROCHELLE VICKERY NOTED AND PAT VALTRA NOTED, BUT WE DIDN'T
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HAVE CAROLINE CLAY NOTED, OR MACY SHARP, BOTH FROM LOVABLE.WERE THEY HERE JUST AT THE LAST MEETING, OR WAS THAT IN FEBRUARY? UH, THAT WAS THE APRIL MEETING.
I CAN GO BACK AND, UH, ADD THOSE IN.
AND THEN SIMILARLY, WE MADE AN ALLOWANCE FOR THE, FOR THREE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO SPEAK RIGHT BEFORE DISCUSSION ITEM SEVEN.
AND THEY WERE KAITLYN AND BEN, JOYCE AND PETE, UM, SAY MANO, NOW I'M REMEMBERING.
SO THEY HAD SIGNED UP TO SPEAK TO AN AGENDA ITEM, AND THAT WOULDN'T BE NOTED ON THE MINUTES.
UNDER GENERAL PUBLIC COMMUNICATION.
SO THAT'S, SO JUST THE, THAT'S WHY JUST THE TWO ARE THERE.
BUT THEN THESE THREE SHOULD BE ADDED TO AGENDA ITEM SEVEN.
THE COMMENTS OF THE PUBLIC GENERALLY AREN'T PUT IN THE MINUTES THERE.
UH, IT'S JUST THE ONE, THE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT SPEAK UP FOR GENERAL PUBLIC COMMUNICATION AND THEIR COMMENTS ARE STILL PART OF THE RECORD BECAUSE IT'S RECORDED.
SO IT'S ONLY IF THEY SPEAK ON SOMETHING, NOT ON THE AGENDA.
UM, AND THEN THE LAST THING WAS, OH, JUST, I, I WOULD LIKE IT NOTED, IT SAYS ON ITEM NUMBER 12 THAT COMMISSIONER BRUCE PROVIDED AN UPDATE ON THE SPAY AND NEUTER CONTRACTS FROM AUSTIN, THE AUSTIN CITY WORKING GROUP, BUT SHE WAS INTERRUPTED BY THE LOSS OF QUORUM AND SHE WASN'T ABLE TO GIVE HER FULL UPDATE.
UH, DO YOU HAVE A SPECIFIC CORRECTION YOU WOULD SUGGEST THERE? I, IT DOES SAY RIGHT AFTER THAT THEY LOST QUORUM, BUT THERE'S PROBABLY A BETTER WAY TO, TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT IT WASN'T A FULL UPDATE.
SHOULD WE SAY COMMISSIONER BRUCE BEGAN PROVIDING AN UPDATE THAT WAS TRUNCATED BY LOSS OF QUORUM? IS THERE A SECOND? COMMISSIONER HOLT? SO, SO MOVED WITH A SECOND.
UM, ARE THERE, SO LET ME JUST CLARIFY THOUGH.
THAT'S THE LAST ONE, RIGHT? AND THE FIRST ONE, DID WE DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT IT WAS DURING PUBLIC COMMUNICATION OR ON AN AGENDA ITEM? SO I THINK THE, I I THINK THE CONCLUSION WE'RE DRAWING IS THEY SPOKE DURING THE GENERAL COMMUNICATION TIME, BUT ABOUT AN AGENDA ITEM.
THAT'S WHAT I REMEMBER, BECAUSE I THINK THE COMMISSION HAD DECIDED ALL THE SPEAKERS GENERALLY HAPPENED AT THE BEGINNING, BUT THEN ON ITEM SEVEN, SOMEONE WANTED TO SPEAK THEN, AND THEN THAT WAS ALLOWED, IF I'M REMEMBERING.
SO WE HAVE A, A MOTION TO, UH, SLIGHTLY MODIFY THE MINUTES WITH RESPECT TO DR.
UH, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR,
YOU, YOU WANNA ABSTAIN? ARE YOU GONNA ABSTAIN? THAT'S FINE.
SO LEMME GRAB THE SIGN AND SHEET BOTH ONLINE ARE, UM, OKAY.
COMMISSIONER TUCKER ABS, YOU'RE ABSTAINING.
SO THAT WE HAVE TWO ABSTENTIONS.
DO YOU WANNA TURN ON YOUR MIC? ABSTAIN.
[2. Staff briefing regarding monthly reports provided by the Animal Service Center.]
BRIEFING, UM, STAFF BRIEFING REGARDING MONTHLY.JASON GAR WITH ANIMAL SERVICES.
UM, I'LL KICK OFF THE, UH, REPORT BEFORE THE HANDLING OVER TO, UH, MR. BLAND.
SO, THE LIVE OUTCOME RATE FOR APRIL WAS 97.8%.
A LITTLE OVER 1200 ANIMALS WERE BROUGHT INTO THE SHELTER.
WE WERE ABLE TO ADOPT 470 ANIMALS TOTAL.
UH, 95 DOGS AND CATS WERE RETURNED TO THE OWNERS.
UM, ON APRIL 1ST, THERE WERE 727 DOGS AND CATS IN THE A SO INVENTORY.
UM, THIS MAY 1ST WE HAD 993 DOGS AND CATS.
APOS WERE ABLE TO RETURN 16 ANIMALS OUT IN THE FIELD.
UM, THEY IMPOUNDED 185 INJURED ANIMALS, UM, AND DELIVERED APPROXIMATELY 161 WILDLIFE ANIMALS TO OUR, UH, PARTNER AWESOME WILDLIFE RESCUE.
THEY ALSO ENTERED 277 RABIES EXPOSURE REPORTS AND SUBMITTED 33 SPECIMENS WITH ABOUT SIX OF THOSE BECOMING, UH, COMING BACK FOR RABIES POSITIVE BET AND ONE RABIES POSITIVE, UH, SKUNK.
SO I'LL HAND IT OVER TO DON RIGHT NOW.
DON BLAND, CHIEF ANIMAL SERVICES OFFICER.
UH, LAST MONTH WE HAD, UM, 487 VOLUNTEERS, UH, THAT DONATED 5,488 HOURS.
WE HAD ANOTHER 43 INDIVIDUALS WITH GROUPS THAT VOLUNTEERED FOR ANOTHER 86 HOURS.
SO THAT BROUGHT US TO 5,785 VOLUNTEER HOURS.
AND WE HAD FOUR NEW ORIENTATIONS, INTRODUCING 125 PEOPLE TO OUR VOLUNTEERS AT THE SHELTER.
WE HAVE A, CURRENTLY A 3% VACANCY RATE.
UH, WE HAVE POSTED ONE FULL-TIME, A PO WILDLIFE OFFICER.
WE HAVE A TEMP PART-TIME VET POSITION POSTED.
AND WE HAVE, UH, ONE TEMPORARY
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FOSTER RESCUE, PART-TIME PER POSITION POSTED.AND, UH, OUR FULL-TIME VET POSITION, UH, JUST, UH, CAME OFF OF POSTING AND WE HAD ONE APPLICANT, SO YAY.
SO, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S GONNA BE VIABLE OR NOT, BUT AT LEAST WE HAD ONE PERSON APPLY.
SO WE'RE MADE SOME PROGRESS, I GUESS.
UM, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT ANY OF OUR REPORTS SO FAR? UH, COMMISSIONER ULA.
UM, THIS IS PROBABLY MORE FOR, FOR JASON THAN YOU DIRECTOR BLAND.
UM, ON THE, THE NUMBERS WITH APRIL AND MAY WITH 727 DOGS, CATS, AND THEN 993, IS THERE A BREAKDOWN OF WHAT, I KNOW WE'RE IN KITTEN SEASON, SO I'M JUST CURIOUS IF THE INCREASE IN THAT NUMBER FROM APRIL TO MAY IS A LOT OF CAT KITTENS.
UM, IN THE, IN THE OTHER AREAS YOU BREAK IT DOWN.
CATS, DOGS, CATS, DOGS, UH, BUT IN THESE TWO YOU DIDN'T.
SO IS THAT SOMETHING THAT CAN BE ADDED? UH, YEAH, I CAN ADD THAT.
SO I, UM, I CAN PROBABLY SEND THAT TO Y'ALL TOMORROW.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? UH, DO YOU WANNA MOVE TO ITEM THREE OR YOU STILL WANNA STAY ON ITEM TWO, MR. LAND? I'LL KEEP ROLLING IF Y'ALL WOULD LIKE.
[3. Staff briefing on the progress of the Finder to Foster program.]
NUMBER THREE, STAFF BRIEFING ON THE PROGRESS OF THE FINDER TO FOSTER PROGRAM.UH, ON OUR FINDER TO FOSTER PROGRAM, UH, SINCE WE STARTED, UH, IN MARCH, WE'VE HAD 38 PEOPLE THAT TOOK ADVANTAGE OF IT, UH, FOSTERING 74 ANIMALS, UH, HANG ON.
AND OF THOSE, UH, 74 ANIMALS, THERE ARE 65 OF THOSE THAT ARE STILL, UH, IN THE FOSTER HOMES.
WE HAD EIGHT ADOPTED, UH, ONE RETURNED, AND THEN 65 STILL IN FOSTER.
I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY ON THOSE.
UM, CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT HOW IT WORKS? YOU KNOW, PUTTING ON THE, ON THE WEBSITE ADMINISTRATIVELY, HOW'S IT WORKING THERE? HOW ARE, WHEN, HOW AND WHEN ARE THEY GETTING ON THE WEBSITE? HOW AND WHEN ARE THEY GETTING VACCINES, IF AT ALL? HOW ARE, HOW AND WHEN ARE THEY, UM, MOVING THROUGH THE SPAY NEUTER PROCESS? YEAH, THEY, UH, WHEN THEY CONTACT US, IF THEY ARE REMOTE, UH, THEY CAN GO AHEAD AND FILL OUT THE PAPERWORK, PUT IT IN THE LOST, YOU KNOW, IF IT'S A FOUND ANIMAL OR THE LOST AND FOUND PART OF THAT, AND, UH, GO AHEAD AND DO THAT, IT WILL SCHEDULE THEM TO COME IN FOR THEIR VACCINES.
ONCE THEY COME IN, WE, WE DO THEIR VACCINES AND WE PHOTOGRAPH THEM, THEN THAT BECOMES LIVE ON THE SYSTEM.
SO, LIKE I SAY, YOU CALLED US TODAY, BUT YOU CAN'T MAKE IT UNTIL TOMORROW.
WELL, TOMORROW WHEN WE PUT THAT IN ONE, WHEN IT HITS THE, UH, WEBSITE, THAT IS WHEN THE 72 HOURS STARTS.
UM, AND THEN ONCE, UH, THEY EVALUATE THE ANIMAL AND, AND EVERYTHING, AND DEPENDING ON ITS AGE AND, AND ALL THE APPROPRIATE THINGS, THEY'LL SCH THEY'LL PUT THEM ON THE SCHEDULE FOR, TO COME IN FOR SPAY AND NEUTER AFTER THE 72 HOUR HOLD IS UP AT SOME POINT.
SO, UM, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, THE LAST TIME IT WAS TAKING APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE FIND OF FOSTER ANIMALS WERE BEING ABLE TO GET APPOINTMENTS FOR SPAY AND NEUTER.
HAS THAT NOW DECREASED TO THE 72 HOUR, UM, TIME THAT THEY DO FOR IN SHELTER? YOU MEAN FROM THE TIME THAT THEY'RE ELIGIBLE? MM-HMM.
IT MAY HAVE MAY HAVE BEEN MARCH.
UM, BUT WHEN THE FIND FOSTER WAS REQUESTING THE SPAY NEUTER APPOINTMENT, THEY WERE HAVING ABOUT A TWO WEEK TURNAROUND TIME BEFORE THEY WERE GETTING THOSE APPOINTMENTS.
UH, I, I BELIEVE IT HAS DROPPED SOME, BUT NOT BY MUCH.
UM, WE STILL HAVE TO WATCH FOR THOSE ANIMALS, UH, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A DISEASE OUT THERE RIGHT NOW, AND SO THEY'RE HAVING TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE, THEY'RE HEALTHY BEFORE THEY COME IN.
AND SO THEY REALLY WOULD LIKE FOR THEM TO HAVE THE VACCINATIONS FOR TWO WEEKS.
IT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE, THE TIME WE, WE PROBABLY COULD GET 'EM IN SOONER, BUT THEY REALLY WANT THEM TO HAVE THE VACCINATIONS BEFORE THEY COME IN.
AND I THINK DR. BRUCE CAN ANSWER SOMETHING.
DR. BRUCE, I'M JUST GONNA CONTINUE TO COMMENT ON THIS TILL THE END OF TIME.
THAT IS NOT WITHIN THE SPAY NEUTER GUIDELINES THAT EXIST.
IT IS NOT REQUIRED AT ANY LOW COST VACCINATION CLINICS.
THERE ARE PROCESSES THAT EXIST TO GET THOSE ANIMALS INTO THE SHELTER, DO THEM AT THE END OF SURGERY.
SO I, I WOULD LIKE TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO HAVE YOUR VETERINARIANS LOOK AT ACTUAL EXISTING GUIDELINES AND GET THOSE ANIMALS PROCESSED THROUGH A LOT FASTER THAN THAT.
DR. BRUCE, WOULD YOU MIND JUST EMAILING, SHARING WITH THE, THE GUIDELINES THAT YOU'RE REFERRING
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TO WITH THAT? YEAH, I WOULD, I WOULD BE HAPPY TO.ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS ON ITEM NUMBER THREE? I, I GUESS YES, DR. NELSON.
I GUESS I FEEL LIKE I'VE, I'VE OBSERVED HOW OUR VETERINARIANS IN OUR FACILITY WITH OUR ANIMALS, WITH OUR PATTERNS OF DISEASE OUTBREAK HAVE COME UP WITH THE GUIDELINES THAT YOU'VE SET.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON ITEM NUMBER THREE? IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT DR. NELSON WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO MODIFY THE ORDER OF THE AGENDA.
I WOULD LIKE TO MOVE THAT WE CHANGE ITEM NUMBER SIX TO GO BEFORE ITEM NUMBER FOUR.
IS THERE A SECOND TO THE MOTION TO CH TO MOVE? UH, NUMBER SIX.
UH, THANK YOU IF YOU GET THAT SECOND.
UM, AND, UH, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED, ANY ABSTENTIONS? SO WE HAVE ONE ABSTAIN AND THE REST WERE IN FAVOR? YES.
I CAN'T SEE EVERYBODY NOW THAT WE HAVE A FULL HOUSE COMMISSIONER DDAS, COULD YOU EMAIL ME, UH, FOR THAT ABSTENTION PLEASE? WHEN YOU HAVE A MOMENT? OKAY.
[6. Discussion of animal cruelty investigations including the deceased dogs found in South Boggy Creek.]
WE ARE MOVING, UH, ITEM NUMBER SIX, UH, FORWARD.AND WE'LL MOVE TO ITEM NUMBER SIX RIGHT NOW.
NUMBER SIX, DISCUSSION OF ANIMAL CRUELTY INVESTIGATIONS, INCLUDING THE DECEASED DOGS FOUND IN SOUTH BOGGY CREEK.
UH, MY NAME IS LIEUTENANT MICHAEL BERGESON.
I'M A LIEUTENANT OVER INVESTIGATIONS THREE WITH, UH, THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND PART OF THAT COVERS OUR ANIMAL CRUELTY UNIT.
AND I'D LIKE TO, WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I'D LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALLOWING US TO BE HERE WITH YOU TONIGHT.
WE'RE EXCITED TO, TO MEET YOU AND ALSO TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT OUR INVESTIGATION AS WELL AS SOME OF THE VERY GOOD WORK THAT OUR DETECTIVES AND OUR CIVILIAN INVESTIGATOR DO.
WE ACTUALLY HAVE A TEAM OF THREE HERE WITH US, AND THERE ARE ANIMAL CRUELTY UNIT.
WE HAVE DETECTIVE ESQUIVEL, DETECTIVE ESCAMILLA, AND, UH, CIVILIAN SPECIALIST ROBERT WHITEMAN.
AND OUR COMMANDER, COMMANDER TER IS WITH US AS WELL.
UH, WE CAN TAKE ANY QUESTIONS, UM, ABOUT, UH, ABOUT THE REASON WE'RE HERE.
WE CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH, UM, A POWERPOINT PRESENTATION AS WELL AS, UH, ABOUT WHAT OUR UNIT DOES.
UM, I'M HAPPY TO HAVE EITHER DO, DO YOU, HOW LONG IS THE PRESENTATION? I CAN TRY TO GET THROUGH IT AS FAST AS I CAN.
I, I HAVEN'T REALLY TIMED MYSELF.
UM, WE DO HAVE A SECTION THAT COULD BE OMITTED.
UM, IT KIND OF GOES INTO, IT'S A LITTLE GRAPHIC, JUST FOREWARN.
UM, BUT IT GOES INTO OUR SUCCESS STORIES.
I, MYSELF, UH, HAVE NOT BEEN WITH THE UNIT FOR TOO LONG, SO I WOULD NEED TO CALL ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES UP TO, UH, GO INTO THE STORIES OF WHAT WE HAVE THERE.
BUT THAT'S ULTIMATELY UP TO YOU, OUR PRESENTATION AT LEAST.
THE FIRST PORTION IS, IS TALKING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, OUR UNIT ITSELF, OUR, SOME OF OUR, UM, UH, STATISTICAL, UM, INFORMATION IN THE LAST YEAR OR SO.
UM, SO IT, IT'S ULTIMATELY UP TO YOU.
UM, IT'S NOT ON THE AGENDA AS A PRESENTATION JUST ON THE UNIT.
SO IF YOU HAVE LIKE A BRIEF INTRODUCTION THAT YOU WANNA TELL US WHAT YOU DO, I'M, I'M OKAY WITH THAT.
LEADING INTO, UM, THE ITEM, WHICH IS THE CRUELTY INVESTIGATION ON SOUTH BUGGY CREEK.
ALSO, HAPPY TO PUT IT IN THE RECORD FOR THE, FOR THE NEXT TIME.
UM, BUT I'D LIKE TO STICK TO THE AGENDA, BUT PLEASE DO, IF YOU WANT TO INTRODUCE WHAT THE UNIT DOES BRIEFLY, THAT, THAT'S FINE.
I THINK THAT'S WELL WITHIN REASON, BUT I DON'T WANT TO DO, I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG THIS IS, AND I DON'T WANNA GIVE A LONG PRESENTATION THAT'S NOT IN THE AGENDA.
UM, I'LL JUST KEEP IT REALLY BASE.
SO OUR, OUR UNIT IS, UM, SO WE HANDLE ABOUT 800 CASES A YEAR.
TYPICALLY, UH, 400 OF OUR CASES, UH, FOCUS ON ANIMAL CRUELTY ITSELF.
OTHER, UH, SOME OF THESE STATISTICS THAT DON'T, DON'T, UH, INCLUDE ANIMAL CRUELTY WILL BE, UH, CITY ORDINANCE VIOLATIONS, DOG FIGHTING.
UM, WE WORK HAND IN HAND WITH THE LOCAL AND COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEYS TO CREATE CRIM, UM, CASES TO BRING TO PROSECUTION.
UH, THAT'S IN A NUTSHELL WHAT WE DO.
UM, RIGHT NOW, AGAIN, WE'RE SMALL LITTLE STAT.
UH, WE HAVE ISSUED, UH, 53, UH, WARRANTS, UH, FOR ANIMAL CRUELTY UP TO, UH, TO THIS POINT, UM, AS WELL AS 54 CITATIONS.
UH, AND THAT'S CURRENTLY WHAT WE'RE WORKING WITH, UH, TO THIS, TO THIS POINT.
UM, AS OF YOUR QUESTION TO THE CASE THAT WE'RE INVESTIGATING, UM, I CAN GO INTO DETAIL.
I CAN'T GO INTO A LOT OF DETAIL 'CAUSE IT'S AN ONGOING INVESTIGATION.
WHAT I CAN SHARE IS THAT CURRENTLY WE HAVE, UH, 28 WARRANTS THAT HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR INDIVIDUALS OF
[00:30:01]
INTEREST, UH, IN THIS CASE.UH, BUT BECAUSE OF POSSIBLE HIGHER CHARGES, UH, THAT WE'RE CURRENT, WE'RE STILL CURRENTLY INVESTIGATING, WE CAN'T GO INTO ANY MORE DETAILS OTHER THAN THAT.
UM, I KNOW THAT IT WAS, UH, RECENTLY, UH, UH, REPORTED THAT, UH, A SEARCH WARRANT HAS BEEN DONE ON ONE OF THE INDIVIDUAL'S, UM, SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT.
AND AGAIN, GOING TOWARDS THE, IT STILL BEING AN ACTIVE INVESTIGATION.
UM, AND THERE'S NO OTHER INFORMATION THAT I CAN REALLY RELAY OTHER THAN THAT.
DOES ANYONE HAVE, I, I'M GUESSING WE WON'T BE ABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, BUT IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION, YOU'RE WELCOME TO ASK IT.
UM, THANK YOU FOR THE EFFORT OF PUTTING TOGETHER THE PRESENTATION, EVEN IF WE'RE NOT LOOKING AT IT.
UM, AND THANK YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU DO.
I, I KNOW THAT IT IS, UH, HARD TO SEE ANIMAL CRUELTY IN ACTION.
UM, JUST TO MAKE SURE I'M UNDERSTANDING CORRECTLY, I KNOW YOU CAN'T GO INTO A WHOLE LOT OF DETAIL ABOUT THIS, BUT IS IT FAIR TO SAY THAT THERE IS A DOG FIGHTING PRESENCE IN AUSTIN
UM, I KNOW ONE OF OUR COLLEAGUES HAS BEEN IN THE UNIT FOR A LOT LONGER, SO THEY CAN SPEAK TO IT A LOT MORE.
I CURRENTLY HAVE NOT HAD AN INVESTIGATION COME TO MY DESK, UH, THAT I CAN REMEMBER.
UM, SO I CAN'T SPEAK TO IT RIGHT NOW.
SO MAYBE I'M MISUNDERSTANDING LIKE WHERE THE, THE LINES ARE.
SO I, EVEN IF YOU HAVE NOT PERSONALLY WORKED ON ONE, ARE YOU ALLOWED TO ANSWER IF THERE IS ONE IN GENERAL, IF YOU HAVE NOT WORKED ON IT? I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO ANSWER IT.
I DON'T KNOW HOW TO ASK THE QUESTION.
I'M DETECTIVE ESCA, SO I'M SORRY TO INTERRUPT.
I'M DETECTIVE ESCA TO, TO ANSWER, BETTER ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
SO THEY MIRROR THE SAME MM-HMM.
SO I COULD SAY YES, THERE ARE SOME CASES, BUT CURRENTLY THERE ARE NOT.
SO THERE HAVE BEEN, BUT THERE IS NOT PRESENTLY LIKE A, A THREAT OF THIS BEING A PERSISTENT ISSUE? THAT IS CORRECT.
SO, UM, YOU MENTIONED THAT, OH LORD, IT'S BEEN A ROUGH WEEK ALREADY AND IT'S ONLY MONDAY.
AND WERE THOSE OPEN CASES OR WAS IT THE 54 THAT ARE THE OPEN CASES? NO, 53 WARRANTS.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE 53 WARRANTS THAT WE'VE ISSUED FOR ANIMAL CRUELTY, UM, SO TO DATE, SO ISSUED.
SO DOES THAT MEAN THEY'RE STILL ACTIVE? HAVE, HAVE THEY BEEN INVESTIGATED? ARE THEY COMPLETE OR THEY, I BELIEVE THEY'RE STILL, SOME OF THEM ARE UP FOR, UM, PROSECUTION.
SO OUR INVESTIGATION PORTION ARE, IS COMPLETE.
BUT I CAN'T SPEAK TO WHERE THEY'RE AT, AT, UM, IN THIS PROCESS.
AND, UM, DO YOUR NUMBERS GO BY A CALENDAR YEAR OR THE FISCAL YEAR? UM, CAN YOU SPEAK UP CALENDAR? THEIR CALENDAR YEAR.
COMMISSIONER HER, I JUST WANT TO THANK GRA FOR, FOR EVERYTHING Y'ALL DO FOR THE COMMUNITY AND FOR THEIR PETS.
I SEE YOU ALMOST EVERY DAY AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING.
COMMISSIONER S HAS A QUESTION.
COMMISSIONER ES UH, MY QUESTION IS, UH, THOSE DOC THAT YOU FOUND, I KNOW YOU CANNOT DISCLOSE MUCH, BUT WERE THEY THE SIZE, WERE THERE SMALL DOGS, DIFFERENT SIZES? I CAN'T COMMENT ON THE DETAILS OF THE INVESTIGATION.
UM, THIS IS NOT ME ASKING ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR INVESTIGATION 'CAUSE I, I KNOW YOU'RE SAYING YOU CAN'T ANSWER IT, BUT IN GENERAL, IN THE PRESENCE IN THE PAST WHEN DOG FIGHTING HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED, UM, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA LIKE, ARE THEY BREEDING THESE ANIMALS? ARE THEY STRAYS, ARE THEY BEING STOLEN? LIKE, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHERE THE ANIMALS THAT ARE BEING INVOLVED IN THIS ARE COMING FROM, IF THAT MAKES SENSE? IT'S REALLY HARD TO SAY SPECIFICALLY WHERE THESE ANIMALS, UH, ARE COMING FROM AND WHERE OR WHAT THESE SUSPECTS ARE DOING WITH THEM.
[00:35:01]
UH, AS FAR AS WHERE THEY GET THEM, WE KNOW THAT SOMETIMES THEY COULD HAVE BEEN A THEFT INVOLVEMENT, BUT MOST OF THE TIME THEIR BREEDING AND THEIR OFFSPRING ARE THEN INTRODUCED INTO THE SYSTEM, DEPENDENT ON IF THAT DOG IS CAPABLE AND WHAT THEY BELIEVE THAT DOG IS FULLY CAPABLE OF.ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? UH, COMMISSIONER RES TYPICALLY THANK YOU.
UH, TYPICALLY HOW DO YOU FIND OUT ABOUT THIS CASE THAT SOMEBODY CALLS YOU OR THERE'S THREE FORMS IN HOW WE RECEIVE OUR CASES.
UM, RIGHT NOW IS EITHER WE HAVE 9 1 1, UH, REPORTS THAT ARE MADE BY OFFICERS THAT COME TO OUR DESK.
WE ALSO RECEIVE, UH, REPORTS FROM ANIMAL PROTECTION.
UM, AND ALSO WE GET, UH, ANONYMOUS, SOMETIMES ANONYMOUS COMPLAINTS TO 3 1 1.
SO THOSE TYPICALLY ARE THE THREE WAYS THAT WE GET OUR, UM, ANIMAL CRUELTY REPORTS.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONER SLA? SORRY, ONE MORE FOLLOW UP ON THAT.
SO, UM, WHAT IS THE BEST WAY FOR PEOPLE TO RE REQUEST OR AN ANIMAL CRUELTY INVESTIGATION OR IF THEY SUSPECT SOMETHING, IS THERE A, IS THERE A, DO YOU GUYS HAVE LIKE A HOTLINE NUMBER FOR THEM TO CALL A WEBSITE OR IS THREE ONE ONE OR 9 1 1 THEIR BEST OPTION? I WOULD SAY THE BEST O UH, OPTION FOR REPORTING A SITUATION LIKE THAT IS 9 1 1 IF THERE'S AN EMERGENCY.
IF THERE'S NOT AN EMERGENCY, I WOULD SUGGEST A 3 1 1.
THOSE REPORTS DO GET FOLLOWED UP BY OUR UNIT.
AND THEY GET, THEY GET FIL FILTERED AND WE EXAMINE THEM DETERMINING WHETHER OR NOT SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE TAKEN ACTION ON FURTHER THAN WHAT ALREADY HAS BEEN REPORTED.
ER HAS A QUESTION? YES, COMMISSIONER NEHMER.
UM, I'M JUST CURIOUS, YOU'D SAID SOMETHING ABOUT 54, I BELIEVE CITATIONS BEING ISSUED THIS YEAR.
IS THAT CORRECT? THAT IS CORRECT.
UM, WHEN YOU SAY CITATIONS, THAT TO ME MEANS MISDEMEANORS.
ARE YOU NOT FILING ANY FELONY CASES WITH THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE? NO.
WHEN I BRING UP THE NUMBER OF 54, IT'S JUST, UH, CASES THAT HAVE ONLY, UH, THE HIGHEST CHARGE OR WHAT WE INVESTIGATE THAT IS THE SPECIFIC CHARGE THAT IS, UM, DICTATED FOR THAT CRIME OR WHATEVER WE INVESTIGATED.
SO TYPICALLY LIKE, UM, ANIMALS BEING LEFT IN VEHICLES OR NOT BEING TETHERED, THOSE ARE TYPICALLY THE CLASS C CITATIONS THAT WE ISSUE.
SO THAT, SO THERE HAVE BEEN NO, THERE HAVE BEEN NOTHING TO REFER TO THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE ON A MISDEMEANOR LEVEL OR A FELONY TO THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE THIS YEAR.
THE, THE ARREST WARRANTS THAT WE HAVE DONE THAT ARE CLASS A AND B MISDEMEANORS.
THOSE, THOSE GO OVER TO COUNTY.
I'M, I'M JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND IF THEY'RE ALL CITATIONS THAT ARE CLASS C ONLY, OR IF THERE, IF THERE ARE SOME THAT ARE BEING UP TO A HIGHER LEVEL AT LEAST OF THE 54.
YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT CHRIS, IF I MAY.
SO TO ADDRESS THAT INFORMATION, WE ADDRESS EVERYTHING FROM EDUCATIONAL THEN TO THE CLASS C LEVEL ALL THE WAY UPWARDS TO FELONY STATUS.
THERE HAVE BEEN SOME FELONY CASES FILED THIS YEAR.
THE MAJORITY OF OUR CASES ARE MISDEMEANOR IN ABOVE THE CLASS C LEVEL, BUT WHAT, UH, DETECTIVE ESQUIVEL IS REFERRING TO IS THE CLASS C VIOLATIONS THAT WE HAVE A MULTITUDE OF CASES THAT COME IN THAT ONLY MEET THAT LEVEL THAT DO NOT RISE TO, TO ABOVE THE CLASS C LEVEL AND THAT WE WOULD NEED TO BE SPEAKING WITH THE COUNTY ATTORNEY OR DISTRICT ATTORNEY AFTER THAT.
SO IF I'M HEARING YOU CORRECTLY, THAT MEANS WHEN HE, WHEN HE QUOTED THE 54 CITATIONS, THOSE ARE FOR CLASS C MISDEMEANORS THAT ARE PUNISHABLE BY ONLY A FINE.
IS THAT CORRECT? THAT IS CORRECT, YES.
BUT YOU'RE, BUT ARE YOU ALSO SAYING THERE HAVE BEEN ADDITIONAL CASES THAT HAVE BEEN REFERRED TO THE COUNTY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE FOR ACTUAL POSSIBLE JAIL OR PRISON TIME? THAT IS CORRECT, YES.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR COMING.
WE GREATLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND SERVICE.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR A MOTION TO, UM, PUT THE POWERPOINT IN THE RECORD.
CAN I GET A MOTION FOR THAT DR. NELSON? SO MOVED.
DO WE HAVE A SECOND? COMMISSIONER MULA, UH, ANY DISCUSSION ON PUTTING THE POWERPOINT IN THE RECORD? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? THAT'S UNANIMOUS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.
[Items 4 & 5]
WHAT IS CURRENTLY ITEM NUMBER FOUR,[00:40:01]
UH, OR WAS LISTED AS ITEM NUMBER FOUR, DISCUSSION OF THE AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER URGENT PLACEMENT LIST, MEMORANDUM AND MATRIX.UM, I'M NOT SURE WHO WAS THE MOVER WHO ASKED THIS TO BE COMMISSIONER SULA.
I'LL TURN THE MIC OVER TO YOU.
UM, SO THIS HAS BEEN IN PLACE NOW, THE URGENT PLACEMENT LIST HAS BEEN IN PLACE FOR HOW LONG? COMMISSIONER MOLAND THE, UH, END OF MARCH, MARCH 29TH.
UM, AND IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING YOU GUYS WERE WORKING ON A MATRIX TO DEVELOPING A MATRIX FOR WHICH DOGS GO ON THIS LIST.
HAS THAT BEEN COMPLETED? IT'S NOT, IT'S ALMOST FINALIZED EXCUSE.
WE ARE WEIGHING, WAITING ON VETERINARIAN INFORMATION.
OTHER THAN THAT IT'S GETTING REALLY CLOSE.
THEY ARE STARTING TO PUT SOME ANIMALS THROUGH IT, UH, FROM A TEST PERSPECTIVE TO SEE, UH, AND FROM DIFFERENT PEOPLE DOING THE SAME ANIMAL TO SEE IF IT'S, YOU KNOW, GETTING THE SAME RESULTS.
SO WHILE WE'RE WAITING ON THAT, WE ARE STILL STARTING TO STILL PROCESS TO TRY TO UTILIZE IT.
'CAUSE YOU YES, BECAUSE I NOTICED THAT THERE HAVE BEEN CONSISTENTLY BEEN MORE DOGS ADDED TO THE URGENT PLACEMENT LIST AS, UM, VOLUNTEERS AND RESCUES WORK TO GET THEM INTO FOSTERS OR ADOPTED.
UM, SO I GUESS MY QUESTION IS, IF YOU DON'T HAVE A MATRIX IN PLACE YET, WHAT ARE YOU USING TO DETERMINE WHAT DOGS GO ON THAT LIST? WE'RE LOOKING AT DOGS FROM LENGTH OF STAY AND I THINK THE MEMO THAT WENT OUT AND SAID THAT LENGTH OF STAY AND THOSE THAT HAVE BITE OR BEHAVIOR HISTORIES THAT, UH, OR CHALLENGES.
AND SO, UH, FROM THE, THE, THE LIST THAT HAVE GONE OUT, 30 ANIMALS HAVE FOUND PLACEMENT.
WE'VE HAD 14 ADOPTED, UH, 10 WENT TO FOSTER, ONE WAS FRATERNITY OWNER, AND FIVE WERE TRANSFERS TO OTHER RESCUES.
UM, AND THAT, THAT IS WHY WE ADDED MORE TO, TO THE SECOND ITERATION IS BECAUSE WE HAD SO MANY THAT PULLED OFF THE FIRST AND THERE WAS SOME MORE ADDITIONAL ONES THAT NEEDED ADDITIONAL HELP.
AND SO WE PUT THOSE OUT SO THAT THE PUBLIC COULD SEE THE OTHERS THAT NEEDED SOME, MAYBE SOME BARRIERS TO ADOPTION.
UM, IN THE MEMO THAT WENT OUT, YOUR INITIAL MEMO OF MARCH, UM, IT SAYS A MULTI MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM OF SHELTER EMPLOYEES.
I MEAN, HOW MANY, HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE WE TALKING ABOUT ARE MAKING THESE DECISIONS? UH, IT IS THE LEADERSHIP TEAM, SUPERVISORS, UH, VOLUNTEER COORDINATORS, UH, SO VETERINARIANS.
SO IT'S, IT'S ACROSS ALL ASPECTS OF THE SHELTER.
SO IT IS ACTUALLY EMPLOYEES THAT KNOW THE DOGS.
UM, AND THEN ON THE UPDATE, UM, THAT YOU JUST SENT OUT HERE ON THE 8TH OF MAY, UM, WHERE DID I GO? UH, IT, IT STATES THAT THE LIST HAS BEEN UPDATED TO INCLUDE A DOG'S POSITIVE CHARACTER TRAITS.
IS IS THERE A REASON WHY THOSE WERE NOT INCLUDED INITIALLY? WELL, WE HAD MODELED HOURS AFTER WHAT THE KANSAS CITY PET PROJECT HAD DONE, AND THAT WAS NOT ONE OF THEIRS BECAUSE THEY HAD, YOU KNOW, SPENT MONTHS AND UP TO YEAR OR TWO, YOU KNOW, PROMOTING AND TRYING TO FIND ANIMALS, UH, PLACEMENT WITH PROMOTING THOSE POSITIVE ASPECTS.
AND SO THEY WERE JUST LOOKING AT WHAT WERE THE BARRIERS THAT MIGHT HAVE CREATED, BEEN CREATED SO THAT THEY AREN'T FINDING PLACEMENT.
SO THAT'S WHY WE INITIALLY DIDN'T DO THAT.
AND THEN, UM, SO WHEN EVERYONE PUSHED AND SAID THAT THEY REALLY WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THOSE POSITIVE ON THERE AS WELL, WE ADDED THEM.
AND, UM, UH, THE CALLER THAT CALLED IN, UM, THIS EVENING, UM, MADE A COMMENT ABOUT IS, ARE THERE ANY OTHER BEST PRACTICES THAT YOU'RE PULLING FROM KANSAS CITY PET PROJECT OR IS THIS SIMPLY THE ONLY ONE THAT, THAT YOU PICKED FROM THEM? OH, THIS IS THE ONE THAT WE'RE WORKING ON CURRENTLY.
UH, WE ARE WORKING WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT UTILIZE, UH, SIMILAR METHODS AND WE'VE BEEN, UH, AND USING MATRIX AS WELL.
AND WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH, UH, SOME GROUPS IN CHICAGO THAT, UH, USE THE BENNETT SCALE AND BENNETT MATRIX AND SOME OF THE OTHER TOOLS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.
AND SO WE'RE WORKING WITH THOSE FOLKS AS WELL.
SO WHAT IS THE BENNETT MATRIX? UH, GOOGLE, UH, DR. BENNETT, THEY, THEY HAVE A MATRIX THAT THEY LOOK AT, UH, DOGS WITH BITE HISTORY AND, UM, HOW, YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU NEED TO DO FOR SUCCESS
[00:45:01]
ARE, ARE THESE DOGS THRIVING OR WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO TO MAKE SURE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE POINTING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.AND SO THAT'S PART OF THE MATRIX IS TO DETERMINE, UH, WHICH DIRECTION YOU NEED TO HEAD.
AND IT KIND OF OUTLINES THAT WHEN YOU GO THROUGH, ARE THEY THRIVING AT THE SHELTER? ARE THEY, YOU KNOW, UH, DECLINING AT THE SHELTER? AND SO THAT'S, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, WE'RE GONNA INCORPORATE INTO OUR MATRIX.
UM, AND THEN WHAT HAS STAFF BEEN DOING TO INCREASE THE CHANCES OF ADOPTION FOR THESE DOGS THAT YOU'RE PUTTING ON THE URGENT PLACEMENT LIST? ARE THEY WORKING PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS THE BEHAVIORS THAT THESE DOGS WERE PUT ON THE LIST FOR? WE ALWAYS TRY TO DO WHAT WE CAN WITH THE STAFF THAT WE HAVE.
WE DON'T HAVE A FULL, YOU KNOW, A BEHAVIOR TEAM.
WE HAVE AN ENRICHMENT TEAM, SO THESE ANIMALS ARE ALWAYS GOING TO GET OUT WHEN THEY CAN TO WALKS TO PLAYGROUPS.
UM, AND WE CONTINUE TO PUSH THEM THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA AND TO RESCUE PARTNERS THAT HAVE THOSE CAPABILITIES.
SO WE CONTINUE TO, TO PUSH THOSE THAT ARE, AND WITH, THERE ARE POSITIVE ASPECTS THAT ARE STILL ON THE LIST.
JUST BECAUSE THEY GO ON THE LIST DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE STOP DOING WHAT WE NORMALLY DO.
AND THEN I GUESS MY FINAL QUESTION IS BE, IS, UM, MY FINAL QUESTION.
UH, SO WE HAVE THE URGENT PLACEMENT LIST, WE HAVE THE AT RISK LIST, YOU HAVE THE, AT A PA AT RISK ATTENTION THAT ALSO GOES OUT.
WHAT, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THESE THREE, WHICH ARE THE DOGS THAT ARE MOST IN DANGER OF BEING EUTHANIZED FOR LACK OF SPACE? WE HAVE NOT EUTHANIZED ANY ANIMALS FOR LACK OF SPACE, NOR HAVE WE PUT OUT A LIST TO EUTHANIZE ANIMALS FOR LACK OF SPACE.
UM, WE HAVE PLACED ANIMALS IN BOARDING WHEN RAN OUT OF SPACE.
UH, WHICH, YOU KNOW, IF YOU LOOK AT OUR RULES THAT WHEN WE ARE OUT OF KENNELS, WE COULD DO THAT, BUT WE HAVE NOT, WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE POSSIBLY CAN.
THOSE THAT WE PLEAD TO A PA, UH, ARE OUR LEVEL.
UH, NORMALLY OUR, OUR B TWOS AND THREES THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, HAVE SOME, UH, CHALLENGES THAT THEY MIGHT TAKE A WHILE OR THEY NEED SPECIAL HANDLING AND THEY HAVE A, A, A BEHAVIOR TEAM THAT CAN, CAN WORK WITH THOSE.
THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT WE, WE PLEAD TO A PA AND, UH, EVERYTHING THAT'S ON THE AT-RISK LIST IS JUST ANY BE TWO BELIEVE.
SO, SO THAT'S ANY, ANYTHING THAT'S THAT LOWER LEVEL THAT ANY RESCUE PARTNER MIGHT BE WILLING TO TAKE AND HAVE THE RESOURCES TO HELP.
SO JUST TO MAKE, THE REASON I SPECIFICALLY ASKED THAT IS BECAUSE WHEN THE URGENT PLACEMENT LIST WAS FIRST PUT OUT ON YOUR WEBSITE, THERE WAS A STATEMENT IN THERE THAT SAID, SO THAT WE DO NOT HAVE TO EUTHANIZE THESE DOGS FOR LACK OF SPACE.
SO THAT, THAT WAS PUT OUT BY A A C ON SOCIAL MEDIA, WHICH IS WHY I'M ASKING BECAUSE THE DOGS THAT ARE MOST AT RISK, SHOULD IT COME TO THAT? ARE THEY THE ONES ON THAT URGENT PLACEMENT LIST? BECAUSE IF THEY'RE NOT, HOW DOES THE PUBLIC KNOW THAT THE DOGS ON THE URGENT PLACEMENT LIST AREN'T THE ONES NECESSARILY IN DANGER OF BEING EUTHANIZED IT'S DOGS ON AN AT RISK LIST OR AN A PA ATTENTION LIST? DO YOU SEE WHAT I'M SAYING? I MEAN, WE WANT THE PUBLIC'S HELP AND THE PUBLIC HAS BEEN STEPPING UP, IT SOUNDS LIKE, IMMENSELY.
SO, AND ALL OF THOSE LISTS, ALL THOSE ANIMALS SHOULD BE ON THAT LIST.
YEAH, I, I HAVE A QUESTION SORT OF, UM, BUILDING FROM MY COMMISSIONER S MCGOUGH IS JUST ASKING TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND.
SO OF THIS URGENT PLACEMENT LIST, UM, YOU SAID THEIR DOGS WITH SIGNIFICANT BARRIERS TO ADOPTION.
UM, AND, AND THAT MAY BE FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS, COULD YOU EXPLAIN HOW MANY OF THOSE DOGS HAVE A BITE HISTORY VERSUS SIMPLY LONG STAY DOGS? UM, IN THE SHELTER RATHER? I'M SORRY, I DON'T HAVE THAT LIST IN FRONT OF ME CURRENTLY.
BUT IT, IT DOES, UH, ON, ON THE LIST, IF YOU PULL IT UP OFF OUR WEBSITE, IT WILL SHOW HOW MANY HAVE BITE HISTORY VERSUS THE LENGTH OF STAY.
WE, WE ARE MORE THAN WELCOME, HAPPY TO BREAK THAT DOWN AND SEND YOU AN EMAIL WITH THAT.
UM, BUT THERE ARE DOGS ON THIS LIST THAT DON'T HAVE BITE HISTORIES, PRESUMABLY.
THEY MIGHT NOT HAVE A BITE, BUT THEY HAVE SOME, UH, HANDLING, UH, SURE.
CHALLENGES, CHALLENGES THAT, THAT COULD CREATE A BITE IF THEY'RE NOT HANDLING DIFFICULT TO PLACE.
UM, I GUESS THEN IN THAT CASE, UM, YOU KNOW, IF, IF I'M UNDERSTANDING THIS RIGHT, THOSE ARE DOGS THAT
[00:50:01]
WOULD BE EUTHANIZED FOR LACK OF SPACE.UM, THEY WOULD FALL IN THAT CATEGORY BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT BEING EUTHANIZED FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR, FOR A BITE.
I, I'M, I GUESS I'M TRYING TO SORT OF SORT OUT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
'CAUSE YOU SAID YOU'RE NOT EUTHANIZING FOR LACK OF SPACE, BUT THERE'S DOGS WHO ARE LISTED ON THIS URGENT LIST THAT, THAT DON'T HAVE BITE HISTORIES THAT, YOU KNOW, ARE TAKING UP SPACE IN THE SHELTER AND PRESUMABLY THAT'S THE MAIN REASON THAT THEY ARE LISTED.
SO IF THOSE DOGS AREN'T PULLED, WILL THEY BE EUTHANIZED OR WOULD THEY NOT BE? IF, IF, WHEN, IF A DECISION WAS EVER MADE TO EUTHANIZE ANIMALS, WE WOULD LOOK AT THAT LIST AND WE WOULD PLACE ALL THESE ANIMALS THROUGH THIS MATRIX.
AND THE ONES THAT HAD THE, THE, I DUNNO IF IT'S THE HIGHEST SCORE OR LOWEST SCORE, HOWEVER, WHATEVER THE SCORE IS THAT THAT, YOU KNOW, LET'S SAY THE HIGHEST SCORE THAT WOULD BE MOST, UH, CHALLENGING OR MOST, UH, WOULD CREATE A PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUE, THOSE WOULD BE THE ONES THAT WOULD BE LOOKED AT FIRST.
AND THEN AFTER THAT, WHEN YOU GET TO, YOU KNOW, THOSE, THOSE DOGS THAT, THAT DON'T PRESENT A PUBLIC SAFETY RISK, THEN WOULD YOU CONTINUE AT THAT POINT? I GUESS I'M, I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HOW THIS POLICY WORKS EXACTLY.
WE DON'T, WE EXPECT THAT WE, WE DON'T, WE, WE DON'T KNOW.
'CAUSE WE'RE NOT AT THAT POINT YET.
WE HAVEN'T, WE HAVEN'T EUTHANIZED FOR SPACE, UH, IN, IN MANY YEARS.
SO WE HAVEN'T CROSSED THAT BRIDGE.
UH, I GUESS ONE OTHER QUESTION, IF I CAN, UM, CONTINUE IN THIS MEMO, IT SAYS, UM, YOU KNOW, PART OF THE REASON THAT, THAT YOU'VE HAD TO ISSUE THESE URGENT PLEAS IS BECAUSE, UM, THE STRENGTH OF THE PLEAS HAS WANED IN THE PAST AND THE PUBLIC'S NO LONGER RESPONDING AT THE SAME LEVEL.
ARE YOU CONCERNED THAT THAT MIGHT HAPPEN HERE AS WELL? IF THIS, UM, YOU KNOW, URGENT PLACEMENT LIST CONTINUES AND, UM, YOU KNOW, EVENTUALLY WE, WE SORT OF RUN INTO THE SAME ISSUE? ABSOLUTELY.
UH, YOU KNOW, IF ANYTHING THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU KEEP PUTTING OUT, IT'S GOING TO GET ATTENTION AT THE BEGINNING AND THEN IF YOU KEEP USING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER IT, IT COULD, THAT'S ALWAYS A POSSIBILITY.
UH, SO I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU LOOK OUT THROUGH THE YEARS, THAT'S WHY THERE'S SO BEEN SO MANY RE REITERATIONS OF WHAT HAS HAS TAKEN PLACE.
THAT'S, YOU KNOW, WE'VE DONE FOSTER PLEAS, WE'VE DONE ADOPTION PLEAS PUTTING ALL THE GOOD INFORMATION OUT THERE.
SO HERE'S SOME BARRIERS THAT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE WE CAN FIND THAT UNICORN ADOPTER.
AND IT SEEMS TO BE WORKING RIGHT NOW, HOW LONG IT'LL CONTINUE TO WORKING, I DON'T KNOW, BUT WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO, TO TRY DR. NELSON.
SO I, I HAVE THE LIST UP NOW AND IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S 25 DOGS.
DOES THAT SOUND ABOUT RIGHT ON THE URGENT PLACEMENT LIST? THAT'S WHAT I HAVE THERE.
19 OF THEM HAVE A BITE HISTORY INCLUDING ONE THAT KILLED ANOTHER DOG.
SO I THINK IT IS DISINGENUOUS TO CONFLATE.
I THINK HISTORICALLY THE PHRASE EUTHANIZING FOR SPACE WAS WHEN THAT WAS A TERM THAT WAS USED BY SHELTERS WHEN AFTER, AFTER ALL, DOGS THAT WOULD HAVE A HARD TIME FINDING A HOME WERE EUTHANIZED AND ALL THE DOGS IN THE SHELTER WERE EASILY ADOPTABLE.
PETS, SHELTERS WOULD STILL HAVE TO EUTHANIZE FOR SPACE.
WE ARE SO FAR FROM THAT, THAT WE'VE FORGOTTEN THE MEANING OF THESE WORDS.
LIKE
AND SO EVEN THOUGH, UH, THE CITY HAS KIND OF DEMANDED A POLICY THAT WE EUTHANIZE NOTHING AT ALL THAT HAS RESULTED IN US NOT HAVING ANY PHYSICAL SPACE.
SO WE ARE NOW GOING TO HAVE TO EUTHANIZE DOGS THAT ARE REALLY DIFFICULT TO FIND HOMES FOR BECAUSE THEY HAVE BITE HISTORIES OR HAVE KILLED OTHER DOGS.
AND WE'RE CALLING THAT EUTHANIZING FOR SPACE AS IF IT IS THE SAME TRAGEDY THAT EUTHANIZING FOR SPACE WAS IN THE NINETIES.
AND WE NEED TO STOP BEING MISLEADING AND, AND UNCLEAR ABOUT THE SITUATION WE'RE IN.
SO, JUST WANTED TO POINT THAT OUT.
COMMISSIONER ZAES? WELL, UH, I DID STUDY THE FIRST MEMO OF MARCH 29TH, AND THEN THE LAST MEMO OF MAY 1ST.
AND, UM, I ALSO LOOK AT THE KANSAS CITY
[00:55:01]
SHELTER AND I DO SEE HOW THE ANIMAL, AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER WAS FOLLOWING WHAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE DOING IN KANSAS CITY.UM, ONE, I DID NOTICE THAT AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER, THE MAJORITY IN THAT LIST HAVE BITE HISTORY.
AND AT THE SAME TIME, UM, THERE ARE A COUPLE THINGS I'M WONDERING ABOUT.
ONE, THE ANIMALS IN THAT LIST, HOW BIG ARE THEY? WHAT TYPE OF DOGS ARE THEY? I STARTED CLICKING THE PICTURES AND LOOKING AT THE DIFFERENT ANIMALS.
AND UM, CAN YOU SHARE, UH, CHIEF BLAND OR JASON ABOUT THAT? AND THE OTHER THING THAT I NOTICED ALSO AT IS AGE, I WAS LOOKING AT THE SIDE AND YOU CANNOT EVEN SEE WHAT IS THE AGE OF THE ANIMAL.
SO IT'S UM, CANNOT SOMEONE RESPOND TO THAT? AND THE BITE HISTORY, BITE HISTORY, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? I CAN TELL YOU IF THAT SOMEBODY IN THE PUBLIC, I LOOK AT THIS, I'M LIKE, OH MY GOD, I DON'T WANNA DO ANYTHING ABOUT THAT.
AND I I, I DID HEAR THAT THE FIRST TIME PEOPLE DID, UM, VOLUNTEERED TO TAKE IT SOME DISPATCH.
BUT, UH, I DO BELIEVE, I THINK THAT WHAT YOU'RE DOING IS CORRECT, LOOKING AT DIFFERENT SHELTERS OR WHAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE DOING.
AND, AND I THINK YOU, YOU WANT TO NOT BELIEVE YOU CAN BE THE INNOVATOR AND LEAD THE COUNTRY OF WHAT TO DO TO BE THE BEST.
UH, LET'S NOT SETTLE FOR NOT, NOT BE THE BEST.
UM, COMMISSIONER ZAES, UH, SO THE LIST IS, CONSISTS MAINLY OF MEDIUM TO LARGE DOGS.
UM, RIGHT NOW WHAT YOU WOULD HAVE, WHAT AN INDIVIDUAL HAVE TO USE ON THE WEBSITE, THEY WOULD CLICK ON THE LENGTH OF THE NAME OF THE DOG AND IT WOULD TAKE 'EM TO THEIR PROFILE WOULD THEN GO INTO DETAIL WHAT THEIR AGE, AGES, UM, SEX, THINGS OF THAT NATURE, AND ALSO GO INTO A GREATER DETAIL OF THEIR WRITEUP.
UM, SO THE, THE PAGE IS MEANT TO BE A SYNOPSIS OF, OF CHALLENGES, BUT ALSO OF TRAITS AND HOW LONG THEY'VE BEEN THERE.
BUT THEN WHEN YOU CLICK ON THE ACTUAL, LIKE, LIKE I'M LOOKING AT, UH, CHUBS OR TATER TOT RIGHT NOW.
SO LIKE TATER TOTS A YEAR OLD, ALL THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE ON ADD PETS, SO A POTENTIAL ADOPTER COULD VIEW IT.
IS IS THERE AND SHOULD IT SHOULD JUST LINK UP.
YEAH, I WAS CLICKING TO THE DIFFERENT NAMES AND MAYBE, UM, LIKE RIGHT NOW I CLICK AT CO IT TALKS ABOUT COLOR HEALTH STRAIN AND MAYBE WAS MY, IT, MY BROWSER.
I DO SEE THAT HE'S TWO YEARS OLD, BUT DOESN'T, I DON'T SEE THE WEIGHT.
UM, SO WE HAVE A MEDIUM, 56.7 POUNDS OR KOBE.
SO KOBE, SO, UM, I DO NOT CHALLENGE YOU.
I CHALLENGE YOU TO CONTINUE TO LOOK AT, UM, WHAT OTHER, BESIDES DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING, LOOKING AT OTHER SHELTERS, ALSO THINK ABOUT BE VERY CREATIVE.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO BE THE BEST IN THE US? MM-HMM.
AND I KNOW YOU HAVE A LOT OF CHALLENGES AND IT IS NOT EASY, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEANS THAT YOU DON'T MOVE FORWARD.
UM, AND I'D LIKE TO NOTE THAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE HSUS CONFERENCES THIS WEEK.
AND SO WE ARE SENDING A NUMBER OF STAFF THERE TO GO AND LEARN AND SEE WHAT OTHER THINGS ARE BEING DONE AROUND THE COUNTRY.
I BELIEVE KANSAS CITY PET PROJECTS DOING A PRESENTATION ON THEIR AT-RISK LIST, SO THAT WAY WE CAN GET MORE INSIGHT ON THEM.
UM, YOU KNOW, JUST TO, AND, AND WHAT ABOUT THE BITES? THE PART ABOUT THE BITES.
HOW, HOW CAN WE LOOK AT THAT? BECAUSE BYS HISTORY, THERE'S, IT'S VERY, UM, THE SPECTRUM.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? AND IF YOU JUST PUT BITE HISTORY THERE FOR FORGET IT, WHY WOULD SOMEBODY WANNA DO ANYTHING FOR THIS PET? IT'S MORE, IT'S NOT BLACK AND WHITE, IT'S GRAY, BUT IT, IT IS MY RECOMMENDATION.
THAT'S ALL I'M, BUT IT'S GOOD YOU'RE GOING TO THAT, THAT EVENT AND HOPEFULLY YOU'LL BE ABLE TO DO, CONTINUE FORWARD AND MAKE IT BETTER AND
[01:00:01]
BE NUMBER ONE.COMMISSIONER NEER, I JUST HAVE TO GO BACK TO, UM, WHAT COUNCILOR MULA WAS TALKING ABOUT, AND I GUESS I'M JUST A LITTLE BIT CONFUSED, UM, ABOUT THIS MATRIX.
I KNOW THAT THAT DIRECTOR BLAND SAID THAT YOU SAID THAT YOU, WE WEREN'T AT THE POINT OF HAVING TO MAKE THE DECISIONS AS TO WHETHER OR NOT TO EUTHANIZE THESE ANIMALS ON THE AT-RISK LIST, BUT IT DIDN'T SEEM LIKE YOU HAVE A PLAN IN PLACE TO DETERMINE WHICH DOGS WOULD BE AT RISK FOR EUTHANASIA IF WE GET TO THAT POINT.
AND IT KIND OF CONCERNS ME THAT WE AS THE ANIMAL ADVISORY COMMISSION, ARE NOT BEING GIVEN SOME SORT OF STRUCTURED, UM, I GUESS IDEAL OF WHAT, WHAT Y'ALL ARE GONNA BE USING AS A MEASUREMENT FOR THAT TO JUST SAY IT HASN'T HAPPENED YET.
WHAT IF IT HAPPENS IN TWO WEEKS AND WE'RE NOT MEETING AGAIN FOR ANOTHER TWO WEEKS AFTER THAT? ARE YOU GONNA, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE, YOU'RE GONNA MAKE THIS DECISION ON YOUR OWN WITHOUT CONSULTING WITH US AND OR, OR LETTING US KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON? AND THAT KIND OF MAKES ME A LITTLE NERVOUS BECAUSE I'VE BEEN GETTING A LOT OF EMAILS FROM CONCERNED CITIZENS ABOUT THIS AND I DON'T SEE A HARD PLAN FROM YOU TO ACTUALLY MAKE THIS DETERMINATION IF IT SHOULD BECOME NECESSARY.
AS I STATED EARLIER, UH, COMMISSIONER NEER THAT, UH, WE ARE VERY CLOSE WITHIN PROBABLY DAYS OF FINALIZING THIS.
UH, AND WE DID TELL Y'ALL AT THE LAST COMMISSION MEETING, I KNOW IT'S OPERATIONAL, BUT WE TOLD YOU THAT WE WOULD SHARE OUR MATRIX WITH YOU, UH, WHEN WE DID FINISH IT, AND WE WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING WITHOUT HAVING A FINISHED PRODUCT BEFORE WE DID THAT.
WE, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE AS TRANSPARENT AS POSSIBLE IF WE EVER HAD TO COME TO THAT SITUATION.
SO WE SHOULD BE EXPECTING SOMETHING, HOPEFULLY WITHIN THE NEXT WEEK IN OUR INBOXES.
WE WOULD, UH, THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO, IS FINISH IT AS SOON AS WE POSSIBLY CAN.
THAT'S WHY WE'RE IN THE TESTING MODE RIGHT NOW TO TRY TO WORK OUT EVERYTHING AND MAKE SURE PEOPLE ARE DOING, GETTING THE SAME RESULTS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COMMISSIONER.
UM, SO I WAS THE PERSON WHO PUT ITEM FIVE ON HERE.
I, THE INTENTION OF ME PUTTING IT ON WAS TO ADDRESS ALL THE STUFF BEING ADDRESSED HERE.
ARE YOU OKAY WITH ME JUST STATING WE CAN SMASH MY ITEM INTO THIS JUST FOR THE SAKE OF, 'CAUSE I WAS NUMBER FIVE, THE DISCUSSION OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ORDINANCE.
DO YOU WANNA JOINTLY HANDLE FOUR AND FOUR AND FIVE? IS THAT WHAT YOU SAYING? YEAH, I, I'M JUST SAYING LIKE, EVERYTHING I WOULD'VE ASKED IS COMING THROUGH IN THIS, SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT IF ANYBODY HAS, IF THAT IMPACTS ANYBODY'S QUESTIONS OR ANYTHING I WANTED TO SAY, SAY THAT.
IS THERE ANY OBJECTION TO COMBINING FOUR AND FIVE? NO.
SO YOU'RE WELCOME TO HANDLE, WE'RE OFFICIALLY HANDLING NUMBER FOUR AND NUMBER FIVE TOGETHER.
I'M JUST OUTTA CURIOSITY, AND THIS MIGHT GO TO DR. NIELSEN SINCE YOU HAD THE LIST UP.
UM, AND MAYBE THIS IS RELATED TO THE MATRIX THING, THE SIX DOGS THAT DIDN'T HAVE BITE HISTORY.
UM, WHAT, WHAT WOULD LAND A DOG ON THIS URGENT PLACEMENT LIST? THAT'S NOT A DEMONSTRATED BITE HISTORY.
LENGTH OF STAY COULD BE, OR, UH, A BEHAVIOR THAT, UH, HASN'T CREATED A BITE, BUT WE'RE MANAGING IT.
IT'S, IT'S BEHAVIORALLY, UH, CHALLENGING FOR THE STAFF TO WORK WITH THE DOG.
UM, SO THEN I GUESS YOUR STATEMENT, UM, THE MEMO THAT WENT OUT ABOUT SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO EUTHANIZE THESE DOGS FOR SPACE.
I, I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH WHAT DR. NIELSEN SAID.
I DON'T THINK THAT NO KILL MEANS NEVER KILL.
I DON'T BELIEVE IN PUTTING DOGS THAT ARE PUBLIC SAFETY RISK OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY.
YOU HAVE MY FULL SUPPORT ON THAT.
I AM CONFUSED THOUGH, ABOUT YOUR CHOICE OF PHRASING IN THAT MEMO FOR YOU TO SAY THAT LIKE, IF WE WERE TO ACTUALLY HAVE INTAKE OPEN EVER, NOT ON YELLOW RIGHT.
AND ACTUALLY START TAKING DOGS IN FROM WHEN PEOPLE FIND STRAYS OR WHEN PEOPLE NEED TO OWN OR SURRENDER, WE WOULD FIND OURSELVES QUICKLY VERY FULL AGAIN AND NOT LIKELY WITH JUST DOGS WHO HAVE ALL THESE SAME BEHAVIOR ISSUES.
SO I GUESS I'M JUST CONCERNED ABOUT LIKE, WITH THIS ORDINANCE, DO YOU VIEW THAT ORDINANCE AS A, UM, LEG IN TO GET AROUND NO KILL AND TO START EUTHANIZING FOR SPACE OR NO, WHEN, WHEN WE ARE STARTING TO USE THE, THE ANIMALS THAT, UM, HAVE A LEVEL FOUR BITE ON THE DUNBAR SCALE MM-HMM.
AND THOSE WOULD BE EUTHANIZED FOR THAT REASON.
IT'S NOT TO GET AROUND ANYTHING, IT'S TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC BECAUSE WE'VE SEEN THE ANIMALS THAT WE'VE BEEN PUTTING OUT AND THE ISSUES THAT WE CONTINUE TO HAVE.
UH, AND TO BE CLEAR, I'M IN COMPLETE AGREEMENT WITH THAT.
[01:05:01]
THAT ARE AT PUBLIC SAFETY RISK TO GET OUT.I GUESS I'M CURIOUS ABOUT THE TIMING OF THIS ORDINANCE AND THIS MEMO AND THAT CHOICE OF WORDING.
AND I, I GUESS I WOULD JUST LIKE SOME CLARITY ABOUT WHY THAT, THAT, WHY THAT PHRASE WAS USED, UM, AND AND WHAT YOUR LIKE INTENTIONS AND VISION AND ALL THAT ARE.
ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE URGE REPLACEMENT LIST OR I I'M TALKING ABOUT IN THE MEMO THAT WENT OUT WHEN YOU, UM, SAID SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO EUTHANIZE THESE ANIMALS FOR SPACE.
IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT'S NOT WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THESE PARTICULAR ANIMALS.
SO, WHICH, SO TO BE CLEAR, I AM NOT PUSHING ON THAT.
I AM, I'M CURIOUS ABOUT THE CHOICE OF WORDING.
YOU KNOW, WE, I THINK WE'RE TRYING TO BE AS TRANSPARENT AS POSSIBLE.
IF WE EVER HAD TO GET TO THE POINT WE HAD TO EUTHANIZE THEN THESE ANIMALS ON THIS LIST THAT HAVE THESE, UH, BARRIERS THAT WE CAN'T FIND PLACEMENT FOR, YES.
THEY WOULD BE THE FIRST ONES THAT WOULD BE, UH, LOOKED AT AND PUT THROUGH THE MATRIX.
UH, WAS IT FOUR THAT HAD DONE BY FOUR? I KNOW THEY HAD DONE THERE, THERE WAS IT, THERE WAS A, A VERY SMALL NUMBER WHEN WE WERE, AND YOU'D HAVE, WE'D HAVE TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT THE COUNCIL NOTES THAT WE MADE AT THAT TIME.
BUT WHEN WE LOOKED AT, UH, THOSE THAT, UM, WE FELT THAT WOULD HAVE A LEVEL FOUR ON THE ENVIRONMENT BY SCALE OF ALL THE ANIMALS THAT WE HAD THAT IN THE SYSTEM.
UH, I THINK THERE WAS LIKE TWO.
IT WAS A VERY SMALL NUMBER THAT FELT THAT.
SO THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE USING TO, TO TRY TO MAKE SPACE.
THAT'S NOT WHAT ITS INTENTION WAS AT ALL.
I JUST WANTED CLARITY BECAUSE, BECAUSE I DON'T THINK THAT WHAT THIS IS DOING IS EUTHANIZING FOR SPACE AND IT WAS JUST THE USE OF THAT PHRASE IN THE TIMING WITH EVERYTHING ELSE THAT I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT LIKE YOU STILL HAD EVERY INTENTION OF NOT EUTHANIZING FOR SPACE IN THE TRUE SENSE OF THE WORD.
I DON'T MEAN THIS, THESE PUBLIC SAFETY RISKS.
SO JUST WANTED CLARITY ON THAT.
DID Y'ALL KNOW THE AVERAGE LENGTH OF STAY OF THESE DOGS? LIKE MORE THAN 100 DAYS? I WOULD HAVE TO DO THE MATH ON IT.
BUT MOST OF THEM ARE LONG STAYS ALREADY AT THE SHELTER.
DID ALREADY THE AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER ADOPTED DOGS WITH BITE HISTORIES TO THE COMMUNITY AND HAD ONE MORE TIME AN ACCIDENT BEFORE OR NO? YES, WE HAVE.
IT'S STILL OPEN THE BEHAVIORIST, UH, POSITION AT THE AUSTIN ANNUAL CENTER, OR Y'ALL DON'T HAVE THAT POSITION OPEN? WHICH POSITION? THE BEHAVIORIST? NO, WE WERE NOT, UH, GIVEN A PERMANENT POSITION.
WE WERE GIVEN DOLLARS TO CONTRACT WITH ANIMAL BEHAVIORIST.
THANK YOU COMMISSIONER LINDER.
YEAH, JUST, UM, ONE MORE ON THIS.
UM, SO I, I KNOW, I THINK, ANYWAY, YOU SLICE THIS, THIS DOES PLACE SORT OF A BURDEN ON, ON THE PUBLIC.
UM, AND AS MS. VICKERY AND OTHERS HAVE NOTED, WE'RE ALREADY ASKING A LOT AND, AND PERHAPS TOO MUCH OF, UM, CITIZENS OF AUSTIN AND, AND OF THE NGO COMMUNITY THAT SUPPORTS THE SHELTER.
UM, SEVERAL OF THE, THE EMAILS I RECEIVED THIS WEEK, UM, AND, AND THE PUBLIC COMMENTS WE HEARD DURING THIS MEETING SPOKE TO, UM, ISSUES WITH CUSTOMER SERVICE.
UM, AND I'M WONDERING IF YOU COULD HELP KIND OF CLARIFY WHAT WHAT YOU THINK MAY HAVE BEEN GOING ON IN THOSE INSTANCES AND, AND TALK SPECIFICALLY ABOUT HOW THAT PIECE FITS INTO THIS URGENT PLACEMENT LIST.
IS THERE SORT OF A, YOU KNOW, IF I SEE A DOG ON THE URGENT PLACEMENT LIST THAT I WANT TO, YOU KNOW, UM, FOSTER OR ADOPT, IS THERE SORT OF A DESIGNATED, UM, COMMUNICATION PATHWAY FOR THAT THAT'S DISTINCT FROM THE ONES YOU WOULD REGULARLY FOLLOW? UM, 'CAUSE 'CAUSE THESE ARE SORT OF HIGH PRIORITY ANIMALS OR, OR HOW DOES THAT PIECE OF IT WORK WITH THE, THE VOLUME THAT, THAT WE HAVE TO HANDLE, WE'RE NOT GONNA BE PERFECT.
THERE'S GONNA BE A MISTAKE SURE.
AN EMPLOYEE'S GOING TO TO UNDERSTAND SOMETHING INCORRECTLY, MAKE A MISTAKE, AND WE'LL ADDRESS THOSE ON, ON AN ONGOING BASIS WHEN WE KNOW ABOUT THOSE, UH, EVEN IF THERE'S NOT A FOSTER COORDINATOR THERE, BECAUSE WE DO HAVE A POSITION THAT IS, IS VACANT.
SO IF WE DO HAVE A, UH, A SPOT THAT WE TRY TO, YOU KNOW, ACCOMMODATE VACATIONS AND EVERYTHING ELSE, SURE.
BUT IF THERE WAS NOT ONE, THE CUSTOMER SERVICE CREW IN THE FRONT LOBBY IS TRAINED AND CAPABLE OF HANDLING ALL THOSE FOSTERS THAT COME IN AND THOSE FOLKS WANTING TO FOSTER.
AND THEY DO IT ON AN ONGOING BASIS.
SO, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT ONE OR TWO
[01:10:01]
MISTAKES, IF, IF WE FIND OUT THAT FROM THE SAME PERSON, WE'LL DO SOME TRAINING AND EDUCATION, BUT THERE'S, THE STAFF IS TRAINED TO HANDLE THOSE, UH, ON THE SPOT FOSTERS.AND, UM, SO, SO YOU'RE SAYING IT DOESN'T HAVE TO NECESSARILY BE THE FOSTER COORDINATOR WHO COULD HELP THEM? I, I, SOME OF THE COMMENTS I GOT SAID THINGS LIKE, WE TRIED TO GO ON A SUNDAY AFTER THIS WAS POSTED, BUT THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANYONE THERE ON SUNDAY.
SO SEVEN DAYS A WEEK OR, YOU KNOW, FOR THE HOURS THAT YOU'RE OPEN, THERE'S ALWAYS SOMEONE THERE WHO COULD HELP GET SOMEONE SET UP AS A PROCESS.
ANY CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES SHOULD BE ABLE TO, THEY, THEY ARE ALL TRAINED TO ASSIST.
AND THERE'S, THERE'S SUPERVISORS AND LEADS THERE AS WELL.
AND THE, UM, THE PROCESS FOR THE URGENT PLACEMENT DOGS IS THE SAME AS IT WOULD BE FOR DOGS NOT ON THE LIST.
IS THAT, UM, THE CASE OR IS THERE A SEPARATE SORT OF, UM, COMMUNICATION PATHWAY FOR, FOR THESE URGENT PLACEMENT DOGS? NO, IT, IT, THEY'RE, THEY'RE THE SAME.
UH, YOU CAN REACH OUT, UH, TO, UH, ANY OF THE STAFF AND THERE'S EVEN, YOU KNOW, UH, ANIMAL FOSTER, ANIMAL ADOPT, ANIMAL RESCUE, THERE'S ALWAYS THOSE, THOSE, THOSE WEBS, THOSE SPECIFIC IN INBOXES AS WELL.
UM, JUST KIND OF TO PIGGYBACK ON TOP OF THAT, I WANT TO JUST REITERATE THE, AND EMPHASIZE THE COMMENT FROM THE PUBLIC BY CAROLINE CLAY WHO RELAYED TWO ANECDOTES ABOUT PEOPLE TRYING TO HELP, TRYING TO RESPOND TO THE PLEAS WE'RE PUTTING OUT AND COMING IN AND, AND, AND BEING FRUSTRATED AND DERAILED BY THE CUSTOMER SERVICE.
JUST TO USE THE BROAD TERM, NOT NOT POINTING OUT A SPECIFIC DEPARTMENT NECESSARILY, BUT BY THE CUSTOMER SERVICE THAT THEY FACE AT THE SHELTER.
AND I'M, AND I'M CONCERNED BY HEARING, BY WHAT I'M HEARING, IS MAYBE LIKE BLOWING IT OFF AS A, AS IS AS A RARE MISSTEP.
'CAUSE MY SENSE IS THAT THAT MAY NOT BE THE CASE.
UM, BECAUSE I HAVE TO SAY THAT EVEN I, AS A STAFF MEMBER WHO BY THIS POINT UNDERSTANDS PRETTY WELL HOW, HOW THE PLACE RUNS THAT, UM, THAT I HAVE PERSONALLY FELT VERY LET DOWN BY SOME OF THE CUSTOMER FACING STAFF AT THE SHELTER WHEN I'VE GONE TO THEM WITH QUESTIONS OR REQUESTS.
SO I CAN ONLY IMAGINE HOW IT GOES WHEN THE PUBLIC COMES IN.
AND, AND THE TIMES WHEN I HAVE TRIED TO GO THROUGH APPROPRIATE CHANNELS TO DEAL WITH THESE, UM, I DON'T FEEL THE RESPONSE HAS BEEN APPROPRIATE.
AND I FEEL MAINLY WHAT I'VE RECEIVED IS BACKLASH FROM THE MANAGEMENT AT THE SHELTER, RATHER THAN A RESPONSE THAT ACTUALLY ADDRESSES THE PROBLEM.
SO I JUST WANNA LEND MY VOICE TO THAT ISSUE IF, AND I APPRECIATE THAT, UH, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WE AREN'T TOLD.
SO ANYTIME YOU HAVE ANY ISSUES, PLEASE BRING IT TO JASON OR I BECAUSE WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT WE ACT ACCORDINGLY.
I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT AND I WILL, I'LL LET YOU KNOW.
SO, UM, I HAD A COUPLE OF FOLLOW UPS AFTER SOME OF YOUR OTHER COMMENTS HERE.
SO ON THE, UM, I WAS ABLE TO FIND THE URGENT PLACEMENT LIST ON THE WEBSITE AFTER CLICKING, CLICKING, CLICKING.
'CAUSE IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT RIGHT ON THAT FRONT PAGE.
YOU HAVE TO CLICK THE ADOPT BUTTON IN ORDER TO FIND IT.
UM, AND JUST SO YOU KNOW THAT IT STILL STATES WE ARE SHARING THIS IN AN EFFORT TO FIND HOMES FOR THESE DOGS AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN SO THAT WE DO NOT HAVE TO EUTHANIZE THEM BECAUSE OF HOW FULL WE ARE.
THAT SOUNDS LIKE SPACE KILLS AND THAT, SO THAT STATEMENT IS STILL ON YOUR WEBSITE AND YOU'VE EXPLAINED THAT IT'S NOT, THAT'S NOT THE INTENT OF IT, BUT IF SOMEBODY IS READING THAT, THAT IS UNAWARE, THAT IS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE ANIMAL RESCUE WORLD, THIS IS WHAT THEY'RE GONNA INTERPRET.
SO YOU MIGHT JUST WANNA HAVE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PERSON POSSIBLY REWORD THAT SO THAT IT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE THESE DOGS ARE GONNA BE KILLED FOR SPACE.
UM, THE SECOND THING IS, WHILE WHILE YOUR LIST HERE HAS, UM, BITE HISTORY, ONCE YOU COMPLETE THE ADOPTION OF THE DUNBAR BITE SCALE, WILL THIS LIST BE UPDATED TO REFLECT THE LEVEL OF THE BITE? OR ARE YOU SIMPLY GONNA LEAVE BITE HISTORY, WHICH IS EXTREMELY VAGUE AND I WOULD HAVE TO SEE IF THE SYSTEM WILL PULL THAT INFORMATION? UH, WE'LL, WE'LL CHECK ON THAT BECAUSE IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT ONCE WE ADOPT IT AND WE MAKE THAT PUBLICLY AVAILABLE,
[01:15:01]
IF IT IS A LEVEL TWO BITE YES.I THINK WE NEED TO DISCLOSE THAT BECAUSE WE TELL THE DOCTORS AND RESCUES EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT THAT ANIMAL.
AND IF WE CAN BE UPFRONT WITH THAT.
AND THEN JUST, JUST QUICKLY SCROLLING THROUGH THE LIST THAT'S OUT THERE RIGHT NOW.
UM, YOU HAVE A DOG THAT'S THE LAST DOG ADDED TO THE LIST, UH, CAVIAR, WHICH I CAN'T TELL YOU ANYTHING ABOUT 'CAUSE THERE'S NOTHING ON IT.
BUT IT CAME IN ON THE 25TH OF APRIL.
UM, I, SO I, WHAT CONSTITUTES A LONG STAY FOR, FOR LENGTH OF STAY? WHAT CONSTITUTES A DOG BEING PUT ON FOR THAT? IS IT 30, 60, 90, A HUNDRED? WE WERE LOOKING AT 60 DAYS.
BUT IT COULD BE SOMETHING THAT IS NOT A LENGTH OF STAY ISSUE.
AND AND SOME OF THE ONES THAT, THAT ARE ON HERE THAT ARE UNDER 60 DAYS, UM, HAVE THE VAGUE BITE HISTORY.
BUT, UH, I, I JUST DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT LAST GUY.
'CAUSE THERE'S, THERE'S NOTHING ON THERE EXCEPT THAT HE'S BEEN THERE 18 DAYS.
UM, BUT YEAH, THAT WAS ALL I HAD.
AND SO IF AND WHEN, WHEN THE DUNBAR SCALE IS ADOPTED, UM, IF YOU COULD LOOK INTO POSSIBLY REPLACING BITE HISTORY WITH AN ACTUAL RATING FROM THAT DUNBAR SCALE, I THINK THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
UM, AND THEN, UH, EARLIER WHEN I WAS QUESTIONING YOU, YOU TALKED ABOUT THE BENNETT SCALE.
IS IT B-E-N-N-E-T TT? BECAUSE I GOOGLED IT, COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING.
SO, UM, IS IT POSSIBLE THAT YOU GUYS COULD FORWARD US THAT, THAT I'LL PLEASE.
YOU CAN GOOGLE THAT AND I'LL SHOW I DID GOOGLE IT.
NOTHING CAME UP, BUT WE'LL, I'LL SHOW YOU THE RIGHT ONE.
AND, AND WE'LL, I CAN SHARE THAT WITH YOU.
IT'S, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT ADOPTING IT 100% RIGHT.
BECAUSE IT GOES JUST STRICTLY ON BYTES.
UH, AND WE'RE LOOKING AT A LOT MORE THAN JUST STRICTLY YEAH.
'CAUSE THE ONE THAT I'M LOOKING AT TALKS ABOUT ETHNO RELATIVELY FROM LOW TO HIGH.
UH, SO IN AIRLINES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO I CAN'T FIND ANYTHING THAT'S RELATING TO, TO DOGS ON MY LITTLE QUICK LITTLE GOOGLE THING HERE.
SO, UM, I'D LIKE TO BE ABLE TO FIND THE CORRECT ONE.
YES, I, I DID HEAR FROM THE CURRENT COMMISSIONERS, UH, ABOUT THE, UH, CUSTOMER SERVICE AT THE AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER IS, IS REALLY UNFORTUNATE.
WHETHER IT'S UNDERSTAFFED, UNDERPAID, OR MANAGEMENT, I DON'T KNOW.
BUT, UH, I KNOW THAT WE, UH, UH, WE HAVE SEVERAL, UH, AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER STAFF OR PEOPLE WHO WORK FOR AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER IN THE COMMISSION.
PAIGE DID MENTION THAT SHE NOTICED ALSO THAT, OH MY GOD, HOW, HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN? AND I'M, I'M SURPRISED THIS MUST NOT BE A RECENT THING.
I'M SURPRISED THAT HASN'T BEEN COMMUNICATED BEFORE TO UPPER MANAGEMENT TO CHEAP LAND OR JASON GARZA.
I MEAN, THIS IS A BIG DEAL WHEN WE ARE HAVING PROBLEMS HERE, GETTING PETS ADOPTED OR FOSTER.
UM, I THOUGHT I WOULD MAKE THAT COMMENT, DR. NELSON.
OH, JUST, UM, WHILE WE'RE DISCUSSING THE CASEY PET PROJECT AND, AND USING THEM, USING SOME OF THEIR BEST PRACTICES, WHICH SEEMED TO BE REALLY GOOD, UM, TO MODEL SOME THINGS.
I, I NOTICED THAT IT SEEMS THAT THEIR LIVE, LIVE OUTCOME RATE IS GENERALLY, UM, THREE TO 4% LOWER THAN OURS.
DO YOU THINK I HAVE A A REASONABLE UNDERSTANDING OF THAT? IT IS, YEAH.
AND, UH, THEY HAVE, SINCE WE STARTED LOOKING AT THIS AND ADOPTING, THEY HAVE PUT OUT EUTHANASIA LIST
SO AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER COULD HAVE IN THE LAST MONTH, EUTHANIZED 36 MORE ANIMALS AND THEN, AND BE AT THE LIVE OUTCOME OF KANSAS CITY PET PROJECT.
IF MY MATH IS WRONG, I'M HAPPY TO BE CORRECTED BY ANYBODY.
BUT I JUST THINK THAT THAT'S AN IMPORTANT PERSPECTIVE TO HAVE AS WE DISCUSS ALL OF THIS.
[01:20:04]
ALL RIGHT.AND IS THERE, ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? UM, COMMISSIONER HERRA QUESTION.
Y'ALL DON'T HAVE THE POSITION FOR THE BEHAVIORS.
Y'ALL ARE PAYING A BEHAVIORIST FROM OUT.
DID Y'ALL NEED THE MONEY TO HAVE THAT POSITION OPEN? THE COUNCIL, UH, OFFICE PUT A BUDGET WRITER IN AT THE END OF LAST YEAR.
THEY DIDN'T GIVE US THE POSITION, BUT THEY GAVE US FUNDS TO CONTRACT WITH BEHAVIORISTS TO ASSIST US THIS YEAR.
AND WE'LL GIVE A REPORT TO THEM AT THE END OF THE YEAR ON THE MONEY THAT WE SPENT.
DID Y'ALL THINK CAN BE FUNCTIONAL IF YOU ALL HAVE THE POSITION OPEN IN YOUR PLACE TO HAVE A BEHAVIORIST ON SITE? WE, IT IS, IT IS SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE HARD TO FILL ON A PERMANENT BASIS.
UH, BUT, UH, IT IS SOMETHING THAT, UH, WE ABSOLUTELY COULD UTILIZE AND DO NEED.
SO THERE ARE VERY FEW SHELTERS WHO ACTUALLY HAVE A BEHAVIORIST, BUT HAVE VERY, VERY STRONG BEHAVIOR TEAMS. WHAT STEPS HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO GET ADDITIONAL BEHAVIOR TRAINING FOR YOUR VETERINARIANS? AND DOES YOUR MATRIX? MANY OF THESE MATRIXES MATRICES, UM, INCLUDE A SECTION ABOUT AN ANIMAL'S BEHAVIORAL RESPONSE ON FIRST LINE MEDICATIONS.
AND THEN AFTER THEY'VE BEEN ON THAT FOR A TRIAL PERIOD, UM, THEIR RESPONSE TO SECOND LINE MEDICATIONS.
SO I'M CURIOUS, ONE, DOES YOUR MATRIX INCLUDE BEHAVIOR MODIFYING MEDICATIONS AS WELL AS YOUR BEHAVIOR PLAN? AND TWO, WHAT SORT OF TRAINING HAVE YOUR VETERINARIANS BEEN SENT TO OR HAVE HAD, UM, HAD IN CONTINUING EDUCATION SINCE STARTING THIS MATRIX? PRIOR TO EVEN WORKING ON THIS, UH, OUR BEHAVIOR SUPERVISOR HAS GONE TO ADDITIONAL TRAININGS AND, UH, STAFF MEMBERS AS WELL.
UH, AND WE DO NOTE IF ANIMALS, WHEN, WHEN THE BEHAVIOR TEAM BRINGS US ANIMALS THAT ARE HAVING ISSUES AND THEY TALK ABOUT MEDICATION, THEY, THEY LOOK AT THAT.
UH, WE DO USE A, UH, UH, VETERINARIAN BEHAVIORS HERE LOCALLY THAT WE SEND QUITE A FEW TO THAT EVALUATES THEM AND PUTS THEM ON THE MEDICATIONS AS WELL.
AND THEN, UH, GIVES US A PLAN TO AND FOLLOWS UP WITH THOSE.
UH, THAT'S PART OF THE FUNDS WE'RE USING CURRENTLY.
AND IT, SPECIFICALLY WHAT THE VETERINARIANS, I KNOW THEY'VE GONE TO TRAINING.
I DON'T KNOW WHICH SPECIFICALLY TRAINING THEY HAD, HAD, HAVE HAD, BUT I KNOW THEY HAVE TAKEN, UH, SEMINARS ONLINE AS WELL AS, UM, IN PERSON.
UM, ANYONE ELSE? I I JUST HAVE A COUPLE COMMENTS, HOPEFULLY WE CAN WRAP UP AND MOVE TO THE NEXT THING.
UM, I AM DEEPLY, UM, AFFECTED BY USING LENGTH OF STAY AS A JUSTIFICATION FOR EUTHANASIA.
I DON'T THINK LA LENGTH OF STAY WITHOUT SOME KIND OF BITE HISTORY IS A REASON TO EUTHANIZE AN ANIMAL.
AND, UM, I DON'T THINK IT SHOULD BE IN A MATRIX.
I DON'T THINK IT SHOULD BE A REASON.
AND IF WE ARE KILLING BECAUSE OF LENGTH OF STAY, THEN WE'RE JUST PLAIN KILLING.
THAT DOES NOT MEET THE DEFINITION OF EUTHANASIA.
UM, WE ACTUALLY DON'T HAVE A, UH, A, A A RULE THAT SAYS YOU CAN'T KILL FOR SPACE.
UM, THERE'S NOTHING IN THE ORDINANCES ABOUT THAT.
UM, WHAT WE HAVE IS A GOAL OF 95%.
WE HAVE A PARTNER WHO TAKES 12% ISH AND USUALLY SOME OF THE MORE DIFFICULT CASES AND MOST OF THE OTHER ANIMAL SHELTERS IN THE COUNTRY THAT ARE EVEN IN THE SAME CONVERSATION WITH US DO NOT HAVE AN A PA.
AND SO I REMEMBER WHEN, UH, LARRY, AND I REMEMBER WHEN BRENT STARTED KANSAS CITY PET PET PROJECT.
UM, AND THEY DO AMAZING WORK, BUT IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING, THEY DON'T HAVE A PARTNER WHO'S PULLING THAT, THAT KIND OF PERCENT.
UM, WILLIAMSON COUNTY REGIONAL IS ANOTHER SHELTER THAT'S DOING, UH, AS HIGH OR VIRTUALLY AS HIGH OR HIGHER THAN US.
AND THEY DON'T HAVE, UM, AN A PA PULLING 12%.
UM, IT, IT, IT'S JUST, TO ME, IT'S, IT'S REALLY HARD TO HEAR WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA KILL FOR LENGTH OF STAY.
BUT ALSO WHEN PEOPLE TRY TO COME THAT THEY, THAT THEY'RE TURNED AWAY AND ANTI IT'S HARD TO JUDGE ANECDOTES, AS YOU SAID, DR.
THE PLURAL OF ANECDOTES IS NOT DATA.
IT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT, UM, THING TO POINT OUT.
UM, UH, IT'S HARD TO KNOW HOW MANY THERE ARE.
UH, IT'S HARD TO KNOW HOW INDICATIVE OF WHAT'S HAPPENING THERE.
UM, IT REALLY IS, IT'S HARD TO KNOW IF IT'S A ONCE OFF OR IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S HAPPENING CONSISTENTLY.
BUT IF WE'RE NOT DOING EVERYTHING TO GET THEM OUT IN
[01:25:01]
A POSITIVE WAY, THIS IS A VERY NEGATIVE WAY TO GET THEM OUT.I MEAN, I THINK WE HAVE TO ALL ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS IS NEGATIVE ADVERTISING.
AND WHEN YOU NEGATIVE MARKET CONSISTENTLY, WHAT YOU TELL THE PUBLIC, WHAT THE PUBLIC GETS OUT OF THIS IS THAT THE ANIMALS ARE BAD AT THE ANIMAL SHELTER.
'CAUSE THOSE ARE THE ONLY ONES WE'RE HEARING ABOUT IS THE BAD ONES.
WE'RE GONNA HEAR ABOUT THE, YOU KNOW, AT RISK LIST AND THE URGENT LIST.
AND WE'RE GONNA GO IN THERE AND WE'RE GONNA SEE THEY HAVE DOG BITES.
AND IF YOU ASK, UNFORTUNATELY, ASK A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC, A LOT OF TIMES WHAT THEY'LL TELL YOU IS THEY'RE BAD DOGS AT THE ANIMAL SHELTER.
I DON'T REALLY WANNA GO THERE.
AND WHAT WE DISCOVERED, YOU KNOW, NOT DISCOVERED, BUT WHAT WE SAW IN 2011 AND 2010 AND WHEN WE STARTED ALL OF THIS, IS THAT POSITIVE MARKETING IS ACTUALLY THE WAY TO AFFECT MORE OUTCOMES.
POSITIVE MARKETING WORKS FAR BETTER THAN NEGATIVE MARKETING TO INCREASE ADOPTIONS AT THE ANIMAL SHELTER.
MY UNDERSTANDING THAT MANY OF OUR PEER CITIES HAVE GONE WAY BACK UP, UH, IN THEIR INTAKE AND IN THEIR OUTCOMES.
AND YES, THEY'RE NOT HOLDING AT, MANY OF THEM ARE NOT HOLDING AT 90% OR 95%.
UM, BUT WE'RE, WE HAVE INCREDIBLY CONSTRICTED INTAKE.
WE'RE WE'RE NOT DOING THE POSITIVE MARKETING THAT WE HAVE TRADITIONALLY DONE IN THE PAST.
I KNOW WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, FEE WAVED ADOPTIONS.
WE'VE DONE THAT FOR HOWEVER MANY YEARS IT'S BEEN NOW.
UM, BUT WHAT I DON'T SEE IS CONSISTENTLY EVERY WEEK SOME MARKETING GIMMICKS, SOME REALLY FUNNY THING TO GET IN THE PRESS.
UM, $5 FOOT LONGS, UM, FREE UNDER THREE, SOME ANYTHING.
THESE ARE THINGS THAT GET THE SHELTER ANIMALS IN THE PRESS.
'CAUSE THE PRESS PICKS UP ON FUNNY THINGS AND POSITIVE MARKETING AND CLEVER MARKETING.
AND IT JUST FEELS LIKE WE'RE NOT DOING THAT ANYMORE.
UM, I, IT'S ALWAYS HARD TO HAVE GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE, BUT IF IT'S A PRIORITY, GOOD ORGANIZATIONS HAVE GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE.
I, I ALWAYS SAY THIS IS, THIS IS AN ANECDOTE TOO, BUT SOUTHWEST AND NOT THE, THEY'RE THE GREATEST EXAMPLE.
BUT WHEN I WAS A VERY, WHEN I WAS A BABY LAWYER, 2000, WE HAD THE, I WAS AT VE, WHICH IS A BIG FIRM.
AND SO WE HAD THE CHAIRMAN OF SOUTHWEST COME SPEAK TO THE BABY LAWYERS.
AND HE SAID, MY RULE WAS IF, UH, IT HURTS THE, IF A IF A EMPLOYEE MAKES A MISTAKE AND IT HURTS THE CUSTOMER, THEY'RE FIRED.
IF THEY MAKE A MISTAKE AND IT HELPS THE CUSTOMER, THAT'S FINE.
AND IT JUST FEELS LIKE, AND THAT, AND IT DID HAVE AN AMAZING CUSTOMER SERVICE FOR MANY, MANY YEARS.
AND THEY WERE THE BEST OF THE BEST.
AND I THINK THAT COMES FROM THE TOP.
I THINK YOU HAVE TO HAVE AMAZING CUSTOMER SERVICE.
I THINK YOU HAVE TO CREATE AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE.
I THINK PEOPLE HAVE TO WALK AWAY FROM THAT PLACE SAYING, I'M GONNA SING THE PRAISES OF THIS PLACE TO MY FRIENDS, RATHER THAN I'M GONNA TELL MY FRIENDS ABOUT THE HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE THAT I HAD.
'CAUSE THEY ARE, PEOPLE SHARE MORE NEGATIVE EXPERIENCES THAN THEY SHARE POSITIVE EXPERIENCES.
AND SO THEY, IT'S, IT BECOMES THIS DOOM LOOP OF NEGATIVE EXPERIENCE AFTER NEGATIVE EXPERIENCE AFTER NEGATIVE EXPERIENCE.
NEGATIVE MARKETING COMBINED WITH NEGATIVE EXPERIENCES IS NOT GOOD.
AND SO I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE AN ANSWER FOR THAT.
I DON'T, I I JUST WANNA SHARE THE PUBLIC'S FRUSTRATION.
I ACTUALLY, THIS MAY BE UNPOPULAR, BUT I'M NOT AGAINST THE IDEA OF AN URGENT PLACEMENT LIST.
I AM ADAMANTLY AGAINST THE IDEA OF AN URGENT PLACEMENT LIST, INCLUDING SIM SIMPLY LENGTH OF STAY ANIMALS, BECAUSE THAT IS NOT AN ANIMAL THAT HAS, HAS A, WOULD HAVE A EUTHANASIA IN ITS FUTURE.
IT'S NOT A EUTHANASIA, IT'S AN EXECUTION.
I THINK WE NEED TO DIG IN AND INCREASE OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE.
WE NEED TO DIG IN AND HAVE POSITIVE MARKETING EXPERIENCES, POSITIVE EXPERIENCES FOR OUR CUSTOMERS, POSITIVE OUTLOOK FOR THE ANIMALS.
AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL FIND A WAY.
AND I WOULD ASK THAT YOU PLEASE SHARE THE DR. BENNETT MATRIX WITH US AFTER TODAY.
'CAUSE I TOO LOOKED IT UP WHILE WE WERE HERE AND COULDN'T FIND IT.
UM, WITH THAT, UM, UNLESS THERE'S SOMEBODY ELSE WHO WANTS TO CHIME IN, HOPEFULLY I GAVE EVERYBODY ALL THE TIME THEY NEEDED TO SAY EVERYTHING THEY WANTED.
[Items 7 & 8]
OR WITHOUT OBJECTION, I'D LIKE TO COMBINE SEVEN AND EIGHT, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE WORKING GROUP REGARDING CITY OF AUSTIN SPAY NEUTER CONTRACTS, AND APPROVE A RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL ON THE CURRENT AND FUTURE CITY OF AUSTIN SPAY NEUTER CONTRACTS.WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THAT? UH, IS IT, WHO WOULD LIKE TO PRESENT ON THE TOPIC? THE PROFESSIONALS? UH, IS IT, UM, I GUESS JUST GAME DAY PLANNING HERE.
DO WE WANNA TALK ABOUT, DO WE WANNA GO THROUGH EACH RECOMMENDATION INDIVIDUALLY AND DO BACKGROUND OR KIND OF BACKGROUND ON EVERYTHING? IS THAT FOR ME OR FOR COMMITTEE
SO, UM, DR. BRUCE, MAYBE IF YOU WANNA GIVE SORT OF JUST A BROAD, UM, BACKGROUND AS TO THE WORK WE'VE BEEN DOING ON THIS.
AND THEN I'M HAPPY TO KIND OF WALK PEOPLE THROUGH THE RECOMMENDATION.
DOES EVERYONE HAVE A COPY? I HAVE HARD COPIES
[01:30:01]
IF ANYBODY NEEDS ONE.AND MINE IS SITTING ON MY, MY PRINTER AT MY HOUSE.
I WILL SAY, JUST FOR THE PUBLIC'S SAKE AND FOR THE COMMISSIONER'S SAKE, IT'S SEVEN 30.
UM, I THINK YOU'RE GONNA GET A LOT OF SUPPORT FOR THIS, SO I DON'T THINK THAT YOU NEED TO, UM, UH, WHAT'S THAT? I SAID DON'T OVERSELL IT.
YEAH, I DON'T THINK THAT YOU NEED TO, YOU KNOW, PRESENT FOR 45 MINUTES BECAUSE I THINK THAT IT'S LIKELY TO HAVE A LOT OF SUPPORT AS IT DID LAST TIME.
SO, UH, I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU GUYS TO KEEP THAT IN MIND.
BUT WHOMEVER WANTS TO START, YOU MAY START.
UM, SO I'LL, I'LL TRY TO KEEP IT BRIEF.
UM, AND I'LL SAY THAT HAVING COMMISSIONER HOLT ON THE C UH, COMMITTEE THIS TIME WAS ENLIGHTENING BECAUSE SHE'S WORKING WITH THE COUNTY ON CONTRACTS.
AND SO THERE IS SOMEBODY IN THE WORKING GROUP WHO ACTUALLY HAS EXPERIENCE WITH THE INNER WORKINGS OF CONTRACTS AND IS SEEN MULTIPLE CONTRACTS THAT COME THROUGH THE COUNTY IN WHICH THE CITY IS INVOLVED.
UM, AND SO THINGS THAT WE WERE THINKING ABOUT SUCH AS HAVING QUARTERLY REPORTING, HAVING ACTUAL MATRIXES MATRICES AND GOALS ASSOCIATED WITH THESE THAT ARE, UM, REPORTED ON ACTUALLY ARE THINGS THAT EXIST IN THE VAST MAJORITY OF CONTRACTS, UM, THAT THE COUNTY HAS AND MANY THAT THE CITY HAVE AS WELL.
AND SO REALLY, UM, WE JUST ARE, ARE LOOKING TO KIND OF BRING SPAY NEUTER CONTRACTS UP TO PAR WITH MANY OF THE OTHER CONTRACTS THAT THE CITY AND THE COUNTY HAVE.
UM, AND THEN JUST TOUCHING ON NUMBER TWO HERE, ONE THING THAT WE FOUND IS THAT THE LACK OF PERFORMANCE MEASURES WITHIN THESE CONTRACTS HAS ALLOWED FOR A LOT OF, UM, POTENTIAL MISSION DRIFT WITHIN THESE CONTRACTS.
SO, UM, OUR LARGEST SPAY NEUTER CONTRACT HAS, UM, I THINK WAS, WAS DESIGNED ORIGINALLY, UM, TO BE A SPAY NEUTER CONTRACT, BUT THEN ALSO PROVIDES THAT IT, IT WILL PAY FOR WELLNESS SERVICES SUCH AS VACCINATIONS, MICROCHIPS, UM, ON ANIMALS THAT ARE NOT RECEIVING SPAY AND NEUTER.
SO IT, IT CAN GET TO THE POINT WHERE IF SPAY NEUTER CAN'T BE PROVIDED BECAUSE OF STAFFING ISSUES OR THE ABILITY TO GET THE SURGERY UNIT OUT TO THE PARKS, THE, THE FUNDS THAT HAVE BEEN ALLOTTED FOR SPAY NEUTER, UM, CAN BE ACCELERATED AND USED FOR, UM, NON SPAY NEUTER SERVICES AND STILL SPENT.
AND SO I DON'T WANT NUMBER TWO TO READ LIKE WE WANT TO SPLIT CONTRACTS OR WE WANT TO ELIMINATE VENDORS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, BUT REALLY THAT WITHIN THE CONTRACT WE HAVE CERTAIN SPAY NEUTER GOALS.
AND WHEN YOU OUTSPEND THE SPAY NEUTER OR WHEN YOU OUTSPEND THE WELLNESS DOLLARS, IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU CAN PULL FROM THE SPAY NEUTER, UM, POOL, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.
SO AGAIN, NOT LOOKING TO COMPLETELY REVAMP, BUT JUST SAY, HERE'S THE GOAL FOR SPAY NEUTER AND WE WANT SOME REPORTING ON IT.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S MY BRIEF OVERVIEW.
SO JUST TO SORT OF PICK UP FROM THERE, UM, I SHOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT MORE THAT WE SORT OF TALKED ABOUT AND LOOKED AT AS THE WORKING GROUP THAN IS ON THE PAGE RIGHT NOW.
WE WANTED TO SORT OF START WITH WHAT WE THOUGHT WERE SOME REALLY BASIC, HOPEFULLY KIND OF CONSENSUS, UM, MEASURES, BUT, BUT ONES THAT WOULD, YOU KNOW, HAVE A REAL, UM, IMPACT AND UM, AND UH, AND MAKE THESE CONTRACTS MORE EFFECTIVE AND WORK BETTER FOR, FOR THE CITY, FOR THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN SO THEY HAVE ACCESS TO THESE SERVICES.
UM, SO HOPEFULLY WE'LL, WE'LL CONTINUE, BUT, UM, BUT JUST AS BACKGROUND, SO, SO OBVIOUSLY WE ALL KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, UM, UH, SPAY NEUTER IS A REALLY INTEGRAL PART OF MAINTAINING AUSTIN STATUS AS A NO KILL COMMUNITY.
UM, THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAS GROWN A LOT, UM, AND THE NEED FOR THESE SERVICES HAS GROWN ALONG WITH IT.
UM, AND SO THESE ARE REALLY, UM, UPDATES BASICALLY TO SORT OF MAKE THESE, UM, CONTRACTS MORE, YOU KNOW, SORT OF SIMILAR TO, TO WHAT WE, UM, OTHER CONTRACTS.
UM, AND UH, AND UPDATE THEM TO ACCOUNT FOR, FOR THAT GROWING NEED AND TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE SOME, UM, SORT OF INCREASED TRANSPARENCY AS FAR AS REPORTING REQUIREMENTS, UM, BUT ALSO THAT THAT MONEY IS REALLY BEING SPENT WHERE THE NEED IS GREATEST.
UM, SO WE CAN DO THE MOST GOOD WITH, WITH THE DOLLARS WE HAVE.
UM, SO THERE'S THREE SORT OF PROVISIONS HERE AND I CAN JUST WALK THROUGH THEM REALLY BRIEFLY.
UM, THE FIRST ONE IS ADDING PERFORMANCE MEASURES FOR A MINIMUM NUMBER OF SPAY NEUTER SURGERIES TO BE PROVIDED.
UM, AND WE THINK THAT THAT SHOULD BE BROKEN DOWN BY TYPE OF ANIMALS.
SO WE KNOW DOGS VERSUS CATS, UM, SEX MALE OR FEMALE ANIMALS.
AND THEN SIZE WITH REGARDS TO DOGS BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT, UM, THESE ISSUES ARE MOST ACUTE WITH RESPECT TO LARGE BREED, UM, FEMALE DOGS IN PARTICULAR.
UM, SO I, ADDING PERFORMANCE MEASURES TO THIS CONTRACT I THINK IS, IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
UM, THE SECOND PROVISION, UM, DR. BRUCE ALLUDED TO THIS, UM, BUT WE THINK THAT THE SPAY NEUTER FUNDING SHOULD BE ALLOCATED SEPARATELY FROM FUNDING FOR WELLNESS SERVICES.
WE THINK THEY'RE BOTH CRITICALLY IMPORTANT.
THEY BOTH SHOULD BE FUNDED, UM, BUT THEY SHOULD BE FUNDED SEPARATELY SO THAT WE, YOU KNOW, KNOW IF
[01:35:01]
WE ALLOCATE A CERTAIN AMOUNT TO SPAY NEUTER THAT WE'RE SPENDING THAT AMOUNT ON SPAY NEUTER, UM, AND JUST ADD A, A LEVEL OF CLARITY, UM, TO THE CONTRACT, UM, IN THAT RESPECT.AND THEN THE THIRD, UM, REQUIREMENT IS, IS JUST TO ADD QUARTERLY REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.
UM, AND WE THINK THAT IT WOULD BE IDEAL IF THOSE UPDATES WERE DELIVERED, UM, IN PERSON HERE, UH, ONCE EVERY THREE MONTHS.
UM, UH, AND SO THAT WE CAN KNOW BEFORE, UM, IT BECOMES, YOU KNOW, IF WE START, UM, FALLING BEHIND ON GOALS, WE HAVE SOME ADVANCED WARNING.
'CAUSE I THINK WE DON'T WANNA LOSE THE MONEY THAT'S BEEN ALLOCATED TO SPAY NEUTER AND HAVE IT GO BACK TO THE GENERAL FUND BECAUSE IT WASN'T SPENT.
SO TRYING TO STAY AHEAD OF THAT BY KNOWING, UM, IF WE'RE MEETING OUR TARGETS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO IF WE NEED TO BRING IN A THIRD PARTY VENDOR OR DO OTHER THINGS OR UM, YOU KNOW, LOOK AT THIS ISSUE MORE CLOSELY, WE HAVE SOME WARNING TO AVOID, UM, LOSING THAT FUNDING.
UM, SO THOSE ARE THE THREE PROVISIONS THAT ARE HERE.
UM, COMMISSIONER HOLT, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD OR, UM, QUESTIONS FROM EVERYONE? Y'ALL NAILED IT.
UH, I'D LIKE TO HEAR A MOTION, UM, WOULD YOU LIKE TO MOVE TO, UM, TO RECOMMEND TO THE CITY COUNCIL AS, UH, INDICATED IN YOUR BACKUP MATERIAL THAT YOU JUST SUMMARIZED? YES, I WOULD.
DO WE HAVE A SECOND? I'M GONNA GIVE THIS TO COMMISSIONER HOLT SINCE SHE WAS THE FIRST TO PUT HER FINGER ON THE BUTTON.
SORRY, SECOND FROM COMMISSIONER HOLT.
UM, UH, I'M GONNA BE VERY QUICK.
I'LL BE FIRST INSTEAD OF LAST THIS TIME.
THANK YOU FOR PUTTING IT TOGETHER.
THANK YOU FOR MAKING IT VENDOR NEUTRAL.
I THINK THAT'S ACTUALLY REALLY IMPORTANT.
I'M PROUD OF THIS WORK AND I HOPE THAT THAT COUNCIL WILL PASS IT OR, UM, TAKE IT SERIOUSLY.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS OR ANYTHING? UM, JUST EVERYBODY PLEASE.
PLEASE REACH OUT TO YOUR COUNCIL PERSON.
WHAT WE DO IN THIS ROOM FEELS REALLY GOOD.
IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY TECHNICALLY CHANGE ANYTHING.
YOUR COUNCIL PERSON IS THE ONE WHO CAN MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
SO PLEASE REACH OUT SO THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY GET THIS DONE.
I DON'T WANT TO DERAIL ANYTHING AT ALL.
I THINK THIS IS AMAZING WORK AND IS VERY CRITICAL, BUT I WAS NOTICING TODAY WHEN I WAS READING THROUGH THIS 16 REQUIREMENTS FOR REPORTING BY THE ANIMAL SHELTER THAT IT DOES SAY ON OUR MONTHLY REPORT THAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO REPORT THE AMOUNT OF MONEY PAID TO THIRD PARTY PROVIDERS, UM, OF SERVICES OF CITY OPERATED ANIMAL SHELTER FOR SPAYING AND NEUTERING.
AND I FEEL LIKE THAT MIGHT, I DON'T KNOW, IT SEEMS RELATED TO THIS AND IT MIGHT GIVE SOME WEIGHT TO THAT IF I, IF I RECALL THAT LINE CORRECTLY.
AND I'M NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT CONFIDENT I DO, THEY HAVE TO SAY HOW MANY ANIMALS ARE GETTING SPAYED AND NEUTERED.
THEY DO NOT HAVE TO PROVIDE A BREAKDOWN WITH ANY SORT OF PERFORMANCE IN REGARDS TO IF IT'S DOGS, CATS, LARGE, SMALL, ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
UM, THAT MAY BE, BUT THIS, BUT THIS IS SAYING THAT, THAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO GET A REPORT OF THE MONEY PAID TO THIRD PARTY VENDORS.
DO YOU WANNA NOTE FOR THE RECORD THAT THERE IS AN, A CURRENT REQUIREMENT? YEAH.
UH, RELATED, RELATED REQUIREMENT BUT NOT REDUNDANT AND NOT THAT YOU WANT TO CHANGE THE MOTION ANYWAY? NO.
APPRECIATE, APPRECIATE YOU CALLING IT OUT.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE RECOMMENDATION IS THAT IT'S, IT'S ASKING FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND MAKE IT VERY CLEAR.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT, UH, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? UH, ALL RIGHT.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE TEAM AND THANK YOU GUYS VERY MUCH FOR PUTTING THAT TOGETHER.
[9. Approve recommendations on the Fiscal Year 2024-25 Animal Services Budget.]
RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE FISCAL YEAR ANIMAL SERVICES BUDGET.I DON'T KNOW IF WE HAVE A MOTION FROM ANYBODY, DO WE, UH, IF WE DO NOT, DOES ANYBODY WANNA HAVE COMMENTS OR, UH, SHOULD WE JUST MOVE ON? UH, DR. BRUCE? SO I HAD MOTIONS TO DO A WORKING GROUP AND I HAVE HAD ZERO BANDWIDTH.
SO I CAN MOTION TO DISSOLVE THIS WORKING GROUP OR, UH, LET'S JUST SO THAT IT IS NOT A STANDING ITEM.
WELL, THIS IS ACTUALLY NOT A WORKING GROUP.
THIS IS JUST AN APPROVE OF RECOMMENDATIONS IF ANYBODY HAS ANY, UM, THAT WE KEPT ON IN CASE IT WAS NEEDED.
UM, BUT IF THERE'S NOT A MOTION ON TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE BUDGET, WHICH IS WHAT THIS ITEM IS, THEN WE'LL JUST NOT HAVE A VOTE ON THIS.
DOES ANY ANYONE WANNA COMMENT ON THAT? NO.
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
AGENDA ITEMS. ARE THERE ANY NOW OR DOES PEOPLE WANNA SEND IN AN EMAIL? NONE AT THE MOMENT.ERIC, UM, ERIC, I NOTICED BY THE WAY, THAT YOUR PLACARD IS NOT NEARLY AS BEAUTIFUL AS COMMISSIONER HOAX PLACARD, AND I FEEL LIKE IT'S BECAUSE I MADE MINE.
I FEEL LIKE YOU NEED TO HAVE SOME MORE PULL AROUND HERE,
IT'S BECAUSE SADIE KINDLY MADE COMMISSIONER HOAX AND I MADE MY OWN IN ABOUT TWO MINUTES BEFORE
[01:40:01]
YOU NEED TO TALK.YOU NEED TO TALK TO SADIE BECAUSE YOU'RE, UM, I'M NOT GONNA, I'M NOT TRYING TO CRITICIZE YOU.
I WOULD LIKE A MOTION TO ADJOURN.
UH, SO MOVED BY COMMISSIONER LINDER.
IS THERE A SECOND? UH, DR. NELSON.
PERS BUT HER HAND, UH, UNANIMOUS.