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[CALL TO ORDER]
IS THE AUGUST 11TH, 2025 MEETING OF THE TRAVIS COUNTY, AUSTIN ANIMAL ADVISORY COMMISSION.UH, WE HAVE FIRST WE'LL DO ROLE, UM, I'M RYAN CLINTON.
IT LISTS ME AS THE CHAIR, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT'S TECHNICALLY TRUE.
UH, THIS IS NANCY, ER, PRESENT? I DON'T THINK SO.
UM, COMMISSIONER DEDAS PRESENT.
COMMISSIONER LINDER, WE CANNOT HEAR YOU.
I CAN READ YOUR LIP OR WE CANNOT HEAR YOU.
COMMISSIONER LINDER, WE CAN'T HEAR YET.
I'LL MARK YOU DOWN AS PRESENT FROM THE, CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? OKAY.
COMMISSIONER FERGUSON PRESENT.
COMMISSIONER HUDDLESTON PRESENT.
DID I PRONOUNCE YOUR NAME CORRECTLY? LOMAN CLOSE LOMAN.
WE JUST HAD A WHOLE DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT.
AND DID I PRONOUNCE YOUR NAME CORRECTLY? YOU DID.
UM, BEFORE WE CALL, UH, THE PUBLIC COMMUNICATION, I JUST LIKE TO REMIND PEOPLE EVERY NOW AND THEN, UM, AND THE, AND THE COMMUNITY THAT WE ARE A COMMISSION OF VOLUNTEERS.
WE HAVE NO POWER OVER THE CITY.
WE HAVE NO POWER OVER THE CITY STAFF.
UM, WHAT WE CAN DO IS MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE CITY COUNCIL AND TO THE TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, BUT WE HAVE NO ABILITY OR AUTHORITY TO MAKE FINAL DECISIONS OR TO ORDER STAFF TO DO ANYTHING.
SO I LIKE TO REMIND PEOPLE OF THAT IN CASE IT AFFECTS WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SAY.
[PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL]
SIGN UP, UM, WE HAVE, UH, SUSIE CHASE FROM AUSTIN PETS ALIVE.IS SHE HERE? SUSIE DID ASK IF SHE COULD GO LAST.
SHE, I BELIEVE, IS IN TRANSIT.
MY NAME IS HEATHER MYERS AND I'M HERE TO ADDRESS THE CONTINUED DECLINE OF A A C OPERATIONS UNDER INTERIM CHIEF ORLANDO FERNANDEZ.
SINCE APRIL, 2025, WHEN THE INTERIM CHIEF TOOK OVER A, A C HAS FAILED MONTH AFTER MONTH TO MEET THE CITY'S 95% LIVE OUTCOME GOAL.
THE NATIONAL MINIMUM TO BE CONSIDERED NO KILL.
THAT IS NOT JUST A DISAPPOINTING STATISTIC.
IT IS A BREACH OF THE COMMITMENT THIS CITY MADE DECADES AGO WHEN ADOPTING THE NO-KILL PLAN.
LET'S BE CLEAR, I DO NOT MEAN THIS TO BE A PERSONAL ATTACK.
HIS BACKGROUND IS IN PROCUREMENT AND CONSTRUCTION, NOT ANIMAL WELFARE OR SHELTER OPERATIONS.
HE HAS NEVER LED AN ANIMAL CARE FACILITY AND HE LACKS THE KNOWLEDGE TO RECOGNIZE THE CRITICAL GAPS IN HIS OWN LEADERSHIP TEAM.
THIS ISN'T JUST AN EXPERIENCE, IT'S THE WRONG PERSON IN THE WRONG ROLE AT THE WRONG TIME.
AACS ADOPTED MISSION IS TO PROVIDE PUB A PUBLIC SERVICE IN SAFETY NET FOR LOST AND HOMELESS ANIMALS BY ENSURING FOOD, WATER, SHELTER, AND VETERINARY CARE.
YET THE INTERIM CHIEF HAS PROPOSED BUDGET CUTS THAT CONTRADICT THAT MISSION, INCLUDING CUTS TO VETERINARY SERVICES.
AND AFTER HOURS EMERGENCY CARE FOR LOST AND FOUND ANIMALS.
THESE CUTS WILL HARM ANIMALS, ALLOW WORSENING MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCREASE DEATHS, AND FURTHER DEGRADE THE LIVE OUTCOME RATE, ALL WHILE SHIFTING MORE BURDEN ONTO THE TAXPAYERS TO MANAGE ANIMALS FOUND ON THE STREET IN NEED.
WE ALL KNOW THAT THE SYSTEM HE INHERITED WAS, WAS ALREADY FAILING FOR MORE THAN FIVE YEARS.
THE PRIOR CHIEF ANIMAL OFFICER FAILED TO MEET KEY OPERATIONAL GOALS.
FAILURE THAT THIS COMMISSION IS KEENLY AWARE OF.
NOTABLY, THE SAME LEADERSHIP TEAM THAT OVERSAW THOSE RESULTS.
THEY REMAIN IN PLACE TODAY MAKING THE SAME DECISIONS, THE SAME OUTCOMES, AND WITHOUT THE EXPERTISE TO CHALLENGE OR TO REFORM THEM.
THE INTERIM CHIEF HAS BEEN UNABLE OR PERHAPS UNWILLING TO MAKE THE SWEEPING CHANGES NECESSARY TO REVERSE COURSE EVERY MONTH WITHOUT QUALIFIED LEADERSHIP MEANS MORE ANIMALS LOST A CONTINUATION OF PUB, A BROKEN PUBLIC TRUST AND DEEPER DAMAGE TO AUSTIN'S NO KILL STANDING.
THE SHELTER IS NOT FAILING BECAUSE THE COMMUNITY DOESN'T CARE.
IT'S FAILING BECAUSE A LACK OF CAPABLE LEADERSHIP AT THE TOP
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THIS COMMISSION MUST ENCOURAGE.I KNOW YOU CAN'T DEMAND MUST ENCOURAGE THAT THE CITY HIRE A CHIEF ANIMAL OFFICER WITH PROVEN SHELTER MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE AND THE COURAGE TO MAKE THE CHANGES.
A A C DESPERATELY NEEDS THE ANIMAL TO BOSTON CANNOT WAIT.
WHILE THE CITY EXPERIMENTS WITH UNQUALIFIED LEADERSHIP, THE TIME FOR PATIENCE HAS LONG, LONG PASSED.
MAY I A FOLLOW UP QUESTION? YES.
YOU ARE YOU WILLING TO ANSWER A FOLLOW UP QUESTION? SURE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING AND SPEAKING.
UM, I WAS JUST WONDERING IF YOU REFERRED TO 90% BEING THE NATIONAL MINIMUM TO BE CONSIDERED NO KILL.
I WAS JUST CURIOUS IF YOU HAD A REFERENCE FOR WHO AND HOW THAT, WHO ESTABLISHED THAT AND HOW, HOW IT WAS ESTABLISHED.
I, I DON'T HAVE THE REFERENCE.
IT, IT CAN CERTAINLY BE, I THINK, UH, DOCUMENTED BY A PA BUT I KNOW THAT WHEN WE ROLLED OUT THE NO KILL PLAN, I THINK IT WAS 2010, UM, THAT WAS, THAT WAS THE, THE REQUIREMENT TO HIT 90% IN THIS COUNTRY MEANT YOU WERE NO KILL.
SO, I, I CAN CERTAINLY FOLLOW UP.
AND I, I KNOW Y'ALL, UH, GOT CANNED AT, AT THE, UH, SPA AND NEUTER CLINIC.
I'M STILL GONNA BE HERE 'CAUSE I'M FOR OUR SHELTER.
AND I TOLD MR. FERNANDO I WOULD BE HERE AND FIGHT FOR IT BECAUSE EVERY ONE OF US ARE PAYING TAXES TOWARDS THAT THING.
WE SHOULD ALL REALIZE, WE SHOULD ALL WANNA FIGHT FOR OUR SHELTER.
AND I AM STILL MESSING WITH CATS.
AND I WOULD, I'M, I'M GONNA BRING IT UP SO YOU'LL KNOW THE TWO WOMEN THAT WORKED THE SHELTER ON THAT.
I GAVE THEM A NAME OF A LADY THAT WAS I WAS TRAPPING FOR.
I GOT HER MAMA CATS AND ONE MAMA HAD JUST HAD HER BABIES IN THE WOODS.
DIDN'T KNOW WHERE THEY WERE, BUT WE GOT HER FIXED.
AND I PROMISED HER WHEN THE KITTENS CAME UP, I WOULD COME GET 'EM.
I GAVE THE INFORMATION TO VICTORIA AND ALYSSA WASN'T THERE, BUT VICTORIA GOT IT.
THE LADY'S NAME, ADDRESS, AND PHONE NUMBER.
AS OF THIS DATE, THEY HAVE NOT MADE AN EFFORT TO DO ANYTHING.
AND I WANNA TELL ALL OF YOU, NOBODY GOES TO DEL VALLEY, GARFIELD, ELROY CREEDMORE, NOBODY.
THEY DON'T WANNA COME OUT TO US.
I WENT AND DID IT AND I PAID THE $20 EACH.
I PAID IT MYSELF BECAUSE I WAS NOT GONNA LEAVE MY CUSTOMER.
AND THESE KITTENS WERE FOUR MONTHS OLD.
THE MAIL WAS DEFINITELY READY FOR BREEDING.
NOW I, 'CAUSE I, IF I START SOMETHING, I WANNA FINISH IT NOW.
I TOLD MR. FERNANDO, I AM UPSET AND WE SHOULD ALL BE UPSET 'CAUSE THEY WANNA CHANGE THE LOGO FOR THE AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER.
THAT DOG, CAT, AND RABBIT DOESN'T NEED TO BE CHANGED.
THAT MONEY FOR THAT BEING SPENT, THEY NEED WASHERS.
I KNOW THEY HAVE TWO WASHERS FOR THAT LARGE SHELTER.
THEY NEED THREE MORE WASHERS AND THREE MORE DRYERS.
I GOT THAT WOMAN CAUSED ALL THAT PROBLEM.
LILY TOOK ME THROUGH THE COMPLEX OUT THROUGH THE CARPORT.
IT'S A SHAME IT WOULD COVER THIS WHOLE SECTION HERE.
SIX, SEVEN FEET HIGH, FULL OF LAUNDRY.
THEY DON'T, THEY, THAT TWO WASHERS CANNOT DO IT.
AND THE MONEY BEING WASTED ON THAT LOGO NEEDS TO GO TOWARDS WASHERS.
'CAUSE THAT'S GONNA BE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS WASTED BECAUSE THEY NEED TO GET THAT DONE.
AND THAT SHELTER NEEDS THE MONEY.
AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT HE'S CANNED, WHAT THAT LADY WAS TALKING ABOUT, BUT I'M TELLING YOU THIS, THIS SHELTER NEEDS THAT REAL BAD BECAUSE SOMETHING IS GROWING IN THAT STUFF.
AND SHELLY, I ALSO HAVE YOU DOWN FOR TWO AND SIX.
DO YOU WANT TO DO THOSE NOW OR DO YOU WANNA DO THOSE WHEN THEY COME UP? UH, UH, WHEN THEY COME UP, IF THAT'S OKAY.
AND I GUESS BY NOW YOU ALL KNOW I'M A VOLUNTEER AT AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER FOR THE LAST FIVE PLUS YEARS.
I'M ASKING THE MEMBERS OF THIS COMMISSION TO STRONGLY ENCOURAGE THEIR APPOINTING CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS TO RESTORE FUNDING FOR EMERGENCY VETERINARY SERVICES FOR LOST AND INJURED ANIMALS.
AND THIS HAS ALREADY BEEN SAID THIS EVENING, BUT AACS MISSION IS TO PROVIDE PUBLIC SERVICE
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IN A SAFETY NET FOR LOST AND HOMELESS ANIMALS IN THE COMMUNITY.ELIMINATING FUNDING FOR EMERGENCY VETERINARY SERVICES IN DIRECT CONFLICT WITH AACS MISSION.
THIS SERVICE DOES NOT GO ABOVE AND BEYOND.
IT LITERALLY IS THE MISSION COMPLETELY ELIMINATING.
THE SERVICE OF THE RESIDENTS OF AUSTIN WILL PUT 100% OF THE BURDEN ON THE PUBLIC FOR SICK AND INJURED ANIMALS FOUND OUTSIDE THE OPEN HOURS FOR A A C.
IN MY OPINION, THE PUBLIC ALREADY TAKES ON TOO MUCH OF THE BURDEN THAT IS A, A C'S RESPONSIBILITY BY TAKING IN HEALTHY STRAY ANIMALS THAT'LL REFUSE INTAKE BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE SPACE AND LEAVING ANIMALS TO SUFFER AND DIE ON THE STREETS BECAUSE THEY AREN'T TECHNICALLY OWNED BY THE CITY AND THEREFORE WOULD NOT AFFECT OUR 95% LIVE RELEASE RATE IS CONTRARY TO HOW MOST RESIDENTS OF AUSTIN WANT ANIMALS TO BE TREATED, QUITE FRANKLY, IS INHUMANE.
USING A TECHNICALITY TO SHIFT THE BURDEN FROM THE CITY TO THE PUBLIC IS UNACCEPTABLE.
THIS LASER FOCUS ON 95% LIVE RELEASE RATE AND BEING A NO KILL SHELTER LOSES SIGHT OF THE FACT THAT WE ARE STILL RESPONSIBLE AND NEED TO TAKE CARE OF THE STRAY ANIMALS REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THEY MAKE IT INTO THE SHELTER SYSTEM.
WE ALREADY TURN AWAY ENOUGH HEALTHY STRAY ANIMALS IN THE NAME OF NO KILL.
AND THAT'S WHY SOME PEOPLE CALL IT SLOW KILL.
WE SHOULD NOT DO THE SAME FOR SICK AND INJURED ANIMALS.
UM, THANK YOU FOR HAVING THIS MEETING TONIGHT.
UM, I WANT TO, UH, MAYBE ANSWER THE QUESTION THAT DR. NELSON HAD EARLIER.
IT'S THE NO KILL ADVOCACY CENTER THAT CAME UP WITH THE 90% NO KILL STANDARD.
AND IT'S ONE THAT THE AMERICAN HUMANE SOCIETY FREQUENTLY REFERENCES.
BUT I ALSO WANTED TO TALK ABOUT, UM, THE DECLINING CONDITIONS AT A A C SINCE THE INTERIM CHIEF TOOK OVER IN APRIL.
BEFORE APRIL, WE HAD OVER 95% LIVE OUTCOME RATE.
THERE'S NOT BEEN ONE MONTH SINCE, UH, THE TAKEOVER SINCE THAT WE'VE HAD 95% LIVE OUTCOMES.
AND IN FACT, JUNE, I THINK YOU HEARD, WAS BELOW THE 90% NATIONAL STANDARD.
UM, EVEN THOUGH THAT THEY'VE MADE PUBLIC ASSURANCES THAT THE, FOR THE YEAR A A C WILL BE AT 95%, THE MATH DOESN'T WORK.
THIS FISCAL YEAR TO DATE, WE'RE AT ABOUT 93.5%.
AND AUGUST IS ON TRACK TO BE WORSE.
SO THE AVERAGES AND THE NUMBERS JUST DON'T LIE.
UM, TRANSPARENCY IS A SERIOUS ISSUE.
DOGS WITH MINOR BEHAVIOR CONCERNS ARE FLAGGED FOR EUTHANASIA OR INDEFINITE QUARANTINE.
YET THERE ARE STILL NO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES GOVERNING HOW THOSE DECISIONS ARE MADE.
I SUBMITTED A PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST IN JULY FOR THE UPDATED BEHAVIOR AND EUTHANASIA RISK ASSESSMENT MATRIX AND SOPS.
I GOT THE MATRIX, NO SOPS WHEN I SUBMITTED THE EXACT SAME REQUEST IN AUGUST FOR, FOR JULY'S DATA.
I GOT A RESPONSE, UM, THAT THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT, EVEN THOUGH THEY ANSWERED IT IN THE PRIOR MONTH.
THE RESPONSE NOW IS OVERDUE UNDER STATE LAW.
I SUBMITTED A PR PIR, UH, REGARDING HEARTWORM TESTING.
AND WHEN PREVENTATIVE MEDICATION WAS ADMINISTERED TO HEARTWORM POSITIVE DOGS THAT PPIR WAS MET WITH, THIS WILL TAKE TOO LONG TO PULL TOGETHER.
THAT'S NOT JUST DISMISSIVE, IT'S ALARMING, ESPECIALLY HOW CRI UH, GIVEN HOW CRITICAL HEARTWORM TREATMENT IS TO HUMANE CARE.
AND I WANNA THANK Y'ALL FOR TAKING UP THIS ISSUE TONIGHT.
DOGS ARE BEING KEPT IN WIRE CRATES IN THE CONFERENCE ROOM FOR 24 HOURS A DAY.
UH, AND IF STAFF IS WALKING 'EM, THEY GET OUT FOR FIVE MINUTE BREAKS THROUGHOUT THE DAY, FOUR TIMES A DAY AT MOST, FOUR TIMES.
SO THEY GET OUT FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES A DAY.
UM, IT IS ALARMING, UH, WHAT I SEE ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS THERE.
I DO GO THERE EVERY DAY, LITERALLY EVERY DAY BECAUSE I CARE ABOUT THE DOGS THAT I WALK.
I CARE ABOUT THE CATS AS WELL.
SHELLY KNOWS I STARTED OUT WITH THE CATS AND I MOVED TO THE DOGS.
UM, I KNOW YOU DON'T HAVE POWER, BUT YOU HAVE INFLUENCE.
ALL OF YOU HAVE INFLUENCE AND YOU WERE APPOINTED BY FOLKS.
I ALSO WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT THIS COMMISSION VOTED, UM, DOWN A MEASURE THAT WAS GOING TO TAKE AWAY THE NOTIFICATION FOR SPAY ABORTS RESCUE NOTIFICATION, UM, THAT WAS PUT IN A BUDGET RESOLUTION AND WILL BE VOTED ON THIS WEEK BY CITY COUNCIL BYPASSING Y'ALL.
SO THE THING THAT Y'ALL VOTED DOWN IS GOING DIRECTLY TO CITY COUNCIL.
UM, AND THEY WILL BE VOTING ON IT BY RESOLUTION.
UM, I'LL REITERATE WHAT, UM, OTHERS HAVE SAID.
THIS BUDGET ADDS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN ADMINISTRATIVE SPENDING AND IT'S STRIPPING FUNDS FOR LIFE SAVING MEDICAL CARE AND INTAKE CARE.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY.
I'M HERE TO ASK YOU TO USE YOUR INFLUENCE TO ENSURE THAT VETERINARY SERVICES AT AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER ARE PROPERLY FUNDED IN THE UPCOMING BUDGET.
SPECIALTY SERVICES SURGERIES ARE BEING CUT AS A COST SAVING MEASURE, AND ANIMALS ARE PAYING THE PRICE.
I WANNA TELL YOU ABOUT ONE OF MY FAVORITE DOGS, LICORICE AND AKITA, WHO LOVES SWIMMING, RUNNING, AND ROLLING AROUND WITH HIS FAVORITE TOYS.
[00:15:01]
WAS ONE OF ONLY TWO VOLUNTEERS WALKING HIM REGULARLY.ON JULY 15TH, HE BECAME EXTREMELY LETHARGIC AND HAD SEVERE VOMITING AND DIARRHEA.
FOLLOWING PROTOCOL, I SUBMITTED A PINK SLIP.
SIX SLIPS WERE SUBMITTED BY BOTH MYSELF AND MY FELLOW LICORICE WALKER.
YET HE RECEIVED NO VETERINARY EXAM.
ONLY AFTER WE REACHED OUT DIRECTLY AND PLEADED WITH VETERINARY SERVICES, DID HE GET EVALUATED.
THEY DISCOVERED A TOY SQUEAKER LODGE IN HIS INTESTINE, CAUSING A LIFE-THREATENING CONDITION CALLED BLOAT.
FOR THOSE UNFAMILIAR UNTREATED BLOAT CAN CAUSE THE STOMACH TO TWIST AND CONTORT CUTTING OFF BLOOD FLOW AND KILLING TISSUE.
IT'S EXCRUCIATING AND OFTEN FATAL.
INSTEAD OF TREATING HIM A, A C TRANSFERRED HIM TO AUSTIN PETS ALIVE THAT SAME DAY.
BY THE NEXT MORNING, THEIR VETS HAD PERFORMED LIFE-SAVING SURGERY AND REMOVED BARB HISS INTESTINE.
HE SURVIVED NOT BECAUSE OF A'S CARE, BUT IN SPITE OF ITS FAILURE.
CUTTING VETERINARY CARE TO SAVE MONEY IS NOT JUST IN INEFFICIENT, IT'S INHUMANE.
PRIORITIZING ADMINISTRATIVE SALARIES OVER ANIMAL LIVES AS A BETRAYAL OF PUBLIC TRUST AND A DISSERVICE TO AUSTIN'S PETS.
PLEASE DO EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER TO ENSURE THAT VETERINARY SERVICES RECEIVE FULL FUNDING IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET.
ANIMALS LIKE LICORICE ARE COUNTING ON YOU.
I'LL GO TO THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES.
ITEM NUMBER ONE, APPROVE THE MINUTES CHAIR.
THERE WAS ONE OTHER PERSON WHO JUST ARRIVED.
CHAIR, VICE CHAIR AND ANIMAL ADVISORY COMMISSIONERS.
I'M SUSIE CHASE, A DISTRICT 10 RESIDENT AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS OFFICER AT AUSTIN PETS LIVE.
I'M HERE TODAY TO SHARE SOME HAPPY NEWS.
ON MAY 30TH, AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER TOOK IN A STRAY DOG WITH LIVE FLEAS, WHO HAS SINCE BEEN NAMED MANGO LEMON.
THE NEXT DAY, A VETERINARIAN AT AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER SAID THE FIVE-YEAR-OLD DOG WAS LIKELY PREGNANT.
AND THERE WAS A NOTE TO CALL AUSTIN PETS ALIVE.
A PA TOOK IN THE VERY PREGNANT DOG AND A WEEK LATER SHE HAD 11 HEALTHY PUPPIES.
THIS PAST SATURDAY NIGHT, I TOOK FOUR OF THOSE PUPPIES TO THE AUSTIN FC MATCH.
THEY WERE HONORARY MASCOTS AND ONE OF THEM WAS NAMED HUEY LEWIS AND THE SNOOZE.
AND HE HAS SINCE BEEN ADOPTED.
I SHARE THIS WITH YOU SO WE CAN TOGETHER CELEBRATE THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT A STRAY DOG MAKING IT TO SAFETY, BUT ALSO TO RECOMMEND THAT ALL OF THE CANDIDATES WHO ARE VYING TO BE THE NEXT CHAIR OF THE ANIMAL ADVISORY COMMISSION SHOULD TAKE A PUBLIC STANCE TO SUPPORT THE CITY'S CODE SECTION 19 DASH THREE DASH 23 A MANDATING THAT VISIBLY PREGNANT ANIMALS AT THE CITY SHELTER BE OFFERED TO RESCUE ORGANIZATIONS.
THE AUSTIN CITY CODE REQUIRES A A C TO PROVIDE A REQUEST TO RESCUE GROUPS BEFORE BEING EUTHANIZED OR STERILIZED UNLESS A MEDICAL EXCEPTION IS GRANTED BY A VETERINARIAN.
AS OF TODAY, AUSTIN PETS ALIVE HAS TAKEN IN 100% OF THE PREGNANT DOGS AND CATS IN 2025 THAT A A C HAS NOTIFIED US ABOUT.
WE BELIEVE THE NEXT CHAIR SHOULD DECLARE THAT THEY WILL NOT UNDERMINE THAT PART OF THE CITY'S CODE.
ADDITIONALLY, AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL MADE A COMMITMENT IN 2019 TO OFFICIALLY MANDATE A 95% OR GREATER LIVE RELEASE RATE FOR THE AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER.
IN THE INTEREST OF FULL TRANSPARENCY, I WAS WORKING AT CITY HALL AT THAT TIME AS AN EMPLOYEE NOW AT YOUR LARGEST RESCUE PARTNER.
I'M ASKING ANY OF YOU WHO WISH TO BE THE NEXT CHAIR TO FIRST PUBLICLY COMMIT TO UPHOLDING THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL'S VOTE TO SUPPORT A 95% LIVE RELEASE RATE.
AUSTIN PETS ALIVE HAS AN AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
WE COMMIT TO TAKING IN 12% OF AACS ANIMALS, AND WE HAVE BEEN TAKING IN ON AVERAGE 18% OF AACS SICK, PREGNANT, NURSING, INJURED BEHAVIOR, AND OTHER DOGS AND CATS.
WE ARE DOING MORE THAN OUR PART.
AND WE'RE ASKING ANYONE INTERESTED IN BEING THE NEXT CHAIR OF THE ANIMAL ADVISORY COMMISSION TO PLEASE COMMIT TO THE ABSOLUTE MINIMUM THAT AUSTIN RESIDENTS WANT FOR THE UNHOUSED ANIMALS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
WOULD YOU WANT, WOULD YOU ALLOW A FOLLOW UP QUESTION? A ABSOLUTELY CLARIFICATION QUESTION, CLARIFICATION QUESTION.
UM, YOU, I BELIEVE YOU USED THE F USED THE PHRASE, UM, NINE REQUIRED 95% LIVE OUTCOME.
IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THAT'S A GOAL AND NOT A REQUIREMENT OF THE, OF THE ORDINANCE.
DO I HAVE THAT WRONG? DO YOU KNOW? UM, I WOULD ASK MR. FERNANDEZ AND MR. GARZA.
UM, OR I WOULD GO AND LOOK UP THE 2019, UM, RESOLUTION THAT WAS AGREED UPON BY THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
UM, IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE WERE MEETING ALREADY BEFORE.
IT WAS SOMETHING THAT THE COUNCIL DISCUSSED IN 2019.
SO I WOULD TURN TO OUR LEADERSHIP TO FIND OUT WHAT THE EXACT WORDING IS.
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ANIMAL SERVICES OFFICER.THE GOAL IS 95% GOAL 95, BUT NOT A REQUIREMENT.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OH, AND, AND ALSO JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I HEARD THIS.
A PA UH, HAS AGREED TO TAKE IN 12% OF ALL OF AACS INTAKE.
IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT IT'S 12% FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
IT'S 12% OF THE PREVIOUS YEAR'S INTAKE.
12% OF THE PREVIOUS YEAR'S INTAKE.
AND THE INTAKE INCLUDES PERFECTLY HEALTHY ANIMALS AS WELL? YES.
AS THE, AS THE SPECIAL CASES YOU MENTIONED, YOU MENTIONED VISIBLY PREGNANT, SICK, INJURED BEHAVIOR CASES.
AND YOU SAID YOU'D TAKEN 18% OF THE ONES WE REQUEST YOU TO TAKE OF THE, OF THAT SUBSET.
UM, WE'VE BEEN TAKING IN 18% OF THE INTAKE NUMBER FROM LAST YEAR.
SO THAT INCLUDES, FOR EXAMPLE, ONE WEEKEND.
UM, 18% OF TOTAL INTAKE IS YOUR CLAIM.
HEY, JUST LET'S, WE'RE SUPPOSED TO DO CLARIFICATION QUESTIONS, NOT THIS, THIS IS CLARIFICATION.
NO, WE'RE WE'VE GOTTEN INTO DEBATE.
IF YOU WANT TO ASK HER A QUESTION AND LET HER ANSWER THE QUESTION, IF SHE CHOOSES TO ANSWER CLARIFICATION, THAT'S FINE.
THIS PUBLIC COMMENT IS NOT AN OPPORTUNITY FOR DEBATE ABOUT POLICY.
FROM THE DEBATE, IT WAS CLARIFICATION CHAIR.
JUST NOTING THAT COMMISSIONER NEHMER HAS JOINED US ONLINE.
[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
MINUTES, APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE ANIMAL ADVISORY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING ON JULY 14TH, 2025.COMMISSIONER HOLT IS OUR SECOND, UH, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION OR COMMENTS? THEY APPEARED CORRECT TO ME, BUT DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY ELSE HAD ANY COMMENTS OR DISCUSSION.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? THAT IS UNANIMOUS.
MISS, WITH THE ENTIRE COMMISSION.
[2. Staff briefing regarding monthly reports provided by Rolando Fernandez, Interim Chief Animal Services Officer, Animal Services Office.]
NUMBER TWO.UM, AND WE HAVE A PUBLIC COMMENT.
UM, I'M HERE SPEAKING AGAIN ON ITEMS ITEM TWO THIS WEEK OR THIS MONTH ABOUT THE STATISTICAL REPORT FOR A SO REGARDING UNASSISTED DEATHS AT A A C OR IN FOSTER.
AND I SPOKE LAST MONTH ABOUT THIS WHEN THE NUMBER SHOWED 66 UNASSISTED DEATHS IN JUNE, WHICH WAS WAY OUTTA LINE WITH THE PRIOR YEARS OF IN JUNE.
SO IT CANNOT BE ATTRIBUTED TO SEASONAL REASONS LIKE KITTEN SEASON FADING, UH, NEONATAL KITTENS, THAT SORT OF THING.
SO I'M HOPING FOR EXPLANATION FROM A C TONIGHT.
I KNOW LAST MONTH THAT DEPUTY DIRECTOR, UH, JASON GARZA STATED HE BELIEVED THAT OVER 20 OF THOSE UNASSISTED DEATHS OCCURRED BEFORE THEY OFFICIALLY OWNED BY A A C.
AND THAT'S STILL LEFT, UH, CLOSE TO 40 WHO DIED IN THEIR KENNELS OR IN FOSTER, WHICH IS REALLY CONCERNING.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, LAST MONTH IN JULY, IT WAS A TRENDING CONTINUED.
UH, WERE, WERE NOT, THERE WERE NOT NEONATAL KITTENS.
THERE WERE, BUT 11 WERE ADULTS IN COMPARISON TO PRIOR YEARS JULY OF LAST YEAR, THERE WERE ONLY 15 TOTAL UNASSISTED DEATHS, NONE OF WHICH WERE ADULT CATS.
IN JULY OF 23, THERE WERE ONLY 13, TWO OF WHICH WERE ADULT CATS.
SO AGAIN, I'M HOPING FROM FOR SOME SORT OF EXPLANATION AS TO WHY THIS CONCERNING TREND IS CONTINUING AND WHAT WE'RE DOING TO ADDRESS IT.
IF THERE'S SOMETHING WE NEED TO DO FROM A POLICY PERSPECTIVE THAT THE COMMISSION COULD SUPPORT THAT COUNCIL SUPPORT, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR IT.
'CAUSE I'M GETTING RARELY CONCERNED ABOUT ANIMALS JUST DYING WITHOUT ANY, UM, WITHOUT BEING A, LIKE A HUMANE EUTHANASIA.
WOULD YOU, WOULD YOU ALLOW A FOLLOW UP QUESTION? YEAH, SURE.
COMMISSIONER HALL, UM, I KNOW THAT YOU VOLUNTEER CLOSELY AT THE SHELTER.
WAS THERE AN OUTBREAK? 11 ADULT CAT KITTENS, KITTENS SEASON? THAT'S ROUGH.
11 ADULT CATS IS REALLY CONCERNING.
I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY OUTBREAKS OF ANY, YOU KNOW, PAM, LUKE USUALLY HAS KITTENS.
UM, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF UPPER, A LOT OF UPPER RESPIRATORY.
AS WE GET MORE CROWDED, THAT HAPPENS, BUT I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR COMMENT.
I BELIEVE WE'RE PREVENTED FROM ALLOWING PUBLIC COMMENT ON STAFF BRIEFINGS.
AND AN ORDINANCE WAS PASSED TO UPDATE IT RECENTLY.
SO I CAN'T TALK ON THIS ONE ANYMORE.
[00:25:04]
YOU OKAY TO DO IT AGAIN? OKAY.UH, MR. FERNANDEZ, DO YOU WANNA SPEAK? UH, GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.
JASON GAR WITH ANIMAL SERVICES.
UM, SO, UH, JUST TO JUMP ON A LITTLE BIT, I, I MENTIONED, I, I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT BEING HERE LAST MONTH.
IT MAY HAVE HEARD ME, WE DID LOOK INTO THAT.
WHAT WE WERE FINDING IS THAT WE WERE IMPOUNDING STAFF WAS IMPOUNDING IT WRONG.
WE WERE GETTING A LOT OF ANIMALS THAT WERE BEING BROUGHT TO US, UH, DEAD ON ARRIVAL.
AND THAT'S SORT OF WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE.
SO THE INITIAL REPORT THAT WAS SENT I HAD, WAS OUT THE LATTER PART OF LAST WEEK.
SO I WAS TRYING TO GET EVERYTHING DONE SO Y'ALL COULD GET IT.
UH, THE INITIAL LIVE OUTCOME RATE WAS 90%, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY, ONCE WE'VE CORRECTED THOSE, THOSE, UM, RECORDS.
THE, UH, FOR THIS MONTH IT WAS 94.27%.
AND TO BREAK IT DOWN, JUST SO THAT WAS 96 FOR DOGS AND 93 FOR CATS.
AND SO WE ARE STILL SEEING A TREND OF ANIMALS THAT, YOU KNOW, FOR WHATEVER REASON, HIT BY A CAR KITTENS FAILING, WHATNOT THROUGH A LOT OF EMERGENCY CASES AT VET SERVICES.
ELLIOT ABOUT THIS, JUST TO SEE WHAT SHE'S SEEN.
UM, THAT, THAT, ALTHOUGH WE HAVE IMPROVED OVER THIS LAST MONTH, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE STILL SEEING THAT, YOU KNOW, 93%, IT'S ABOVE.
IT'S NOT QUITE 95, BUT, YOU KNOW, AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT WHERE WE WANT TO BE JUST YET.
SO JUST TO GIVE YOU THAT POINT OF CLARIFICATION FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, UM, WE'RE ALSO GONNA DO THINGS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY.
A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY FOR Y'ALL.
SO IF Y'ALL HAVE FEEDBACK ON IT, WE APPRECIATE IT.
SO THIS IS HOW WE'RE, IT'S CREATED A LITTLE PRESENTATION FOR Y'ALL FOR REPORTING, RATHER THAN JUST HEARING ME SPEAK.
I KNOW I CAN GET ANNOYING PRETTY A LITTLE BIT, SO, UH, FOR THIS MONTH, IF IT WORKS.
UH, SO WE CREATED THIS, THIS, UH, PRESENTATION.
SO, LIKE I MENTIONED, IT WAS 94.27%, SO ACTUALLY 94.3.
UH, WE HAD THOUSAND OVER A THOUSAND HOURS BROUGHT TO THE SHELTER.
UH, WE HAD A GOOD MONTH FOR ADOPTIONS WHERE WE HAD 600, 767 ANIMALS THAT WERE ADOPTED.
UM, WE WERE ABLE TO REUNITE 82 DOGS AND CATS TO THEIR OWNER.
UM, THE BREAKDOWN OF THE, UH, FROM PREVIOUS MONTH, WE HAD 1,530 ANIMALS IN OUR INVENTORY AT THE START OF THE MONTH.
AND BY AUGUST 1ST, WE WERE ABLE TO CUT IT DOWN A LITTLE BIT TO 1306.
I WILL SAY THAT FOR JULY, WE ACTUALLY WERE ABLE TO SEE A SURPLUS.
USUALLY WE'VE BEEN TRENDING WITH A NEGATIVE AT THE END.
UNFORTUNATELY THOUGH IT WAS ALL CATS.
SO WE HAD ABOUT 251 MORE CATS GO OUT.
AND WE WERE NEGATIVE TWO ON DOGS.
SO, BUT STILL A PRO SURPLUS OF 2 49.
UM, WITH ANIMAL PROTECTION, WE HAD 12, UH, OWNERS RE OR ANIMALS RETURNED IN THE FIELD.
UM, WE DID IMPOUND, UH, 24 ANIMALS AND WE COLLECTED 40, UH, RABIES SPECIMENS.
UH, VOLUNTEERS AGAIN, UM, GOT US OUT FROM, FROM HOLES TO HELP OUT AND THEY CONTRIBUTED OVER 7,000 HOURS.
WE DID, UH, HAVE FOUR ORIENTATIONS OVER THE MONTH TO HOPEFULLY GET 123 MORE POTENTIAL VOLUNTEERS TO US.
UM, WE HAD, UH, 27 INDIVIDUALS DONATE 54 HOURS FOR OUR GROUP VOLUNTEER SERVICE OPTIONS.
UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, OUR SOCIAL MEDIA REACH, UH, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, WE'RE, WE'RE GETTING A NUMBER OF VIEWS.
UM, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE HAVE OUR, UH, UM, PLEAS FOR, FOR HELP WITH SPACE EMERGENCY FOSTERING, THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
WE GET A LOT OF, OF TRACTION WITH THAT AND, UH, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY SEE, GET US OUT OF WHERE WE'RE HAVING TO HAVE ANIMALS AND CRATES FOR A LITTLE BIT OF TIME, HOPEFULLY GET THEM OUT OR BUILD SPACE SO THAT WAY WE CAN MOVE THINGS AROUND.
WITHIN OUR FOSTER UNIT, UH, WE HAD 13 DIFFERENT RESCUE PARTNERS PULL OVER 300 ANIMALS FOR US.
UM, THAT WAS, THAT WAS HUGE, ESPECIALLY WITH THE KITTENS AND CATS.
UM, WE HAD 476 DIFFERENT FAMILIES FOSTER FOR US.
UM, AT THE START OF THE MONTH, WE HAD 4 56 ANIMALS CURRENTLY IN FOSTER.
UM, WE WERE ABLE TO PROCESS OVER 300 NEW FOSTER APPLICATIONS, AND WE CURRENTLY HAVE ABOUT A 902, UH, APPROVED FOSTERS IN OUR SYSTEM.
UM, WITHIN VET SERVICES, WE WERE ABLE TO DO OVER 600 SPAY NEUTER SERVERIES IN HOUSE, AND OVER SIX, UH, 1200 ANIMALS WERE VACCINATED.
UM, 66 ANIMALS WERE EUTHANIZED IN JULY.
UH, SO THE BREAKDOWN FOR THAT, WE HAD 64, THE MAJORITY OF THEM WERE FOR MEDICAL CASES THAT THE, THE VETS, UM, TOOK OPTIONS TO MOVE FORWARD WITH EUTHANASIA, AND TWO OF THEM WERE COURT ORDERED EUTHANASIA.
SO WITH THAT, I'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE BEFORE MOVING ON TO THE NEXT AREA.
I JUST HAVE TO SAY, I REALLY LIKE THE NEW FORMAT'S, A VISUAL LEARNER.
UM, THIS MIGHT BE MORE APPROPRIATE FOR THE NEXT SECTION, SO STOP ME IF THAT'S THE CASE.
THE 11 CATS IS STILL REALLY BOTHERING ME.
CAN YOU DO AN UPDATE NEXT MONTH ON WHAT HAPPENED THERE? WOULD THAT, WAS THAT RELATED TO THE INCORRECTLY ATTRIBUTING THEM AS DOA? UM, THAT'S JUST, THAT'S A, I'M NOT SAYING I DON'T CARE ABOUT KITTENS, BUT THAT ONE COMES
[00:30:01]
A LITTLE EASIER TO UNDERSTAND THAT.OH, I'LL, I'LL LOOK INTO THE DATA MORE.
I MEAN, I'M, I WAS GONNA PULL MY COMPUTER OUT JUST SO I COULD DO IT A LITTLE DEEP DIVE, BUT THAT'S RUDE TO Y'ALL.
UM, BUT, UM, YEAH, I'LL, I'LL LOOK INTO TO SEE LIKE WHAT THE SPECIFIC CIRCUMSTANCES FOR THOSE, UH, 11 CATS WERE.
IF THEY WERE JUST THAT, THAT BADLY HURT WHEN THEY WERE, IF THEY WERE BROUGHT INTO US FOR GOOD SAMARI OR THERE WAS SOMETHING FROM THE EC, IT MAY HAVE DIED ON ROUTE TO, TO A A C, UM, OR, OR BY THE TIME WE GOT TO THE A C THEY WERE STILL ALIVE, BUT, YOU KNOW, MAY HAVE, MAY HAVE UNFORTUNATELY PASSED ON THE TABLE.
THE PHRASE N KENNEL, AND MAYBE THAT'S JUST LIKE SPECIFIC TO THE REPORT AND NOT LITERALLY WHAT HAPPENED MM-HMM
IT IS JUST PART OF WHAT'S LIKE, CATCHING MY ATTENTION.
AND I THINK IT'S WHAT, IT'S HOW WE, UH, CODIFY.
LIKE, IT, IT SOUNDS POTENTIALLY MORE ALARMING THAN IT ACTUALLY IS, BUT THAT'S JUST WHY I WANTED TO CONFIRM MM-HMM
UM, AND THEN I KNOW THAT THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS TO DEFINE NO KILL.
I HAVE SEEN SOME OF THEM BE NOT EUTHANIZING FOR SPACE.
SO WHENEVER Y'ALL ARE DOING YOUR PERCENTS, FOR EXAMPLE, THOSE 66 ANIMALS THAT GOT EUTHANIZED, 64 OF THEM BEING FOR MEDICAL REASONS, I HAVE WORKED IN SHELTER ENVIRONMENTS WHERE THAT WOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AGAINST NO KILL, BECAUSE IN THAT CASE IT WAS THE COMPASSIONATE THING TO DO.
HOW, HOW DOES THAT WORK FOR Y'ALL? LIKE, HOW, HOW DOES, SO IT'S, THE LAYERS OF MEDICAL STUFF FIT IN THERE.
SO IT, IT GOES BY CITY CODE AND CITY CODE.
UM, WE HAVE TO PUT OUT A NOTIFICATION FOR EUTHANASIA.
UH, THE ONLY EXCEPTION IS IF, IF THE, AT LEAST FOR MEDICAL, IF THE AGONAL OF THE ANIMAL IS AGONAL OR LATERAL AT THAT POINT, THEN A VETERINARIAN CAN CHOOSE TO, TO ELECT FOR EUTHANASIA.
UM, THE ONLY OTHER OPTION TOO IS JUST IF IT'S A BEHAVIOR ISSUE OR WHATNOT.
UM, THERE IS FOUR WHAT, AND WITHOUT A NOTIFICATION, IT HAS TO BE A, A DUNBAR RATING FOR ON THE BITE SCALE OF FOUR OR HIGHER.
EVERYTHING ELSE IS DEFINED ALSO BY CODE, HOW THE CALCULATION IS DONE.
SO ANYTHING THAT DOESN'T MEET THAT CRITERIA WILL, WILL BE PART OF THE, THE LIVE OUTCOME.
AND THIS GOES SKILL GOES FOR ALL ANIMALS EXCEPT WILDLIFE.
UM, SO, UH, SO IF WE HAVE TO EUTHANIZE A BIRD OR, OR BIRD DIES, THE GUINEA PIG DIES.
WE COUNT THAT AS, AS PART OF THE OVERALL LIFE OUTCOME.
AND I'M GONNA ASK A LIKE DUMB FOLLOW UP QUESTION JUST TO MAKE SURE I GOT DUMB THIS CORRECTLY.
SO THE, THE, IF AN ANIMAL IS RECEIVING COMPASSIONATE EUTHANASIA BECAUSE OF MEDICAL CARE THAT IS BEYOND WHAT IS HUMANE TO TRY TO TREAT, THEY COUNT TOWARDS THE LIVE RELEASE OR THEY REMOVED FROM THE EQUATION ENTIRELY? NO, THEY COUNTED OR THEY ARE COUNTED TOWARDS THE EUTHANIZED PRESENT, YES.
IF IT'S GETTING, IF IT'S GETTING CARE AT, AT ANY POINT, IT WOULD HAVE, YOU KNOW, GONE.
IF IT'S NOT QUITE AGONAL OR NOT QUITE LATERAL MM-HMM
THEN, BUT IT, IF IT PERISHES THEN AT THAT POINT.
BUT IF IT'S GOTTEN TO A POINT WHERE YVETTE WILL MAKE A DECISION, IF IT'S AGONAL, THEN THEY MAY ELECT TO EUTHANIZE AND THAT WOULDN'T COUNT.
BUT IF IT, FOR INSTANCE, DIES IN KENNEL MM-HMM
THEN THAT WILL COUNT AGAINST US.
THE ONLY OTHER TIME THAT WE WOULD DO IT, AND IT WOULD COUNT AGAINST US, IS IF WE DID PUT A NOTIFICATION OUT FOR 48 HOURS, AND IF NO ONE RESPONDS MM-HMM
SO DYING AND KENNEL COUNTS AGAINST THE NUMBERS.
COMPASSIONATE EUTHANASIA DOES NOT AS LONG AS IT'S LATERAL OR AGONAL.
EVERYTHING IS, THAT'S WHAT I WAS TRYING TO CLARIFY IS LIKE WHAT SIDE OF THE EQUATION ENDED ON EVERYTHING.
NUMBERS, EVERYTHING COUNTS A HUNDRED PERCENT.
SORRY FOR GOING IN CIRCLES, BUT I, IT'S OKAY.
I JUST KEPT STILL NOT BEING SURE I WROTE THAT PART.
SO EVERYTHING IS IN THERE AND THE WHOLE POINT OF EVERYTHING BEING IN THERE IS SO THAT THE, THERE'S NO HIDDEN DATA.
LIKE EVERYTHING IS IN THE DATA.
THE PUBLIC CAN MAKE ITS OWN DECISIONS ON EVERYTHING.
AND IF I MAY, YOU KNOW, AND IN OUR CONVERSATIONS IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS, IT'S BEEN, WE DO ALL WE CAN AND THEN WE SHOW THE INFORMATION AND, AND FULL TRANSPARENCY, RIGHT.
AND, AND SO WE WE'RE WORKING THROUGH, YOU KNOW, SYSTEMS CHANGES, PROCESS CHANGES, UH, PROGRAM CHANGES IN TERMS OF SOFTWARE.
BUT WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO PAINT THE PICTURE OF WHAT WE'RE DOING EVERY MONTH AND WHAT THOSE NUMBERS ARE.
ONE MORE SLIGHT CLARIFICATION IS THAT THE CODE SAYS INTERMEDIATELY SUFFERING.
BUT AGONAL AND LATERAL IS HOW THEY INTERPRET THE CODES.
MEANING, BUT JUST TECHNICALLY SPEAKING.
HELLO, CAPTAIN NI, COMMISSIONER EZ HAVE QUESTIONS? UH, YES, COMMISSIONER AND I WOULD ASK, AND I APOLOGIZE, I CAN'T SEE YOU, SO, SO THAT'S WHY I COULDN'T CALL ON YOU BECAUSE THE POWERPOINT, UH, THE POWERPOINT'S UP.
SO WE DIDN'T HAVE A VIEW OF THE CAN CAN WE CHECK OUT THE POWERPOINT BECAUSE WE'RE JUST LOOKING AT SPAY AND NEUTER NO INFORMATION ANYMORE.
AND, UH, GREAT CONVERSATION, GREAT COMMENTS, QUESTIONS.
[00:35:01]
I JUST HAVE TO SAY ONE COMMENT.I'M PASSIONATE ABOUT OUR, UM, OUR CITY AND THE PETS, THE ANIMALS.
UH, I MADE A POINT TO BE IN OUR MEETING TODAY AT 4:30 PM TODAY.
I HAD TO TAKE MY, MY PARTNER AND MYSELF TOOK OUR CAT THAT I WAS 17 YEARS OLD AND HAD TO HELP HIM GO TO ACROSS THE RAINBOW.
AND IT'S, IT'S DIFFICULT FOR ALL US, BUT UH, TO WHAT WE DO HERE IN THE COMMISSION IS VERY IMPORTANT.
SO I, I COULDN'T MISS THIS SO QUICKLY.
UM, LOOKING AT THE STATS, AND I'M SO HAPPY TO HEAR SHELLY, AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS WHITNEY WHO WAS TALKING ABOUT THE NUMBERS AND ASKING ALL THOSE QUESTIONS TO SEE THAT PEOPLE ARE LOOKING AT THEM AND, UH, ASKING GREAT QUESTIONS, GREAT CONVERSATIONS.
SO FOR THE, I WAS LOOKING AT THE STATS FOR UTILIZE, AND YES, WE SEE THE NUMBERS INCREASING AND, UM, YEAR OVER YEAR, AT LEAST FOR JULY, OKAY, JULY WAS 66, JUNE 44, MAY 67.
WE DON'T HAVE APRIL TO REPORT 80 FOR MARCH.
AND WE DON'T HAVE FEBRUARY REPORT IN JANUARY 33.
SO WHAT I NOTICE IS THAT FOR THE YEAR OVER YEAR, UM, 45% WAS CATALOG OR CATEGORIZED AS SUFFERING.
BUT THE PREVIOUS YEARS, THE TOP PERCENTAGE CAME FROM RABIES RISK.
MAYBE THE DATA WASN'T TRACKED CORRECTLY BEFORE.
BUT RA UH, SUFFERING IS NUMBER ONE NOW AS A CATEGORY COMPARED TO BEFORE.
I'M SURE THAT YOU PROBABLY DON'T HAVE THE ANSWER NOW, BUT I THINK I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO THINK ABOUT IT AND GET BACK TO US ABOUT THAT.
UM, AND WHAT TO ME WAS VERY INTERESTING IS THAT, UH, WELL THE SUFFERING WAS 45% OF THE, OF THE NUMBERS, THE 66.
AND I HEARD ABOUT THE CATS, UM, 50% OF THE CATS IN JULY.
WELL, 50% OF THE 66 IN JULY OF EUTHANIZED WERE CA SO WHY IS THAT 28 WERE KITTENS OUT OF THE, OF THAT 50% IN, UH, IN JULY, 2024, IT WAS ONLY 31%.
SO WHAT CHANGED, UM, WHEN IT CAME TO DOGS, THE, IT, THE AMOUNT DOUBLED.
SO AGAIN, WHAT IS CHANGING? THE OTHER THING HERE, I'M LOOKING AT THE DEATH AT A A C IN, IN FOSTER CARE.
UM, AND JUST FOR THIS YEAR, WE HAD IN JULY 28TH, JUNE, IT WAS HIGH 66, MAY 28TH, MARCH 7TH, JA FOURTH.
UM, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND BETTER WHAT IS HAPPENING.
AND WE ARE ALL HERE COLLABORATING WITH THE AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER AND HOW TO MAKE THINGS BETTER FOR EVERYONE.
SO I, I DON'T KNOW, JASON, YOU PROBABLY DON'T HAVE AN ANSWER.
YOU MIGHT HAVE AN ANSWER BECAUSE YOU'RE WIZARD OF STATS, BUT, UH, I DON'T WANNA PRESSURE YOU.
I I WOULD LIKE, IF YOU DON'T HAVE SPECIFICS NOW, NEXT TIME YOU COME BACK TO US, JUST NOT, DON'T GIVE ME A BOILER PLATE ANSWER.
OH, AND IT'S JUST GOING INTO EACH OF THE MEDICAL RECORDS FOR EACH ONE OF THE ANIMALS JUST TO VERIFY WHAT THE VET, THE, THE VETERINARY THAT WAS TREATING THE ANIMAL SAW IN THAT CASE AND WHAT DECISION THEY MADE.
AND SO, UM, OUR, OUR VETS ARE PRETTY GOOD ABOUT NOT, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THEY HAVE DISCUSSIONS WITH EACH OTHER WHEN THEY'RE DEALING WITH SPECIFIC CASES, ESPECIALLY ANYTHING THAT CAN, YOU KNOW, BE BE PLED OUT FIRST, UM, UM, AND GO TO ANY PARTNER THAT MAY BE WILLING TO TAKE ON THE CASE.
BUT IF NOT, THEN THEY MAY MAKE THAT ULTIMATE DECISION.
SO, DR. NELSON, UM, SO I APOLOGIZE, I KNOW YOU HAVE, THIS HAS BEEN ADDRESSED BEFORE, BUT I CAN'T KEEP IT IN MY MIND FOR, DO YOU KNOW FOR CURRENTLY
[00:40:01]
THE DATA REPORTED THE CUTOFF BETWEEN KITTEN AND CAT FOR THIS EUTHANIZED, DO YOU KNOW THE AGE THAT WE WOULD'VE USED TO MAKE THAT DISTINCTION? I THOUGHT IT WOULD'VE BEEN, OH, AND, AND THE AGE, RIGHT? WELL, I THINK IT'S BY, BY AGE.AND I THOUGHT WE DID EIGHT WEEKS, BUT I'LL HAVE TO VERIFY THAT JUST TO MAKE SURE.
MY MEMORY IS EIGHT WEEKS AS WELL.
SO, SO SOME OF THESE CATS, UM, COULD HAVE BEEN 10 WEEK OLD, 12 WEEK OLD.
IS THAT POSSIBLE? POSSIBLE? I HAVE TO LOOK IN EACH ONE.
UM, AND THEN MY OTHER QUESTION IS JUST AS YOU WERE SAYING BEFORE, WHEN AN ANIMAL, UM, HAS A MEDICAL ISSUE THAT IS BEYOND WHAT'S WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE SHELTER TO TREAT, BUT IS NOT INTRACTABLY SUFFERING, THE VETERINARIANS AT THE SHELTER HAVE TO OFFER, HAVE TO REACH OUT TO, UM, TO PARTNERS TO SEE IF THEY'LL TAKE ON THAT, THAT ANIMAL AND THAT MEDICAL CARE.
AND IT'S ONLY IF THOSE ARE REJECTED.
DO THE VETERINARIANS EUTHANIZE THOSE ANIMALS? DO YOU KEEP TRACK OF, IS THERE ANY WAY TO NOTE IF THERE'S BEEN ANY CHANGE IN THOSE PARTNERS ACCEPTING THOSE ANIMALS? AND IF MORE ANIMALS ARE BEING EUTHANIZED BECAUSE THOSE PARTNERS ARE NO LONGER ACCEPTING AS MANY OF THOSE ANIMAL CASES, UH, THOSE MEDICAL CASES, EXCUSE ME.
UH, WE'D HAVE THOSE MANY COMMUNICATIONS, I GUESS, BETWEEN STAFF THAT, THAT ARE PLEADING THOSE OUT JUST TO SEE IF THEY ARE GETTING REPLIES.
UM, THE WAY I UNDERSTAND IT, AND IF YOU WANT TO TAKE ON, YEAH, LET, LET ME SPEAK TO THAT.
YOU KNOW, I'VE ASKED THAT SPECIFIC QUESTION, AND WHEN I DO GET THAT, THAT, THAT ANSWER IS JUST A COLLAGE OF EMAILS, LIKE, THIS IS WHEN I SENT THE, THE POLL REQUEST.
THIS IS THE PLEDGE REQUEST, WHAT THEY CALL IT, UH, WHETHER IT'S FOR MEDICAL OR, UM, YOU KNOW, BEHAVIOR CONCERNS.
AND SO WHAT I WANT TO DO, AND WE STARTED HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS ALREADY, IS FORMALIZE THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE SO THAT WE CAN PERHAPS HAVE MORE ACCOUNTABILITY BOTH FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE, FROM ALSO FROM THE RESCUE PERSPECTIVE TO SAY, WE'VE ASKED THIS NUMBER OF TIMES WE GOT THIS RESPONSE, OR WE DIDN'T GET A RESPONSE AND THEN WE WERE MOVING FORWARD.
AND RIGHT NOW IT'S HARD FOR ME TO PROVIDE THAT.
UM, AND I DON'T LIKE POINTING THE FINGER OR ONE OR THE OTHER OR, YOU KNOW, TOWARDS ME OR TOWARDS SOMEBODY ELSE UNLESS I HAVE THE DATA.
WE DON'T HAVE THE DATA, BUT A BUNCH OF EMAILS.
AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT SAID, IT DOES TAKE, YOU KNOW, STAFF TIME.
AND SO I HAVE TO BE MINDFUL OF WHEN I IMPLEMENT MORE PROCESSES TO GET MORE DATA, THAT MEANS SOMEBODY'S HAVING TO STOP DOING THEIR WORK TO DO THAT.
AND, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING THAT I'VE HEARD AND THEN SEEN THUS FAR IS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT TO DO AND I NEED TO SPEND MY TIME DOING THAT CARE.
AND THAT GOES INTO EVERYTHING THAT WE GOT GOING ON IN OUR SHELTER.
AND SO I'M MINDFUL OF THAT, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT, YOU KNOW, TO ANSWER THIS KIND OF QUESTION 'CAUSE I'VE GOTTEN IT BEFORE.
AND, UH, THAT'S WHAT SORT OF, YOU KNOW, DRAW THE NEED TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION WITH MY TEAM IN REGARDING WHEN ARE WE ASKING WHAT IS THE RESPONSE RATE THAT WE'RE GETTING, UM, IN REGARDS TO LIKE, WE'VE DONE WHAT WE CAN AT OUR SHELTER, YOU KNOW, WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR US? RIGHT? AND SO, AND, AND THERE'S NOT MANY PARTNERS THAT WE RELY ON.
I MEAN, WE ALL KIND OF KNOW WHO THOSE ARE.
UM, AND, UM, BUT I ALSO KNOW THEY HAVE THEIR BUSINESS TO RUN.
AND SO I THINK WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR IS WE'RE GONNA MAKE THE REQUEST, WE GET A RESPONSE, AND IF IT'S A, A RESPONSE FOR YES WE CAN HELP OR NO, THEN WE MOVE FORWARD WITH WHAT WE BELIEVE IS BEST FOR THAT ANIMAL.
AND SO WE'RE WORKING ON THAT, UM, AS BEST AS POSSIBLE.
AND I NOTICE AS I LOOK AT THESE NUMBERS, IT SEEMS LIKE A, A FAIRLY FEW ANIMALS CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN THE SHELTER'S LIVE OUTCOME PERCENTAGE.
AND SO IT SEEMS LIKE THOSE PARTNERS COULD HAVE A LOT OF CONTROL OVER WHAT YOUR LIVE OUTCOME PERCENTAGE IS, DEPENDING ON WHETHER OR NOT THEY ACCEPT OR REJECT THOSE TRANSFERS.
AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, PART OF OUR WORK IS ALSO TO BUILD CAPACITY AND HAVING, UM, A HANDFUL OF RESCUERS, YOU KNOW, BE ON OUR LIST.
YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S AN AREA THAT WE DON'T, WE DON'T DO REALLY WELL RIGHT NOW.
AND, AND CERTAINLY AN AN AREA OF PRIORITY.
UH, OUR STRATEGIC PLAN CALLS FOR THAT.
UM, AND WE'RE ALL WORKING ON, YOU KNOW, DEVELOPING THAT.
IN FACT, UM, IN OCTOBER, WE'RE HAVING SORT OF OUR FIRST LARGE, UM, EVENT WITH ALL PARTIES THAT ARE IN THE BUSINESS OF ANIMAL CARE IN OUR COMMUNITY AND REGION.
AND ONE, ONE OF THE AREAS IS TO BUILD THAT CAPACITY AND ALL THE THINGS THAT WE NEED HELP WITH TO SEE WHO CAN, YOU KNOW, AUGMENT OUR CURRENT LIST TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND TO OUR NEEDS.
AND I THINK I SAID THIS THE LAST TWO TIMES THAT I'VE BEEN IN FRONT OF THIS COMMISSION IS, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T DO IT ON OURSELVES AND, AND WE NEED OTHERS TO HELP OUT.
AND, AND THAT'S OUR GOAL WHEN WE HAVE THAT SESSION, UH, LATER THIS YEAR IN, UH, OCTOBER 18, I BELIEVE IS THE DATE THAT WE HAVE IT SET FOR.
UH, AND ONE OF THE AGENDA ITEMS FOR ME IS TO DO, YOU KNOW, INCREASE THAT SIZE OF THAT LISTING.
[00:45:04]
COMMISSIONER, UH, VICE CHAIR LI THANKS.UM, THIS IS A QUESTION FOR, UM, FOR JASON.
WHEN YOU WERE SPEAKING AT THE VERY BEGINNING, SORT OF ABOUT HOW, UM, THIS WAS SORT OF A CODING ERROR BETWEEN DEAD ON ARRIVAL VERSUS ANIMALS THAT, THAT DIED IN CARE, UM, AND THAT THERE WAS MAYBE SOME INCREASE IN, UH, IN ANIMALS THAT WERE ARRIVING, UM, AT THE SHELTER ALREADY DECEASED.
I'M, I'M WONDERING, I GUESS, YOU KNOW, I KNOW EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM IS VERY MUCH ON THE SAME PAGE OF, UM, YOU KNOW, WE WANT INTAKE TO BE OPEN.
WE WANT IT TO BE OPEN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, UM, SO THAT THERE'S FEWER ANIMALS, YOU KNOW, UM, ON THE STREETS IN THE COMMUNITY.
I'M WONDERING IF, DO YOU HAVE ANY SORT OF LONG-TERM PERSPECTIVE ON WHETHER WE'RE SEEING AN INCREASE IN ANIMALS THAT ARE, UM, DEAD ON ARRIVAL AT THE SHELTER? YOU MENTIONED HIT BY CAR AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
I COULD IMAGINE THERE MAY BE SOME SORT OF INCREASE THERE.
I'M WONDERING IF YOU'VE SEEN ANY, UM, DATA ONE WAY OR ANOTHER ON THAT QUESTION? AT LEAST FROM THE LAST COUPLE MONTHS SINCE WE WERE SEEING IT, AT LEAST TO THIS MONTH, WE SAW DECREASE.
'CAUSE I WANNA SAY THERE WAS LIKE, OH, WHY AM I BLANKING OUT? THERE WAS LIKE 28 LAST MONTH AND I THINK THIS MONTH WAS LIKE 16.
SO JUST ON THOSE JUST TWO SAMPLES, IT'S ONLY TWO MONTHS, BUT YOU, YOU'RE ALREADY SORT OF SEEING A DECLINE.
SO HOPEFULLY WE'LL SEE LESS AND LESS OF IT.
UM, YOU KNOW, AS WE'RE GETTING TOWARDS THE END OF KITTEN SEASON, PEOPLE AREN'T SPOOKING CATS TO RUN OUT INTO THINGS AND THEY GET HIT OR, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE COMES ACROSS A DYING KITTEN AND BRINGS IT TO US AND UNFORTUNATELY PASSES.
SO HOPEFULLY WE'LL START SEEING A DE A A, A DECLINE OVERALL, UM, AND GET INTO EITHER SINGLE DIGITS OR WHATNOT.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, IT'S ALSO DEPENDENT ON JUST, YOU KNOW, WHERE CATS MAY BE, MAY BE HIDING
UH, IS THAT TRUE FOR DOGS AS AS WELL? THAT MAKES SENSE.
EVERYTHING YOU SAID, I HAVE TO LOOK MORE WITH THE DOGS.
I, THE, THE NUMBER WAS REALLY PREVALENT WITH THE CATS, BUT YEAH.
COMMISSIONER HOLT, DO YOU HAVE DATA FROM PREVIOUS YEARS? 'CAUSE IT'S HARD BECAUSE SOMETIMES YEAR OVER YEAR DATA IS ACTUALLY MORE USEFUL THAN MONTH TO MONTH.
I STILL, I, YEAH, WE STILL HAVE ACCESS TO ALL THE, TO CHAMELEON DATA AND WHATNOT.
SO COULD SO LONG AS REQUEST THAT Y'ALL INCLUDE THAT IN YOUR NEXT SLIDESHOW
UM, I THINK AS WE HAVE THIS CONVERSATION ABOUT HAVING TO MAKE HORRIBLE CHOICES BETWEEN ANIMALS DYING AT THE SHELTER OR ANIMALS DYING ON THE STREETS, US HAVING ACTUAL DATA ON ANIMALS THAT ARE LITERALLY DYING IN THE STREETS MM-HMM
IS, UM, I THINK THAT'S AN IMPORTANT DATA POINT FOR US TO HAVE.
SO YEAH, I THINK I CAN PULL DATA ON LIKE DEAD ON ARRIVAL.
I THINK IT WAS EASIER OR, OR MORE PRACTICE WITH, BECAUSE WE HAD CHAMELEON SINCE LIKE 1995.
SO YEAH, I THINK IT WAS MORE PREVALENT THAT WE WERE TRAPPING, CAPTURING THAT DATA CORRECTLY VERSUS TO WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ON WEEK MONTH THREE ON SHELTER BUDDY, SO YEAH, I KNOW DAVID COMMISSIONER LENON.
DO YOU GUYS DO, DOES THE CITY KEEP TRACK OF ALL THE ANIMALS THAT ARE LIKE SAY A DOG IS HIT BY A CAR, DO ALL OF THOSE AND, AND DIES ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD? DO ALL OF THOSE ANIMALS COME TO A A C, ARE THEY ALL COUNTED OR WE, ARE WE LOSING A NUMBER? I'M NOT SAYING YOU GUYS, ARE WE LOSING A NUMBER AS A CITY OF DOGS WHO ARE JUST PICKED UP AND PUT IN THE BACK? I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT WORKS IS WHY I'M ASKING.
SO AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY IS ACTUALLY DOES, UH, DEAD ANIMAL REMOVAL.
AND SO, UM, I CAN'T SPEAK TO WHAT THEIR OPERATIONS, I KNOW IN THE PAST WE PROVIDED LIKE MICROCHIP SCANNERS AND THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO LIKE, JUST TO CHECK, JUST TO SEE IF IT WAS ANYTHING.
BUT USUALLY, YEAH, ANY, ANY ANIMALS THEY PICK UP, THEY WILL, THEY WILL, UH, TAKE TO THE DISPOSAL.
UM, I, WE'D HAVE TO VERIFY WITH THEM IF THEY'RE CAPTURING HOW MANY, SO WE MAY BE LOSING THAT, WE DON'T KNOW, WE MIGHT BE LOSING THAT ACTUAL NUMBER DEPENDING ON WHERE, WHICHEVER DIRECTION IT'S, WELL, I THINK, UH, EITHER THE, UM, AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY TEAM MEMBERS ARE OUT THERE DRIVING THE COMMUNITY LOOKING FOR, YOU KNOW, ANIMALS THAT ARE DEAD ON THE STREET.
I DON'T THINK THAT'S THE CASE.
I THINK THEY HAVE A BUSY WORKLOAD.
I THINK WHAT'S HAPPENING IS SOMEBODY IN OUR COMMUNITY IS CALLING 3 1 1 AND THROUGH THE 3 1 1 NETWORK, THEY'RE CALLING, UH, A RR OR THEY'RE CALLING US, RIGHT? AND THEN, SO IF OUR OFFICER ARRIVES ON THE SCENE AND THAT ANIMAL IS, YOU KNOW, DISEASED, UH, THEY'RE GONNA NOW CALL A RR TO, THEY HAVE THE EQUIPMENT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE RESOURCES TO, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE, THE TRUCK THAT, YOU KNOW, THE GATE LOWERS DOWN, THEY'RE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, LIFT THE ANIMAL A LITTLE BIT MORE CAREFULLY.
UM, SO WE RELY ON THEM FOR THAT SERVICE.
UM, ONCE THAT, IF WE ARRIVE ON SCENE, THE ANIMAL'S DEAD, THEN WE'RE GONNA ALLOW 'EM TO DO THAT.
SO WE CAN FIND OUT THAT DREW WANT TO SEE, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY CALLS.
I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN, YOU KNOW, CONFIDENTLY SAY THAT THAT NUMBER THEN PROVIDED IS, IS TRUE.
YOU KNOW, MAYBE THEY ARRIVE ON THE SCENE, AN ANIMAL IS NOT, YOU KNOW, DECEASED AND THEY CALL US AND NOW WE'LL COME AND BRING 'EM TO OUR SHELTER FOR CARE.
UM, BUT WE CAN LOOK AT THAT AND SEE WHAT THAT NUMBER IS.
UM, I WOULD GUESS TOO THOUGH, THAT A LOT OF THAT NUMBER, YOU
[00:50:01]
KNOW, THE DERIVATIVE IS BASED ON HOW MANY NUMBERS, HOW MANY ANIMALS ARE IN OUR COMMUNITY, RIGHT? AND THE LARGER THAT NUMBER IS, YOU KNOW, THE CHANCES OF SOMEBODY, AN ANIMAL GETTING HURT, UM, IN OUR COMMUNITY IS, IS GONNA BE GREATER.UM, BUT IT'S HARD TO, YOU KNOW, IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU, IT'S HARD TO PREDICT.
IT'S HARD TO KIND OF REALLY KIND OF FIGURE OUT WHAT'S CAUSING THAT.
RIGHT? UM, WE'RE A GROWING CITY.
UM, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE, I MEAN, IT'S A BUSY STREETS, RIGHT? AND IF OUR NUMBER OF ANIMALS ARE GOING, YOU KNOW, THAT'S ALSO THEN THE LIKELIHOOD OF THAT HAPPENING INCREASES AS WELL.
I'M JUST WONDERING IF IT'S BEING CAPTURED PART AND PARCEL OF OUR TREND AS A CITY MM-HMM
UM, I MEAN THE, THE CONSTANT INTAKE CONSTANTLY BEING CLOSED BECAUSE WE ARE CONSTANTLY FULL AND MORE OF THIS POTENTIALLY HAPPENING.
I, I'M WONDERING AS A CITY, ARE WE TRACKING WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ANIMALS AS A FEWER AND FEWER PERCENTAGE POSSIBLY ARE ENDING UP IN THE SHELTER AND ENDING UP SOMEPLACE ELSE? WELL, AND I, AND I JUST WANT TO, UH, CORRECT A, A STATEMENT SIR THERE ON THAT.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT CLOSED FOR INTAKE, RIGHT? WE'RE, WE'RE TRIAGING MANAGING THE INTAKE THE BEST WE CAN.
YOU KNOW, YOU SEE THE DATA IN TERMS OF THE NUMBERS THAT OUR A PO OFFICERS BRING IN, THAT'S A LARGE NUMBER OF ANIMALS, UM, PER MONTH THAT THEY BRING IN.
UM, THEN WE HAVE, UM, ON A DAILY BASIS, WE'RE SENDING OUT EMAILS WHERE OUR CURRENT, UM, YOU KNOW, DOG OWNERS OR CAT OWNERS OR SCHEDULING ARE SCHEDULED TO COME IN AND SURRENDER THEIR ANIMAL.
THAT'S NOT INCLUSIVE OF ANYBODY THAT JUST SHOWS UP WANTING TO SURRENDER THE ANIMAL, UH, WORKING WITH OUR STAFF OR AS THEY WORK WITH OUR STAFF, THEY JUST DECIDE TO LEAVE THE ANIMAL IN OUR SHELTER, UH, ON THE OFF OUTSIDE TIED TO SOMETHING.
SO, UM, WE'RE OPEN FOR INTAKE, UH, IN ALL AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY.
UM, BUT WE ARE BEING, YOU KNOW, IN A AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO TRIAGE, UH, THAT, UM, THAT SURRENDER, UH, SO THAT WE CAN FIND A, AN OUTCOME FOR THAT ANIMAL BEFORE THEY STEP INTO OUR SHELTER.
SO I JUST WANTED TO, WITH ALL RESPECT, JUST, UH, CLARIFY THAT.
I WOULD JUST ADD ON THAT IN, IN THE PAST, AND IT'S BEEN ABOUT 10 YEARS SINCE WE LOOKED AT THIS, JASON WAS THERE AND HE WOULD KNOW, UH, AUSTIN RESOURCE AND RECOVERY DID TRACK THOSE NUMBERS.
AND SO THAT WAS EVALUATED ABOUT A DECADE AGO PRE KIND OF PRE NO KILL REFORMS AND COMPARED TO AFTER THE NO KILL REFORMS AND THE NUMBERS WERE PREDICTED TO GO UP, BUT THEY ACTUALLY WENT DOWN.
UM, BUT THAT WAS BEFORE KIND OF WE, WE MOVED TO A MORE MAN, MORE SIGNIFICANTLY MANAGED INTAKE, UM, AND SOMETIMES CLOSED.
UH, AND SO THOSE NUMBERS MAY HAVE CHANGED, BUT AT LEAST IN THE PAST THEY DID TRACK THOSE NUMBERS.
I DON'T KNOW IF THEY STILL DO, BUT WE LOOKED AT THAT A DECADE AGO.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I HAVE A COUPLE.
UM, THE FIRST IS ON THE ADOPTIONS NUMBER.
THAT NUMBER LOOKED BIG AND GREAT.
UM, BUT THEN IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT I WASN'T SURE IF IT WAS HOW IT COMPARED TO YEAR OVER YEAR.
AND, UM, DO YOU HAPPEN TO RECALL MR. GARZA IF, UM, IF THOSE ARE LARGER THAN HISTORIC THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS? 'CAUSE IT CERTAINLY LOOKS LIKE IT, BUT THAT'S MY JUST ASSUMPTION.
SO IT, IT'S ABOUT THE SAME FOR JULY, BUT IT'S A BIG INCREASE OVER THIS CURRENT FISCAL YEAR.
SO IT HELPED US, LIKE I MENTIONED, BUILD THAT SURPLUS OF, OF, UH, WITHIN OUTTAKES VERSUS INTAKE, UH, OUTCOMES VERSUS INTAKES.
UM, BUT PRIMARILY KITTENS AND CATS AND, YOU KNOW, GETTING THE WORD OUT THAT WHERE, WHERE, WHERE WE'RE, WHERE WE ARE, UM, STRUGGLING OVERALL WITH SPACE.
'CAUSE I THINK AT THAT POINT WE WERE PROBABLY LIKE NEGATIVE 40 IN CATS AND WE GOT US DOWN TO LIKE PLUS FIVE.
SO IT WAS A, IT WAS A GOOD, GOOD SWING FOR US IN ORDER TO GET, YOU KNOW, KITTENS AND CATS OUT.
UM, BUT IT HAS BEEN HISTORICALLY, UM, AT LEAST FROM LAST YEAR, IT WAS ABOUT THE SAME THE PREVIOUS YEAR IT WAS, IT WAS ABOUT 120 MORE THAN WE'VE HAD IN THE PAST.
SO IT WAS A, BUT I THINK EVEN FROM JUNE IT WAS PROBABLY A COUPLE HUNDRED MORE.
I THINK WE HAD 5 68 FOR ADOPTIONS FOR JUNE.
AND SO TO GET 200 MORE ADOPTIONS IS LIKE, YEAH, WE WERE, WE WERE THRILLED.
UM, ON, ON THE, ON THE, ON THE MORE NEGATIVE QUESTION MM-HMM
UM, THE, WE ARE ALL GETTING, I ASSUME, 'CAUSE I AM A LOT OF PUBLIC CONCERN ABOUT THE, UM, EMERGENCY, UH, CLINIC NOT BEING A PART OF THE BUDGET.
AND YOU MENTIONED IT, YOU MENTIONED EMERGENCY SERVICES, UH, VETERINARY SERVICES.
SO I THINK IT'S TOPICAL, BUT IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CAN'T ANSWER IT NOW AND YOU WANT TO ANSWER IT FOR NEXT MEETING OR IN AN EMAIL, THAT'S PERFECTLY ACCEPTABLE.
'CAUSE I DIDN'T GIVE YOU NOTICE THAT I WAS GONNA ASK THIS QUESTION.
UM, BUT THE, THE, THE CONCERN THAT I KEEP HEARING FROM THE PUBLIC IS, UH, IF THE 24 HOURS CLINIC IS CLOSED AND THE SHELTER IS NOT OPEN 24 HOURS, THEN WE ARE JUST SIMPLY ALLOWING, YOU KNOW, HOWEVER MANY HOURS THE SHELTER IS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC, WE'RE ALLOWING ALL THOSE ANIMALS TO BE EUTHANIZED OR DIE.
UM, IS THAT WRONG? CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT? WOULD YOU RATHER TALK ABOUT IT NEXT MONTH? AND THAT, THAT TO ME IS A VERY VALID CONCERN OF THE PUBLIC.
IT FEELS LIKE THERE'S A MECHANISM FOR SAVING A GROUP OF ANIMALS NOW THAT MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE.
CERTAINLY IT'S, IT WAS A DECISION THAT WE DIDN'T TAKE LIGHTLY, UM, DECISION
[00:55:01]
THAT WE PONDERED UPON FOR QUITE A WHILE AND, AND, AND TALKED INTERNALLY AMONGST SOME OF THE TEAM MEMBERS REGARDING, YOU KNOW, WHAT THAT MEANS, RIGHT? WHAT HAPPENS IF THIS IS WHAT WE RECOMMEND AS OUR BUDGET CUT.YOU KNOW, LET ME SAY THIS, WE HAD TO SUBMIT A BUDGET CUT, UH, LIKE EVERY DEPARTMENT IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
THAT'S THE CONDITIONS THAT WE'RE IN AS A, AS A CITY AND SPECIFICALLY THE GENERAL FUND AS WE ARE.
UM, THERE WAS NOT MUCH ELSE TO CUT, UH, IN OUR DEPARTMENT.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THESE TWO CONTRACTS, THE ORTHOPEDICS AND THE EMERGENCY CONTRACTS ARE SOME AS, AS WE DISCUSSED INTERNALLY AND, AND ME LEARNING WHAT THESE ARE AND WHAT THEY DO.
UM, YOU KNOW, UNDERSTOOD LIKE IF WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS RECOMMENDATION, YOU KNOW, WHAT THAT MAY MEAN IN THIS SITUATION FOR THE EMERGENCY.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S VERY LITTLE OVERSIGHT OF THAT CONTRACT.
IN FACT, IT'S NOT EVEN A CONTRACT.
YOU KNOW, FOLKS GO OUT THERE IN OUR COMMUNITY AND THEY TAKE THE ANIMALS THERE AND WE'RE RELYING ON VETS TO DO THE BEST THEY CAN.
UM, AND WE HAVE NO MINDFULNESS OF WHAT THAT IS AND WHAT THAT COST IS UNTIL IT'S DONE.
UM, AND THAT'S HARD TO MANAGE.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE OTHER QUESTION IS, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD BE DOING A DISMISSIBLE SHELTER, RIGHT? UM, IS THAT AN ABOVE AND BEYOND SERVICE? AND THAT'S WHERE WE DERIVED IT, IS ABOVE AND BEYOND SERVICE.
CERTAINLY THERE'S IMPACT TO THAT.
AND, UM, KNOW WHAT THAT LEAVES IS, YOU KNOW, THAT FINER OR THAT OWNER OF THAT ANIMAL, YOU KNOW, HAVING TO MAKE A DIFFERENT DECISION ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THAT THEY SHOULD BE PURSUING THAT MEDICAL CARE, UH, IF, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE OWNING THAT COST.
UM, I WILL SAY THAT WE'VE BEEN HAVING CONVERSATIONS INTERNALLY ABOUT, YOU KNOW, CAN WE DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY OPERATIONAL WISE? YOU KNOW, WE RELY ON, UM, MANY DIFFERENT WAYS TO DO ALL THE WORK THAT WE DO IN INTERNALLY.
YOU KNOW, CAN WE CUT BACK ON SOME OF THOSE THINGS, UH, AND, AND PROVIDE SOME RELIEF THERE.
UM, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT, BUT WE ARE KIND OF FIGURING OUT WHAT CAN WE DO IF, IF POSSIBLE.
AND WE'RE ALSO GONNA LET THE VENDOR KNOW THAT THIS IS HAPPENING.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THE DECISION HASN'T BEEN MADE FINAL, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT A FINAL DECISION YET.
THAT'S STILL, UH, UH, TAKING STAGE NEXT WEEK AND THE LATTER PART OF THE MONTH.
BUT IT WAS OUR RECOMMENDATION AND IT'S BASED ON, THAT'S WHERE WE HAD TO CUT.
UM, MY HOPE IS TO COME BACK, UH, TOWARDS THE END OF THE BUDGET PROCESS AND SHARE WITH Y'ALL, YOU KNOW, HERE'S A RESPONSE THAT WE GOT FROM MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
HERE'S THE, WHAT OUR BUDGET LOOKS LIKE, AND THEY ARE INDEED PROCEEDING WITH THESE, UH, THESE CUTS.
AND HERE'S SOME THINGS THAT WE CAN DO SEPARATELY.
AND HERE'S THE MESSAGING THAT WE CAN SEND, UH, TO THE FOLKS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, BUT WITHOUT A SPECIFIC LINE ITEM WHERE I CAN COVER THOSE.
CAUSE, YOU KNOW, I CAN'T HAVE THAT PRACTICE GOING ON.
I DON'T WANT TO FIND MYSELF IN THE POSITION WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T PAY FOR SERVICES 'CAUSE THERE'S NO MONEY THERE TO PAY FOR THAT SERVICE.
UM, AND I CAN'T DO THAT BY THE STATE STATUTE.
I CAN'T CONTRACT FOR THINGS THAT I DON'T HAVE THE FUNDING FOR.
UM, AND SO I NEED TO BE ABLE TO FIND A SPECIFIC LINE ITEM THAT COVERS THAT EVEN MORE SPECIFIC WHEN I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT COST WILL LOOK LIKE.
YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT WE'VE ALREADY CONSUMED THE MAJORITY OF AUTHORITY RIGHT NOW ON THAT, ON, UH, ON THAT WORK.
SO WE ARE OVER, UH, FOUR $50,000, YOU KNOW, THROUGH THAT, UH, THROUGH THOSE SERVICES.
YOU KNOW, WE, IT'S BEING UTILIZED.
AND SO WE WOULD HAVE TO, UH, PUT IN PLACE SOME PRACTICES IF THERE IS A WAY TO, YOU KNOW, BALANCE SOME OTHER THINGS IN OUR OFFICE, IN OUR DEPARTMENT TO, YOU KNOW, PROVIDE SOME, UH, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE, BUT WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT IT SOME MORE.
AND I, AND YOU KNOW, FOR THE RECORD, THE, THE BUDGET BUDGET CONSTRAINTS ARE REAL.
AND, UM, THE STATE LAW HAS MADE IT VERY DIFFICULT FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO OPERATE IN THE WAY THAT IT HAS OPERATED IN THE PAST.
AND SO THOSE ARE A HUNDRED PERCENT VALID CONCERNS.
AND I ALSO COMPLETELY AGREE THAT IT WAS A CONTRACT THAT WASN'T A CONTRACT AND, UM, HAD NO OVERSIGHT.
AND I THINK MANY OF US IN THE COMMISSION WERE LIKE, I, I GUESS I'VE BEEN HERE TOO LONG SO THAT I CAN'T REALLY SAY THIS ANYMORE, BUT MANY OF US, AT LEAST OVER THE COM IN THE COMMISSION IN THE LAST 10 OR 12 YEARS HAVE BEEN VERY CONCERNED THAT THERE WAS NO, EVEN, NOT, THERE'S NO BID FOR IT.
THERE'S JUST A BILL THAT GETS SENT TO YOU GUYS AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, USUALLY ABOUT A QUARTER OF A MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR.
AND IT'S A, IT'S A, IT'S A BIG NUMBER.
UM, AND SO, UH, IT, THOSE ARE REAL CONCERNS, AND I DON'T, DON'T MEAN TO UNDERMINE THEM AT ALL, ESPECIALLY THE BUDGET CONCERN.
AND, AND MY HOPE IS THAT AT SOME POINT WE CAN PUT IT OUT FOR AN RFP SO THAT IF THERE'S AN ORGANIZATION THAT CAN DO IT FOR A LOT LESS, UM, OR, OR, OR VET CLINIC THAT'S WILLING TO DO IT FOR LESS.
'CAUSE WE'VE, WE'VE NEVER ASKED THAT QUESTION.
UM, BECAUSE OVER THE, HOW LONG HAS THAT NON-CONTRACT BEEN IN EFFECT? IT'S BEEN THERE SINCE I'VE BEEN THERE, AND I WAS TOLD IT WAS, HAD BEEN IN PLACE FOR AT LEAST FIVE, MAYBE EIGHT YEARS.
UM, WHEN WAS THAT? WE DID HAVE DISCUSSIONS ON TRYING TO DO AN RFP.
AND YEAH, IT WAS A DIFFICULT THING TO TRY TO MANAGE.
UM, UH, I THINK IT'D BE, YOU KNOW, WORK DOING AT LEAST JUST TO JUST FIND OUT THERE'S INTEREST, OTHER, OTHER SHELTER OR OTHER ORGANIZATIONS NOW THAT THERE'S MORE.
'CAUSE I THINK AT THE TIME, YOU KNOW, I THINK THEY WERE THE, MAY HAVE BEEN THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN.
AND SO NOW THAT THERE'S MORE, WHAT, WHAT CAN WE DO? IT STILL DOESN'T, UM, WE'LL STILL HAVE TO FIND FUNDING FOR IT.
AND SO HOW WE CAN, HOW WE CAN, YOU KNOW, NOT IMPACT OTHER OPERATIONS TOO MUCH IN ORDER TO TRY TO TRY TO SALVAGE THIS.
BUT, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT IT FROM THAT,
[01:00:01]
THAT 30,000 FOOT LEVEL OF LIKE, WHAT, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WITH ANIMAL WELFARE, ESPECIALLY WITH US, EVERY, EVERYTHING'S IMPORTANT.AND, AND I, AND I THINK I APPRECIATE THE TRANSPARENCY OF TELLING THE PUBLIC, YES, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE DOING AND THIS WILL HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON LIFE SAVING, AND THIS IS THE COST OF IT.
UM, AND I THINK THAT GIVES THE PUBLIC THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO FIGHT FOR IT IF THAT'S WHAT THEY WANNA GO FIGHT FOR.
BECAUSE IF YOU'RE BEING TOLD YOU HAVE TO CUT SOMETHING, THAT MEANS YOU'RE GONNA CUT SOMETHING THAT ALL THE PEOPLE THAT WATCH THESE MEETINGS, HOWEVER MANY OF THEM ARE AT HOME, TWO OR THREE IN THE, IN THE ONES IN THE ROOM, UM, THOSE ACTUALLY, NO, IT'S THE COMMISSIONERS.
UM, ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO CARE ABOUT THESE THINGS HAVE TO GO FIGHT FOR 'EM BECAUSE IT'S YOUR JOB TO, TO DO WHAT THE CITY MANAGER ASKS YOU TO DO, WHICH WAS GIVE A BUDGET WITH SOME CUTS IN IT, AND IF, AND WHATEVER YOU CUT, PEOPLE ARE GONNA BE MAD ABOUT IN THIS BUDGET.
UM, AND SO PEOPLE NEED TO GO TO THEIR, UM, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THEIR MAYOR IF THEY THINK THIS IS IMPORTANT, WHICH I DO, UM, AND GO TALK TO THEM BECAUSE THE, THE, THE GAME IS BEING PLAYED NOW AT CITY COUNCIL WHERE THINGS ARE BEING TRADED AND, UM, THINGS ARE BEING ADDED TO THE BUDGET THAT ARE THINGS THAT PEOPLE CARE ABOUT.
THE DEFINITION OF POLITICS IS THE DIVISION OF, OF, UH, COMMUNITY REVENUE.
THAT'S THE DEFINITION OF POLITICS, DIVISION OF TAX REVENUE.
AND SO, UH, THIS IS WHAT THEY'RE DOING NOW.
AND FOR PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE WHO CARE ABOUT THIS ISSUE, NOW'S THE TIME.
NOW'S IT'S, YOU KNOW, NOW'S THE TIME TO TALK ABOUT IT.
BUT COMMISSIONER FER, I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF HANDS, AND I'M SORRY TO TAKE SO MUCH OF YOUR TIME, BUT COMMISSIONER FERGUSON WAS NEXT.
UM, YOU ACTUALLY TOUCHED ON IT.
I JUST WANTED TO ASK IF, IF IT COULD BE STRUCK, IF THERE COULD BE A CONTRACT THAT IS STRUCTURED, IF THERE'S NOT, WHAT WOULD THAT TAKE? AND I THINK, I MEAN, YOU KIND OF TOUCHED ON THAT, LIKE AN GETTING AN RFP PROCESS AND JUST EVEN STRUCTURING WHAT'S THERE NOW.
WELL, YOU KNOW, BEFORE, YOU KNOW, IN ORDER TO COMPLY WITH THE STATE STATUTE, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A, A FUNDING SOURCE BEFORE YOU COMPETE FOR ANY CONTRACT.
AND THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT'S OUR CITY PROCESS.
YOU KNOW, LIKE WHEN YOU SUBMIT THAT REQUEST, THE FIRST THING THAT THE, THE PROCUREMENT OFFICE IS GONNA LOOK, LOOK AT IS YOU HAVE THE FUNDING TO PROVIDE THOSE SERVICES.
WE'RE NOT GONNA ENTER A CONTRACT AND ASK SOMEBODY PROVIDE SERVICES OR EVEN WASTE THEIR TIME AND ENERGY TO SUBMIT A RESPONSE WHEN WE DON'T HAVE THE FUNDING TO PURSUE THAT, THAT AVENUE.
SO I THINK FINDING THAT SOURCE OF FUNDING, UM, WOULD BE THE FIRST STEP FOR ANY CONTRACT.
AND THEN HAVING THE CLEAR, CONCISE SCOPE OF SERVICES AND THE WAY TO MONITOR THAT, UH, IS SUPER IMPORTANT.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE THAT IN OUR, IN OUR DEPARTMENT.
AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO WORK ON.
WE HAVE, WE, WE HAVE SEVERAL OTHER CONTRACTS, UH, IN OUR LOCAL AGREEMENTS THAT ARE SIGNIFICANT IN TERMS OF SCOPE AND DOLLAR AMOUNT AND VERY LITTLE OVERSIGHT.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, WORKING ON CORRECTING THAT, UM, FOR MANY REASONS, RIGHT? ARE WE GETTING WHAT WE'RE PAYING FOR, YOU KNOW, ARE, ARE THEY TIMELY? I MEAN, THOSE ARE THINGS THAT, UM, HAVE NOT BEEN PRIORITIZED IN THIS DEPARTMENT THAT WE ARE WORKING ON PRIORITIZING.
WE HAVE TO HAVE THAT BACK ORDER, UH, IN ORDER.
AND SO, UM, I WOULD SAY THAT THAT'S THE, THE FIRST STEP IS IDENTIFYING THAT FUNDING.
I THINK COMMISSIONER DITIS WAS NEXT.
SO SHE, CHIEF ROLANDO FERNANDEZ YOU, WELL, YOU, I, I WAS LOOKING AT THE BUDGET AND WHAT THE CITY POSTED, AND I THINK THAT IS POINT OF ORDER.
SORRY, THE BUDGET ISN'T ON THE AGENDA AS AN AGENDA ITEM.
SO CHRISTIE, CAN YOU TELL ME IF THIS DISCUSSION IS ALLOWED? I THANK YOU COMMISSIONER NORTON FOR THE INQUIRY.
IT DOES SEEM TO BE STRAYING A BIT FROM THE MONTHLY REPORTS, ALTHOUGH I CAN SEE HOW IT IS SOMEWHAT INTERRELATED.
IF THE COMMISSION WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS THE BUDGET FURTHER, IT COULD BE BROUGHT UP DURING FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS AND FOR THE NEXT MEETING.
SO I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THAT, UH, CHRISTIE AND THANK YOU JOANNE, FOR BRING THE POINT OF ORDER.
SO THE BUDGET, THIS WENT ON FOR A WHILE, THE DISCUSSION.
AND THERE WAS A QUESTION THAT CAME, AND I, I DIDN'T, I WAS DEBATING ON INTERRUPTING SOMEBODY AND I WAS TRYING NOT TO DO THAT.
BUT I THINK THIS HAPPENED ONE OTHER TIME WHERE MORE QUESTIONS CAME UP AND IT'S NOT FAIR TO THE CITIZENS THAT WE DIDN'T PUBLICIZE THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A BUDGET DISCUSSION.
AND NOW THAT WE'RE HAVING MULTIPLES OF US, UM, TALK, I THINK THAT BRINGS UP THE TOPIC OF, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT FAIR TO THE CITIZENS, UH, TO NOT HAVE HAD THIS ON THE AGENDA AND TO BE ABLE TO COME IN AND VOICE THEIR
[01:05:01]
OPINIONS AND TALK ON THE SUBJECT.IT, IT JUST WENT THE BUDGET, UH, TOPIC WHEN I'M FOR 10 MINUTES TILL I ASK A QUESTION, BUT I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH, I THINK YOU CAN ASK QUESTIONS THAT ARE RELATED TO THINGS THAT WERE SPOKEN ABOUT IN THE, IN THE, UH, MONTHLY REPORTS.
AND SO MY QUESTION WAS TIED TO SOMETHING THAT WAS MENTIONED IN THE REPUBLIC MONTHLY REPORTS.
SO IF YOU WANNA ASK A QUESTION ABOUT THE MONTHLY REPORTS AND THINGS THAT WERE TALKED ABOUT'S FINE IN THE MONTHLY REPORTS, I THINK YOU CAN DO SO.
I FRANKLY THINK YOU CAN ASK A QUESTION ABOUT THE BUDGETS TOO.
'CAUSE IT'S NOT A DISCUSSION, IT'S A QUESTION OF STAFF.
BUT REGARDLESS IF YOU CAN TIE IT TO THE MONTHLY REPORTS, I THINK IT'S FAIR GAME.
IF, IF YOU CAN'T, THEN WE SHOULD MOVE ON.
UM, I WOULD ASK, UM, GOING BACK TO THE, THE BUDGET, UH, AND THE QUESTION OF HAVING TO REMOVE THE EMERGENCY VETERINARY CARE, UM, AND, UH, ROLANDO AND I HAVE ACTUALLY HAD A DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS IN TERMS OF WHEN I ASKED ABOUT THE, THE BUDGET FROM LAST, THE PLANNING FOR THIS BUDGET AND THE FACT THAT IT KIND OF ALL CAME UP AS A BIT OF A SURPRISE TO CITIZENS AND TO THIS GROUP.
AND SO IN, IN LOOKING AT THINGS LIKE THAT, LIKE HAVING TO CUT THINGS FROM THE BUDGET, CAN WE LOOK TOWARDS, I'M ASKING THIS IN A FORUM NOW BECAUSE THIS, THE, WITHIN THIS GROUP, CAN WE LOOK TOWARDS, UM, HAVING DISCUSSIONS EARLIER IN THE PROCESS SO THAT WE CAN POSSIBLY HELP ADVOCATE FOR ITEMS IN THE BUDGET THAT YOU WANT OR LOOK FOR OTHER WAYS TO, UM, TO, TO FUND THOSE, UM, AS FOUR OR FIVE HAVE BEEN MENTIONED HERE THAT POTENTIALLY WE CAN, UM, HELP ADVOCATE FOR YOU GUYS AND HELP GET THOSE, GET THAT BUDGET MONEY FOR YOU, OR OTHER WAYS OF FUNDING THAT, YOU KNOW, MY, MY APPROACH IS ALWAYS GONNA BE, AND NOT TO GET AHEAD OF THE CITY MANAGER, RIGHT? SO THE CITY MANAGER, UH, HAS THAT RESPONSIBILITY OF SUBMITTING, UH, A PROPOSED, UH, BALANCED BUDGET TO MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
AND, AND MY JOB AS THE INTERIM DIRECTOR IN THIS ROLE, OR, OR SUPPORTING THE DIRECTOR AND THEIR ROLE AS, UH, AS A DIRECTOR IS TO, UH, ENSURE THAT, UH, WE PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, MAKE THE MOST SENSE FOR THE SCOPE OF WORK THAT WE HAVE AS A DEPARTMENT.
AND THEN LET THE MANAGER PRESENT THAT TO THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
AND ONCE THE MANAGER SAYS, YOU CAN TALK ABOUT IT OUTSIDE OF THIS PROCESS, THEN WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT OUTSIDE THAT PROCESS.
AND SO, IN SUMMARY, I CAN TALK ABOUT THE PROCESS AND HOW WE DERIVE DECISIONS AFTER THE MANAGER PRESENTS HIS RECOMMENDATION OF A BUDGET TO MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
THE TIMING OF IT IS ALWAYS DIFFICULT.
YOU KNOW, WE ARE DEALING WITH THE, WHAT, $6 BILLION BUDGET, 40 PLUS DEPARTMENTS, UM, AND THE TIMING OF IT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO, WE WANT TO ANSWER ALL OF THE QUESTIONS.
WE WANT TO SHARE ALL THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE TO US IN TERMS OF HOW WE MADE THOSE DECISIONS REGARDING OUR BUDGET.
BUT IT CAN'T HAPPEN UNTIL THE MANAGER PRESENTS THE BUDGET TO MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
I THINK THAT'S A MATTER OF JUST TIMING.
AND IF WE CAN PLAY THAT OUT NEXT YEAR A LITTLE BIT BETTER, I'M HAPPY TO BE HERE, UH, AFTER THAT, UH, THAT DATE OF THE MAYOR, UH, AND COUNCIL RECEIVING THE INFORMATION FROM THE MANAGER AND THIS, LET'S TRY TO KEEP 'EM TO THE MONTHLY REPORTS AS BEST WE CAN.
UM, DR. NELSON, I, I DO AGREE WITH THAT LIMITATION.
UM, AND, AND A PREVIOUS COMMENT, CAN I RELAY BACK TO A PREVIOUS COMMENT? FEEL FREE TO, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE COMMENT IS.
JUST TRY TO BE BRIEF AND JUST FEEL FREE TO STOP ME IF THIS IS TO THE, UH, UM, MONTHLY REPORT OUT OF LINE AS BEST YOU CAN.
UM, BUT, UH, THE, THE QUESTION ABOUT HOW LONG WE'VE HAD THIS, I GUESS, HANDSHAKE AGREEMENT, UM, WITH, WITH THE EMERGENCY CLINICS AND CERTAINLY WHAT IS DECIDED THERE WILL HAVE A HUGE EFFECT ON HOW THE SHELTER RUNS.
I MEAN, THESE ARE, UH, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THE CASES THAT I DEAL WITH FIRSTHAND ARE, ARE THE ONES THAT COME FROM, FROM THE EC.
UM, SO I'VE SEEN A LOT OF THESE CASES, UM, MYSELF, THAT WILL BE AFFECTED, UM, BY THIS.
AND I CAN SAY THAT, UM, IN THE, IN THE NINE YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN CONTRACTING, UM, WITH THE SHELTER DOING CONTRACT WORK, UM, WITH THE SHELTER, I'VE OBSERVED, UM, A BIG CHANGE.
I FEEL LIKE THE, THE OWNERSHIP OF THE, OF THE, UM, OF THE VENDOR HAS CHANGED.
AND A AND A PREVIOUS OWNER HAD A VERY GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THE SHELTER NEEDED AND WHAT IT WAS APPROPRIATE TO DO FOR AN ANIMAL THAT WAS GONNA BE UNDER THE CARE OF THE SHELTER AND, AND THAT THE CITY WAS GONNA HAVE TO PAY FOR.
I FELT LIKE THEY HAD A VERY GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF THAT.
AND I THINK, I BELIEVE SINCE THE OWNERSHIP HAS CHANGED, I MAY BE WRONG ABOUT THIS, THE OWNERSHIP MAY HAVE BECOME CORPORATE, BUT I FEEL LIKE THERE'S THAT UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT SHOULD BE DONE HAS BEEN LOST.
UM, AND, AND THAT I, I HOPE THAT, AS YOU SAID, THAT THERE MIGHT BE A WAY TO PULL THAT BACK SOME WITHOUT COMPLETELY ELIMINATING, UM,
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THE SERVICE FOR, FOR OUR COMMUNITY.UM, I SEE THAT POSSIBILITY THERE, AND I HOPE THAT THE COMMISSION CAN, CAN BE A FORCE, UM, FOR, FOR HELPING YOU OUT WITH THAT.
UM, I MEAN, I, I CAN, I CAN POINT TO A COMMISSION MEETING WHERE THE COMMISSION WAS VERY UPSET THAT THE EMERGENCY CLINIC WAS MAKING THE DECISION TO EUTHANIZE, INJURED FERAL CATS THAT WERE TOO FERAL TO BE ABLE TO RECEIVE DAILY TREATMENT AND MEDICATION AND, AND THEY GOT ANGRY ABOUT THAT DECISION.
SO I THINK THERE HAS, I THINK HISTORICALLY THIS COMMISSION HAS NOT BEEN A HELP FOR OUR CITY SHELTER IN, IN, IN KEEPING THOSE SERVICES TO AN APPROPRIATE LEVEL.
AND I HOPE WE CAN DO A BETTER JOB OF THAT.
UH, SO I KNOW THAT THE NEW, AND AGAIN, I'M GONNA TIE IT JOANNE, TO THE, THE STATISTICAL REPORT, MAKING SURE I DON'T GET OUT OF TRACK, BOTH
SO, UH, IN MY PREFACES, UH, THE, THE FUNDING IS FOR CHIEF ADMINISTRATOR OFFICER AND A FINANCIAL MANAGER.
AND HOW DOES THAT HELP US TO STAY, IMPROVE OUR STATISTICS AND EMITTING THE NO KILL OF IN ASIA? HOW'S IT GONNA IMPROVE EVERYTHING OVERALL IT DOES FOR ORLANDO HERNANDEZ? I MEAN, I WANT, I REALLY WANNA ANSWER THAT QUESTION AND, UH, I JUST THINK THAT THAT'S A REALLY FAR STRETCH INTO, UH, WHAT'S, YOU KNOW, THE, WHAT'S, UH, THE DATA THAT'S PROVIDED IN THE REPORT.
UM, AND I MAY GET INTO TROUBLE WITH IT ON THIS ONE.
SO I'M, I'M SETTING A BAD PRESIDENTS ON HOW, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THINGS THAT I DON'T BELIEVE ARE ON THE AGENDA, BUT, UM, I FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT THE NEED FOR THESE POSITIONS, RIGHT? I FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT THE NEED FOR OUR CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER.
I FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT THE NEED FOR OUR FINANCIAL MANAGER, WHICH ARE TWO ADMINISTRATIVE POSITIONS THAT WE ARE ASKING FOR, UH, IN THIS BUDGET.
SO OUR DEPARTMENT IS 128.5 FTES.
WE HAVE 44 TEMPORARY EMPLOYEES.
THE MAJORITY OF THESE WORK 40 HOURS, THOSE ARE PERMANENT POSITIONS.
SO RIGHT NOW I HAVE A STAFF, A, A BACK OF HOUSE STAFF THAT'S VERY SMALL TO MANAGE THAT NUMBER OF WORKERS, VERY SMALL.
AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE AREAS THAT WE NEED IMPROVEMENT UPON ARE THE BACK OF HOUSE SERVICES, RIGHT? IN MY OPINION, IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS THAT I'VE BEEN THERE, UH, I HAVE AN INTERIM OFFICER, UH, CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER THAT'S BEEN HELPING ME, HELPING US MAKE SOME IMPROVEMENTS IN THIS DEPARTMENT, MUCH NEEDED IMPROVEMENTS.
UM, I HAVE THE BEST EXAMPLE, THE BEST TEST OF WHAT AN ANIMALS, UH, EXCUSE ME, WHAT A CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER CAN DO IN THIS DEPARTMENT, BECAUSE I'VE BEEN SEEING THAT ALREADY THE LAST ALMOST THREE MONTHS OVERSIGHT OF HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT.
WE, I MEAN, I INHERITED MASSIVE AMOUNT OF HUMAN RESOURCES CHALLENGES, RIGHT? UM, I INHERITED, UH, MANY CON MANY SUPPORT SERVICES, UH, WITHOUT A CONTRACT, RIGHT? UM, THAT WE'RE WORKING ON FIXING, YOU KNOW, OVER BUDGET, HALF A MILLION DOLLARS OVER BUDGET RIGHT NOW, HALF A MILLION DOLLARS OVER BUDGET RIGHT NOW OF A 16 PLUS MILLION DOLLAR OPERATING BUDGET.
WE'RE HALF A MILLION DOLLARS OVER BUDGET.
THAT'S NOT A GOOD POSITION TO BE IN.
SO WE NEED TO FIX THAT, UM, ACCOUNTING, UH, STUFF THAT WE WERE NOT DOING RIGHT? I MEAN, I'VE HAD TO, UH, TELL, UM, VENDORS TO STOP OR SLOW DOWN BECAUSE WE WERE NOT DOING OUR ACCOUNTING RIGHT? AND SO THAT BACK OF HOUSE STUFF HAS BEEN IN POOR CONDITION.
I UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAVE TO FOCUS ON THE ANIMALS, RIGHT? UM, BUT IF I CAN'T TAKE CARE OF THOSE THINGS FOR OUR STAFF MEMBERS, THEN THEY CAN'T FOCUS ON THE ANIMALS.
SO I NEED A CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER.
I NEED A FINANCIAL MANAGER TO COVER THOSE THINGS, UH, THAT HAVE NOT BEEN COVERED.
UM, AND I WILL JUST TEST US ON THAT.
AND YOU WILL SEE A BUNCH OF IMPROVEMENTS ON THOSE BACK OF HOUSE SERVICES.
'CAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE, 'CAUSE WE'RE NOW GONNA HAVE THAT EXPERTISE IN HOUSE.
AND SO I'LL LEAVE MY RESPONSE TO THAT.
FOCUSING ON OPERATIONS, THAT'S GOOD TO MAKE IT BETTER TRANSLATE TO THE ANIMALS.
ANYONE ELSE ON ITEM NUMBER TWO? OKAY, THANK YOU.
[3. Staff briefing on Close Out Report on GoodFix Spay and Neuter Clinics and current Spay and Neuter count provided by Rolando Fernandez, Interim Chief Animal Services Officer, Animal Services Office]
NUMBER THREE.STAFF BRIEFING ON CLOSEOUT REPORT ON GOOD FIX SPAY AND NEUTER CLINICS, AND CURRENT SPAY AND NEUTER COUNT PROVIDED BY ROLANDO FERNANDEZ, INTERIM CHIEF ANIMAL SERVICES OFFICER, ANIMAL SERVICES OFFICE.
CAN YOU PULL UP THE PRESENTATION?
[01:15:02]
UH, THREE.IT MIGHT ALL BE ON TWO THOUGH.
YEAH, IT'S ALL PARKED PROBABLY TOGETHER.
SO, UH, AGAIN, COMMISSIONERS JASON GARZA WITH ANIMAL SERVICES.
UM, SO THIS, WE'RE GONNA JUST GIVE YOU A, A QUICK UPDATE OF WHERE WE'RE AT WITH OUR EFFORTS REGARDING SPAY NEUTER, BOTH IN-HOUSE AT A A C AND OUR, UH, CONTRACTS THAT WE HAVE WITH, WITH OUR VENDORS TO PERFORM COMMUNITY SPAY NEUTER.
SO, TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT, THIS IS A SNAPSHOT OF WHAT HAS BEEN DONE OVER THE LAST FIVE FISCAL YEARS.
SO, UH, IT'S BROKEN DOWN BY SURGERIES PERFORMED IN-HOUSE VERSUS THOSE SURGERIES THAT ARE PERFORMED BY A CONTRACT.
AND SO ON TOP, UM, WE WERE ABLE, WE KEEP A CONSISTENT, PRETTY STEADY FLOW WITH SURGERY.
WE HAVE GONE, UH, INCREASED IT FROM FY 23 TO FY 24, UM, AT LEAST IN-HOUSE, UM, WITH OUR SURGERIES PERFORMED VIA A CONTRACT.
YOU'LL SEE THAT RIGHT WHEN THE PANDEMIC HIT IS WHEN WE STARTED TO SEEING THE LULL IN SERVICES BEING OFFERED TO THE COMMUNITY.
BUT IT'S BEEN ABLE TO BE PICKED UP, UH, BE PICKED UP.
AND THEN, ESPECIALLY ONCE WE GOT THE, UH, GOOD FIX CONTRACT TO, TO SORT OF THE NUMBER WHERE IT IS NOW, FY 24 WILL INCLUDE THAT FIRST GOOD FIX EVENT THAT WE HAD.
'CAUSE IT WAS LIKE RIGHT AT THE END OF AUGUST, OR RIGHT AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER.
SO IT WAS COUNTED IN THAT, IN THAT, UH, COUNT.
SO HERE'S A LITTLE SNAP, ANOTHER SNAPSHOT OF WHERE WE ARE AT RIGHT NOW.
WE'VE BROKEN IT DOWN BY MONTHS.
AND THEN THE, THE, I KNOW IT'S A BUSY SIDE, BUT THEN SORT OF THE BREAKDOWN FOR EACH MONTH.
UM, BUT SINCE OCTOBER THROUGH JUNE, 2025, WE'VE HAD ABOUT 10,547 SPAY NS THAT ARE, UM, DONE EITHER, UH, IN-HOUSE OR, OR THROUGH, UH, OUR CONTRACTED VENDORS.
UM, SO, UH, THIS HAS BEEN A, A GOOD, AGAIN, STEADY NUMBER.
I MEAN, WE'RE AT THIS POINT WITH THREE MONTHS LEFT.
UM, WELL, ONCE I, I'LL GO WITH THE NEXT SLIDE.
WE'LL INCLUDE JULY'S NUMBERS, BUT THEN, UM, WE HAVE STILL HAVE AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER TO GO THROUGH.
SO HOPEFULLY WITH THIS SORT OF STEADY FLOW, WE'LL, WE'LL, WE'LL, WE'LL HIT A GOOD NUMBER TO END OUT THE YEAR.
UM, SO THIS IS A BREAKDOWN OF THE GOOD FIX EVENT THAT WE HAD JUST RECENTLY IN JULY.
UM, SO WE WERE HITTING PRETTY GOOD NUMBERS.
IT WAS OUR BEST EVENT UP AND UP UNTIL, UM, UH, WELL, OUR BEST EVENT FOR THE FIVE THAT WE HAD, UM, TOTAL, WE HAD 1,124 ANIMALS, UH, SIZED.
UM, AND THEN COMBINE THAT WITH AUSTIN, UH, WITH OUR NUMBERS SO FAR FOR, FOR, UH, SIX 15.
NOW THIS IS GONNA GO UP, UM, ONLY BECAUSE WE STILL ARE GETTING THE INVOICES FOR EMAN AND, AND, UH, AUSTIN HUMANE SOCIETY, BUT RIGHT NOW THROUGH JULY, WE'RE AT 12,286 AND IT SHOULD BE CLIMBING.
SO, UM, GETTING A LOT OF ANIMALS IN THE COMMUNITY, UM, THE ANIMALS THAT ARE BEING ADOPTED, WE'RE GETTING 'EM TAKEN CARE OF.
AND HOPEFULLY, UH, WE'LL START MAKING THAT, THAT DENT THAT WE LOST WITH, WITH THE PEN DMIC.
SO, WE'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS, ANYTHING, ADD A COUPLE OF THINGS, JASON.
THANK YOU FOR THAT, JASON, FOR ALL THE DATA MANAGEMENT AND, UH, PRESENTING THAT INFORMATION.
WE WANTED TO SHARE THIS INFORMATION FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS, RIGHT? IT'S BEEN A FOCUS OF OURS.
S IT'S A PRIORITY FOCUS AREA ON THE STRATEGIC PLAN AS WELL.
AND, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ALL KNOW HOW WE DO THIS KIND OF WORK, RIGHT? WE DO THAT IN HOUSE, UH, AND THEN WE ALSO DO THAT THROUGH, UH, VENDORS, RIGHT? PRIMARILY THROUGH VENDORS WITH, UH, THE GOOD FIX, UH, EVENTS.
AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE EMANCIPATE TO THE MOBILE CLINIC, AND THEN HUMANE SOCIETY, UH, SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED ON THE COMMUNITY CAT PROGRAM.
UM, WE HAD, UH, EXTENDED, UH, THE TERMS OF BOTH FOR EMANCIPATE, UM, AND FOR, WELL, WELL, WE'LL BE WORKING ON THE EMANCIPATE, BUT FORMAN SOCIETY, WE'VE DONE THAT ALREADY TO EXTEND THOSE, UH, SERVICES UNTIL WE GET A NEW, UH, CONTRACT IN PLACE.
AND OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE THAT CONTRACT IN PLACE BY JANUARY OF NEXT YEAR.
UM, WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT MAXIMIZING THOSE DOLLARS, RIGHT? WE HAVE SET DOLLARS IN, IN OUR BUDGET FOR, FOR THAT CONVERSATION.
OBVIOUSLY, THE BUDGET IS STILL UNDER CONSIDERATION BY MAYOR AND COUNCIL FOR NEXT YEAR.
BUT WHEN THAT BUDGET IS APPROVED, YOU KNOW, OUR GOAL IS TO MAXIMIZE THOSE DOLLARS AND, AND ALSO INCLUDING THAT FOR, UH, FOR GOOD FIX.
AND SO OUR NEXT STEP AFTER GOOD FIX IS TO HUDDLE UP AND, AND SEE WHAT, UH, LESSONS ARE, UH, LEARNED FROM THAT EVENT, UH, AND FROM THE REST OF THE EVENTS THAT WE'VE HAD OVER THE, THE PAST YEAR TO SEE HOW WE CAN MAKE IT BETTER.
UM, UM, I ALSO WANNA LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, THESE, UH, THESE SERVICES FOR HOW WE CAN, UM, PRIORITIZE OUR, OUR FOSTER ANIMALS, RIGHT? WE HAVE A LARGE NUMBER OF FOSTER ANIMALS.
AS JASON SHARED IN THE DATA EARLIER TODAY.
UH, MANY OF THOSE ARE NOT FOSTERED.
YOU KNOW, THE MAJORITY OF THOSE, I MEAN, EXCUSE ME, THE MAJORITY OF THOSE ARE NOT SPAY NEUTERED.
[01:20:01]
UH, SO HAVING A HARD TIME MANAGING, YOU KNOW, THE ANIMALS IN OUR CARE CURRENTLY IN OUR SHELTER BEING SPAY NEUTERED SO THAT THEY CAN GO OUT AS THEY'RE ADOPTED, UM, AS THEY'RE ADOPTED, OR, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN GET TAKEN CARE OF QUICKLY AFTER ADOPTION.UM, BECAUSE AS SOON AS THEY GO OUT, THAT'S ONE LESS KENNEL THAT, UH, THAT WE CAN, ONE LESS CANDLE THAT WE HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF.
BUT ALSO, MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT'S ONE MORE KENNEL THAT WE CAN PROVIDE TO THE ANIMAL COMING IN THROUGH OUR PROCESS.
AND SO WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT INFORMATION, AND WE'LL BE HAPPY TO COME BACK TOWARDS THE END OF THAT PROCESS TO KIND OF SHARE YOU WHAT, UH, WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT TO MAXIMIZE OUR DOLLARS THROUGHOUT, YOU KNOW, THE VARIOUS CONTRACTING OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE CAN DO.
UH, THERE IS ONE OTHER AREA OF CONTRACTING THAT I, THAT WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT, AND IT'S ONE THAT WE, THAT WE WANT TO UTILIZE TO SUPPORT SERVICES THAT ARE, THAT WHEN WE HAVE SOMEBODY COMING IN TO SURRENDER THEIR ANIMAL, OR THAT THEY FIND THEIR ANIMAL, UH, FOUND AN ANIMAL AND THEY WANT TO, UH, GIVE IT BACK TO US, BUT MAYBE THERE'S AN INTEREST IN THEN KEEPING THAT ANIMAL AS A FINDER THAT WE CAN PROVIDE THAT SERVICE TO THEM FOR SPAY NEUTER AND OTHER THINGS, RIGHT? THAT WE CAN'T DO BECAUSE IT'S NOT OUR ANIMAL.
UM, AND SO I THINK THERE'S WAYS TO AUGMENT, UH, THOSE SERVICES THROUGH OUR PRC, OUR PET RESOURCE CENTER.
UM, AND I, I THINK THAT THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO CREATE A CONTRACT OR TO AUGMENT ONE OF THE EXISTING CONTRACTS TO PROVIDE THAT SERVICE FOR US.
UM, AND SPAIN NEUTER IS A BIG PROGRAM OF THAT.
SO WE WANTED TO SHARE THAT INFORMATION, INFORMATION WITH Y'ALL.
UM, WE GOT SOME GOOD NEXT STEPS TO WORK ON.
AND, AND AGAIN, FIGURING OUT HOW WE CAN MAXIMIZE OUR BUDGET FOR, FOR THESE EVENTS, UH, IN PARTICULAR THE SPAY NEUTER, UH, PORTION OF THE EVENTS.
ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON NUMBER THREE? UH, VICE CHAIR LENDER? UM, JUST ONE QUICK QUESTION FIRST, UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR PUTTING THIS TOGETHER.
IT'S REALLY HELPFUL THE WAY YOU LAID IT OUT, UM, JUST TO SEE IT ALL THERE.
I THINK ONE QUESTION I HAVE IS LOOKING AT THIS, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE NUMBERS STARTING IN 2020, UM, BUT IF WE WERE TO LOOK BACK AT 2019, LIKE OUR NUMBERS THIS YEAR ABOUT WHERE WE WERE IN 2019 BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, UM, SO I, I GUESS IT'S JUST SORT OF A REQUEST OF, IF WE, WHEN WE LOOK AT THIS AGAIN, COULD WE INCLUDE THE PRE PANDEMIC NUMBERS? 'CAUSE I KNOW WE HAD JUST SUCH A HUGE DIP THERE, UNDERSTANDABLY SO.
UM, BUT OBVIOUSLY THE CITY'S GROWING AND WE'RE A MUCH BIGGER CITY THAN WE WERE IN 2019.
SO IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL, UM, JUST AS A POINT OF REFERENCE IF WE COULD GET AN EVEN MORE SORT OF LONGITUDINAL PERSPECTIVE, UM, JUST FOR THAT REASON.
IF, IF POSSIBLE, IF IT'S A BIG DEAL, DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT.
ANYTHING ELSE ON THREE? ALL RIGHT, WE'LL MOVE TO ITEM NUMBER FOUR.
[4. Discussion of the Bond Election priorities as it relates to the delivery of animal services.]
DISCUSSION OF THE BOND ELECTION PRIORITIES AS IT RELATES TO DELIVERY OF ANIMAL SERVICES.IS THAT ALSO STAFF OR IS THAT A PERSON? THIS WAS ME, COMMISSIONER HOLT, THIS IS YOU.
UH, WE CAN REALISTICALLY PUNT THIS AGAIN, BUT, UM, THE TAX RATE ELECTION, OR TRE IS PART OF WHAT IS BEING DISCUSSED RIGHT NOW IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE BUDGET.
UM, IT IS LIKELY TO BE AN ELECTION THAT HAPPENS THE FIRST OR SECOND WEEK OF NOVEMBER.
UM, AND IT IS IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE WHO LOVE THE SHELTER AND WANT TO MAKE SURE IT IS ADEQUATELY FUNDED GO TO BAT.
AND AS WE ARE ALSO ADVOCATING FOR ALL THE FY 26 BUDGET STUFF TO HAPPEN, TO ALSO MAKE SURE THAT ANY EXTRA FUNDS THAT ARE BROUGHT IN THROUGH THIS BOND ELECTION, UM, THAT A PORTION OF IT, UM, CAN GO TO HELP THE ANIMALS IN THE SHELTER.
SO I JUST WANNA PUT THAT ON EVERYBODY'S RADAR.
WE, I KNOW I GOT TOLD LAST TIME WE COULDN'T MAKE THIS A RUNNING THING, SO I WILL, IF I HAVE SOMETHING OF SUBSTANCE REACH OUT TO YOU, BUT JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT WAS ON EVERYBODY'S RADAR.
'CAUSE THAT IS ANOTHER NON-GUARANTEED BUT IMPORTANT AVENUE FOR MORE FUNDS TO COME TO THE SHELTER.
AND, AND, UH, IF I MAY, COMMISSIONER CLINTON, WE CAN, UM, WE CAN SEND A MEMO THAT WAS SENT OUT TO MAYOR AND COUNCIL FROM THE, UH, CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES DEPARTMENT, THE DEPARTMENT THAT'S OVERSEEING, UH, THE DELIVERY OF THE PROGRAM, UH, PROJECTS, AND THE CONVERSATION WITH THE BTEF, THE BOND ELECTION ADVISORY TASK FORCE.
WE CAN SEND THAT OVER, UH, AND HAVE THAT DISTRIBUTED TO YOU ALL.
AND THEN, UM, WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT, UH, SITTING DOWN WITH Y'ALL AND, AND SHARING WHAT WE HAVE PROPOSED, UH, WHEN I GET PERMISSION TO DO THAT.
SO, UM, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, WE'RE EXCITED TO SHARE THAT INFORMATION.
AND THEN ALSO, UH, SHARE INFORMATION ABOUT OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS THAT, UM, MAY NOT BE PART OF THIS PROGRAM, BUT WE'RE LOOKING AT WAYS TO, UH, FUND THOSE AND OTHER, OTHER MEANS AND WOULD LOVE YOUR HELP, UH, WHEN WE GET THAT GOING.
SO, IN THE PAST, THE LAST TIME ONE OF THESE AFFECTED THE SHELTER, IT WAS A LONG TIME AGO.
IT WAS BEFORE THE, WHEN THE SHELTER WAS BORN, WHEN THE SHELTER WAS, UM, THE NEW SHELTER WAS, WAS, UH, GOT A BOND FOR IT.
UM, THERE WERE ALL KINDS OF BOND MEETINGS AND PUBLIC MEETINGS.
ARE ALL THOSE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW? AM I, AM I JUST NOT AWARE OF THEM? SO, SO YES.
THE BEATS OF IS MEETING RIGHT NOW.
THEY'VE BEEN GETTING BRIEFINGS FROM EACH OF THE, EACH OF THE PARTICIPATING DEPARTMENTS, REALLY JUST THE HIGH LEVEL BRIEFING.
UM, WE REALLY COULDN'T, WE, WE SPOKE AT THE ONE IN APRIL, MAY,
[01:25:01]
UM, JUST TO GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF LIKE WHAT OUR PROGRAMS, WHAT OUR DEPARTMENTS ARE ABOUT.UM, WE'RE NOW, UH, I THINK FOR THIS, THE END OF SUMMER INTO FALL, THEY'RE GOING TO BE SCHEDULED MEETINGS WOULD BE TO ACTUALLY TALK ABOUT PROJECTS AND TALK ABOUT PROPOSALS.
AND, UM, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN SPEAK, START HAVING THE DISCUSSION.
'CAUSE WE ARE COM I DON'T WANNA SAY COMPETING, BUT WE ARE PARTICIPATING WITH A NUMBER OF OTHER DEPARTMENTS.
UM, AND SO, UH, A LOT OF, A LOT OF ASK OUT THERE.
UM, WE'VE ALSO ARE, UH, YOU KNOW, WITH THE LOSS OF FEDERAL FUNDING FOR TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS THAT ARE HAPPENING, ESPECIALLY WITH, WITH WITH 35 CABIN STITCH PROGRAM, THAT IS ONE THING ALSO AS WELL THAT WE WILL NEED TO BE COMPETING WITH.
UM, OR, OR TRYING TO, TRYING TO GET AS MUCH AS WE CAN.
SO ONCE WE START, UH, LIKE ROLANDO MENTIONED, ONCE WE ARE ABLE TO SHARE INFORMATION, WE'LL BE HAPPY TO SHARE IT WITH YOU BECAUSE IT, UM, IT'S, IT'S SOMETHING EXCITING.
I THINK WE'LL ALSO DO IT FOR ANOTHER PRESENTATION TO THE B TIFF.
AND SO WE CAN FORWARD THAT INFORMATION TO Y'ALL IN TERMS OF THE DATE.
UM, AND THAT WAY Y'ALL CAN WATCH IT, UH, VIRTUALLY OR IN PERSON.
UM, THAT'S USUALLY THE LAST MONDAY OF EACH MONTH, LIKE AT TWO O'CLOCK.
UM, AND, UH, I THINK WE ARE SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER.
BUT AGAIN, IT'S OUR DESIRE, YOU KNOW, OUR WANT TO COME AND TALK TO YOU ALL ABOUT IT AND FOLLOW THE CITY PROCESS AND, AND, AND GET SUPPORT FOR THAT.
I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, JASON'S DONE A LOT OF GOOD WORK BEFORE I ARRIVED ON, UH, EVALUATING ALL OUR NEEDS.
AND THEN WE'VE, UH, WORKED TOGETHER WITH THE REST OF THE TEAM MEMBERS TO KIND OF REALLY, I, I THINK SUBMIT A COMPETITIVE PROJECT THAT'S, UM, THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE NEED.
YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S REALLY WHAT WE NEED AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT Y'ALL HAVE TALKED ABOUT TODAY, UH, THAT YOU HEARD FROM MS. ROCHELLE AND OTHER THINGS ABOUT OUR CURRENT SETUP THAT, THAT WE NEED.
UH, AND SO, UM, I LOOK FORWARD TO KIND OF SHARING THAT INFORMATION WITH Y'ALL AND GETTING YOUR ANSWERS AND THEN, UM, BEING ON THE SAME PAGE ABOUT HOW WE CAN, YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANNA GET IN TROUBLE, BUT JUST HOW WE SUPPORT THAT EFFORT MOVING FORWARD.
SO, BUT, BUT YEAH, WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
DR. NELSON, I WAS JUST WONDERING IF YOU COULD SAY, I BELIEVE YOU'RE USING AN ACRONYM FOR SOMEBODY WHO'S MEETING.
COULD YOU? THE PTF IS THE BOND ELECTION ADVISORY TASK FORCE.
IT SOUNDS LIKE A VEGETABLE THAT NOBODY WANTS TO EAT, BUT IT'S AN IMPORTANT GROUP.
UM, HAVING GONE THROUGH THAT IN 2000 9 0 8 6, UM, IONS WERE STARTED IN 1998.
HAVING GONE THROUGH THAT, UM, IT IS A HUNDRED PERCENT CRITICAL THAT PEOPLE, THAT CITIZENS SPEAK OUT FOR WHAT THEY WANT AND, AND WHAT THEY WANT AND WHERE THEY WANT IT AND HOW THEY WANT IT.
BECAUSE IT WAS STRONGLY ADVISED TO ANIMAL ADVOCATES TO KEEP QUIET LAST TIME AND, YOU KNOW, DON'T GET INVOLVED.
'CAUSE YOU'RE GONNA RISK THE PROJECT AND IF YOU DO, THINGS COULD GO BAD AND WE'LL FIGURE OUT THE DETAILS LATER.
'CAUSE THE CITY WAS FIGURING OUT THE DETAILS THE WHOLE TIME.
AND BY THE TIME PEOPLE REALIZED WHAT WAS HAPPENING, THE SHIP HAD SAILED AND THEN THERE HAD TO BE A BIG FIGHT OVER WHERE IT WAS GONNA BE.
SO, UM, AND I DON'T KNOW IF I'LL GET IN TROUBLE, GET INVOLVED, REALLY.
AND I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU COMMISSIONER HOLT FOR PUTTING IT ON THE AGENDA SO WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT.
HOPE WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT AGAIN.
I THINK IT'S CRITICAL, BUT I'M SORRY.
AND WHY, WHY IT'S IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY TO GET Y'ALL IN EARLY.
JUST TO GIVE YOU SOME HISTORY AND CONTEXT.
THE ORIGINAL SHELTER PROPOSAL WAS FOR $27 MILLION, AND THE BIFF GAVE AT THE TIME GAVE 12.
ANYTHING ELSE ON, UH, ITEM NUMBER FOUR? ITEM NUMBER FIVE, DISCUSSION
[5. Discussion of heart worm testing and monthly preventative for animals at the Austin Animal Center. ]
OF HEARTWORM TESTING AND MONTHLY PREVENTATIVE FOR THE ANIMALS FOR ANIMALS AT THE AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER.IS THIS A COMMISSION OR IS THIS A STAFF REQUEST? UM, THAT WAS ME.
UM, COMMISSIONER CLINTON, I HAD, UM, WHEN THE COMMENTS CAME UP LAST YEAR ABOUT SHELTER DOGS GETTING A HEARTWORM WHO WERE ON HEARTWORM MEDICINE, UM, I ASKED DR. NIELSEN IF THAT WAS POSSIBLE AND IF SHE COULD MAYBE CLARIFY IT FOR US.
UM, I KNOW AS A OWNER OF DOGS, UM, WHO ARE ON HEARTWORM MEDICINE, UM, MY VETERINARIAN DOES, UM, ASK TO HAVE THEM TESTED EVERY YEAR, UM, WHICH I FOUND KIND OF CURIOUS SINCE I DO HAVE THEM ON TREATMENT.
SO I JUST ASKED HER FROM HER MEDICAL OPINION, UM, TO EXPLAIN IF A DOG WHO'S ON HEARTWORM TREATMENT, UM, CAN ACTUALLY GET HEARTWORMS. AND, UM, AND TO KIND OF CLARIFY WHAT CAME UP LAST MONTH.
SO THE, SO PARASITE LIFECYCLES ARE FASCINATING AND EVERYBODY SHOULD BE INTERESTED IN THEM AS I AM.
UM,
[01:30:01]
BY MOSQUITOES, AS MADE UP AS THIS SOUNDS.UM, THE LARVAL STAGE OF THE HEARTWORM IS PICKED UP FROM AN INFECTED CANINE THAT HAS LITTLE BABY WORMS FLOATING AROUND IN THEIR BLOODSTREAM.
WHEN A FEMALE MOSQUITO TAKES A A BLOOD MEAL FROM AN INFECTED ANIMAL, SHE PICKS UP BABY LARVAE.
THOSE BABY LARVAE NEED TO DEVELOP IN THE MOSQUITO TO THE INFECTIVE STAGE.
AND THEN WHEN THAT MOSQUITO BITES, UM, ANOTHER ANIMAL, THE LARVA ACTUALLY COMES OUT AND GOES IN THE HOLE.
THE MOSQUITO MADE AND, AND GOES INTO THE ANIMAL'S BLOODSTREAM.
IT TAKES AT LEAST THREE MONTHS, THREE, FOUR MONTHS OF THAT LARVA MIGRATING THROUGH THAT HOST TISSUES TO DEVELOP TO AN ADULT STAGE, UM, AND GET TO, UM, GET TO THE BLOOD VESSELS IN THE LUNGS, WHICH IS WHERE THE ADULT WANTS TO BE.
UM, IT, AND IT, IT TAKES A MINIMUM OF THAT HEARTWORM DEVELOPING INTO ADULT, INTO AN ADULT.
IT TAKES A MINIMUM OF SIX MONTHS, USUALLY MORE TO SEVEN OR NINE MONTHS FOR THOSE ADULT WORMS TO SHOW UP ON THE HEARTWORM TEST.
BECAUSE WHAT WE ARE TESTING FOR IN OUR ANTIGEN TEST FOR HEARTWORMS IS A MOLECULE THAT COMES FROM THE UTERUS OF THE ADULT FEMALE HEARTWORMS. SO ALSO IT ONLY TELLS US IF THERE'S ADULT FEMALES THERE.
AND, AND SO IT TAKES A MINIMUM OF SIX MONTHS AFTER INFECTION WITH LARVAL HEARTWORMS FOR A HEARTWORM TEST TO SHOW, SHOW UP POSITIVE MORE OFTEN, SEVEN TO NINE MONTHS.
SO, YES, AND, AND OUR MACROCYCLIC LACTONE, MONTHLY HEARTWORM PREVENTATIVES THAT WE GIVE, THEY WILL KILL MIGRATING LARVAE THAT ARE TWO MONTHS OLD OR YOUNGER, BUT THEY WON'T KILL LARVA IN SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS THAT ARE OLDER THAN THAT.
NOW WE HAVE THE SLOW KILL, THAT'S A WHOLE DIFFERENT THING.
UM, SO A HEARTWORM POSITIVE TEST ON A DOG AT THE SHELTER WAS PROBABLY INFECTED SIX TO NINE MONTHS PRIOR TO THAT TEST BEING DONE.
THEY WERE DEFINITELY NOT INFECTED ANY LESS THAN SIX MONTHS TO PRIOR TO THAT TEST BEING DONE.
UM, AT THE SHELTER, WE DO DO
IT IS PRETTY STRANGE TO SAY THAT WE HAVE ANIMALS IN OUR CARE OVER A YEAR, BUT WE CERTAINLY DO, AND THAT'S A TRAGEDY.
UM, SO, SO THAT'S THE BASICS OF THAT, UM, FOR, FOR EVERYONE TO UNDERSTAND.
FOR ANIMALS THAT GET REGULAR MONTHLY GOOD.
UM, FDA CERTIFIED, UM, MACROCYCLIC LACTONE PREVENTATIVE, IT IS STILL POSSIBLE TO GET BREAKTHROUGH INFECTIONS.
UM, IT'S FAIRLY RARE, UM, BUT IT DOES HAPPEN AND THAT IS WHY WE TEST ANNUALLY.
AND SO I HOPE THAT CAN HELP AND NOT GROSS EVERYBODY OUT.
BUT THIS IS ALSO WHY THE, THE ANTIGEN TEST IS NOT GREAT ON CATS BECAUSE IF CATS HAVE ADULT HEARTWORMS, THEY USUALLY ONLY HAVE ONE OR TWO, SO THEY MAY VERY WELL NOT HAVE A FEMALE WORM.
UM, SO, SO THAT'S WHERE THAT GOES.
SO, UH, SO IF THERE'S A HEARTWORM TEST THAT SHOWS UP POSITIVE ON THE DOG, I THINK THE MOST RELEVANT THING FOR THE SHELTER IS THAT THAT INFECTION STARTED SIX TO NINE MONTHS AGO.
UM, ANY QUESTIONS? JUST TO TIE THIS BACK, REFRESH MY MEMORY, THIS WAS BECAUSE LAST MONTH OR PRIOR OH, I DO, SORRY.
UM, SOMEONE WAS CONCERNED BECAUSE A DOG IN THE SHELTER'S CARE DEVELOPED HEARTWORM AFTER PREVIOUSLY BEING NEGATIVE.
IS THIS WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO CLARIFY HERE? I'M NOT CERTAIN, I COULDN'T REMEMBER WHAT THE, UH, THE SPIRIT OF WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH HERE WAS, SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I WAS ON THE RIGHT PAGE.
THE QUESTION FROM THE PUBLIC WAS THAT THERE WAS A DOG THAT WAS NE THAT TESTED NEGATIVE ON THE WAY IN, AND THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND RECORDS
[01:35:01]
OR THEY WERE UNABLE TO LOCATE RECORDS OF GETTING, UM, UH, TREATMENT WHILE THERE THEN TESTED POSITIVE ON THE WAY OUT.AND SO THE TIMING DOES MATTER.
EVEN LET'S SAY THAT, UH, IT WAS MISSED, IT STILL COULD, COULD THEORETICAL OR LIKELY WAS PRIOR TO THAT, DEPENDING ON HOW I DON'T, RIGHT.
I DON'T KNOW THE CIRCUMSTANCES HOW LONG THE DOG WAS THERE.
THE, I I THINK I WAS EMAILED THEM, BUT CAN'T RECALL FROM MEMORY HOW WELL THE EXACT CIRCUMSTANCES.
BUT I THINK THE, THE, THE MEDICAL INFORMATION THAT'S HELPFUL TO THAT DISCUSSION IS THAT IT'S NOT GONNA SHOW UP FOR SIX MONTHS AT MINIMUM OF THE EARLIEST.
UM, AND THEN I THINK RELATED TO THAT IS A CONCERN BECAUSE CHAMELEON, UM, HAD AUTOMATIC REMINDERS FOR MONTHLY PREVENTATIVES.
UM, SHELTER BUDDY HAS AUTOMATIC REMINDERS FOR MONTHLY PREVENTATIVES.
UM, HOW HAS THE TRANSITION BEEN FOR ANIMALS THAT WERE THERE BEFORE SHELTER BUDDY STARTED? SO THOUGH THEIR PREVENTATIVES WERE STARTED BEFORE SHELTER BUDDY WAS IMPLEMENTED, UM, WHERE WAS THE STATUS OF HAVING, STILL HAVING THEIR REMINDERS BE CONSISTENT IN SHELTER BUDDY? BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH SHELTER BUDDY WAS IMPLEMENTED MAY 5TH, AND SO WE'RE JULY, AUGUST, WE'RE OVER THREE MONTHS LATER.
SO, AND A LOT OF SHELTERS WOULDN'T HAVE THE SAME ANIMALS FROM THREE, THREE MONTHS AGO, BUT WE HAVE, WE HAVE THAT, YEAH.
THIS, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR ABILITY TO ADMINISTER, YOU KNOW, INSTEAD OF THE FIRST DOSES AND THEN, YOU KNOW, ON THE MONTHLY BASIS, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, IT'S BEEN A CHALLENGE.
UM, AND I THINK THERE'S AN EXAMPLE WHERE WE, YOU KNOW, OUR GOAL IS TO, ON A MONTHLY BASIS, DO THAT.
UM, AND THERE'S BEEN, YOU KNOW, SOME CAPACITY CHALLENGES WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE NOT BEEN ON TIME.
AND SO THAT'S AN AREA THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE FOCUSED ON GIVEN THE INTAKE NUMBER THAT WE HAVE GIVEN, UM, YOU KNOW, THE CAPACITY, YOU KNOW, TO TAKE CARE OF ALL THE ANIMALS THAT WE HAVE.
AND THEN, UM, THE INTEGRATION OF A NEW SOFTWARE SYSTEM, RIGHT? HOW TO BEST UTILIZE THAT TOOL.
AND SO, UH, WE'RE STILL, UM, IN, IN THE MIDST OF IMPLEMENTING SHELTER, BUDDY, THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT WE'RE STILL WORKING THROUGH.
AND THEN AFTER THAT PHASE, WE ARE, WE'RE GONNA ALLOW FOR, OKAY, WE GOT THE MAIN STUFF IN, BUT WHAT CAN WE DO NOW TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR OTHER STUFF THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE? SO WE'RE NOT THERE YET, AND I JUST DON'T KNOW WHERE THIS ONE FALLS IN THERE.
UM, I WILL SAY THAT AS OUR, OUR, OUR NUMBERS, UM, STAY HIGH, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT HAPPENS REALLY IS, YOU KNOW, AND WE WANT TO TAKE CARE OF EVERY ANIMAL AND WE, AND WE TRY THE BEST THAT WE CAN, BUT WHAT HAPPENS IS OUR TIME AND ATTENTION FOR EACH ANIMAL KIND OF GETS A LITTLE BIT LOWER.
'CAUSE WE'RE SPREAD THIN, RIGHT? SO WORKING ON, UM, YOU KNOW, PRIORITIZATION, RIGHT? LIKE, WHAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO BE DOING AND LET'S GET THOSE KNOCKED OUT.
AND THEN THE SECOND THING IS, YOU KNOW, NOW THAT WE KNOW WHAT OUR PRIORITIES ARE, ARE WE DOING THE RIGHT, ARE WE DOING IT THE RIGHT WAY? AND, AND HOW CAN WE DO IT BETTER? UM, AND THEN WHERE DOES, WHERE DOES OWNERSHIP OF SOME OF THESE THINGS FALL UPON? YOU KNOW, UH, IF I CAN'T AUGMENT THE TEAM, IF I CAN'T GIVE YOU NO MORE RESOURCES, RIGHT? UH, HAVING THAT CONVERSATION.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HAVING RIGHT NOW.
AND MY GOAL IS TO HEAR FROM STAFF IS TO SAY, GIVEN THIS CURRENT COUNT OF PEOPLE THAT I CAN RELY ON ON DAILY BASIS, RIGHT? MY FT COUNT, HERE'S WHAT I CAN GET, HERE'S WHAT I CAN ACHIEVE CONFIDENTLY, AND HERE'S WHERE I'M FALLING SHORT, AND THEN NOW BECOMES MY PROBLEM TO FIGURE OUT HOW I GET THEM TO, YOU KNOW, BE ABLE TO DO THAT, RIGHT? AND SO THAT'S WHERE WE'RE AT.
AND, AND THAT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS, RIGHT? UH, I KNOW THAT IN TALKING TO, UM, OUR VET TEAM, YOU KNOW, AS WE CHANGED OVER TO A NEW, UH, BRAND OF MEDICINE THAT DOES ALL THREE, RIGHT? UH, WHAT IS IT? HEARTWORM FLEEING, TICK AND, UM, HEARTWORM FLEET, AND THERE'S ANOTHER WORM.
AND SO THAT'D BE EASIER FOR US, RIGHT? AND THEN WE'RE ALSO HAVING THE CHALLENGE OF THIS WHERE, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE ANIMALS THAT WE HAVE TO ADMINISTER THESE THINGS, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S JUST A CHALLENGING TO WORK WITH.
AND SO HOW DO WE DO ALL THAT IN A TIMELY BASIS SO THAT WE CAN DO EVERYTHING THAT WE GOTTA DO? AND SO IT'S ON MY PRIORITY LIST.
UM, WE'RE WORKING WITH, UH, THE VET TECH, UH, VET TECH TEAM AND THE, YOU KNOW, VET VETERINARY TEAM TO KIND OF FIGURE OUT HOW WE MANAGE, YOU KNOW, ALL THE RESPONSIBILITIES FROM THE CARE, UM, DIVISION OF RESPONSIBILITY.
UM, BUT IT IS OUR, IT IS OUR REQUIREMENT THAT ON THE MONTHLY BASIS, THEY ALL GET ADMINISTERED THAT, YOU KNOW, SO COMMISSIONER ZA, THIS IS VERY INTERESTING AND THANK YOU CHIEF ROLANDO FERNANDEZ FOR, UH, SHARING WHAT YOU'RE DOING IN YOUR TEAM.
SO WHAT I HEARD HERE TONIGHT IS THAT, UM, THE PREVENTATIVE
[01:40:01]
FOR HEARTWORM IS TO MINIMIZE THE RISK.WE GIVE THAT TO THE ANIMALS TO MINIMIZE THE RISK OF GETTING HARDWARE, BUT IT'S NOT FOOLPROOF.
IS THAT AN ACCURATE STATEMENT? IT, YES.
YES, IT'S VERY GOOD, BUT NOT, BUT IT'S NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT GUARANTEED.
AND THAT'S WHAT I'VE HEARD FROM OUR VET TECH TEAM, UH, IN-HOUSE, RIGHT? AND DR. NELSON JUST CONFIRMED THAT, AND THAT'S LIKE, YEAH, WE WANNA GIVE IT TO HIM, BUT IT'S NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT, YOU KNOW, PROOF, RIGHT? THANK YOU.
AND THAT WE AT LEAST HAVE HAD SOME PROBLEMS GETTING THEM ALL.
IS THAT CORRECT? GETTING THEM ALL ON TIME BECAUSE OF THE STRETCH STRETCHED RESOURCES.
I MEAN, I THINK IT'S FAIR FOR THE PUBLIC TO ASK, ASK THE QUESTION.
I THINK, AGAIN, GETTING TRANSPARENCY ANSWER, I, IT'S GOAL, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE, RIGHT? IT'S OUR, IT'S OUR GOAL TO DO EVERYTHING THAT WE NEED TO DO.
UM, YOU KNOW, AND EVERYTHING IS, IS REALLY BROAD.
AND, AND SO IT'S PRO, YOU KNOW, INTAKE, EVALUATING THE ANIMAL, WHAT DO THEY NEED, TRIAGING, AND THEN PRIORITIZING THOSE DELIVERY SERVICES OF THOSE, AND THEN DO THAT FOR EVERY ANIMAL.
THEN AFTER THAT WE HAVE IN OUR CARE, UM, AND WE EVEN DO THAT, RIGHT? FOR ANIMALS THAT ARE IN OUR FOSTER PROGRAM, RIGHT? SO 400 PLUS ANIMALS IN OUR FOSTER CARE DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE NOW, UH, LOSE CONTACT WITH THEM, RIGHT? IN FACT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE COMING IN FOR REVIEWS, THEY'RE COMING IN FOR, YOU KNOW, SURGERIES.
SO, UM, WE ALSO HAVE, UM, I'M GONNA MESS UP THIS, UH, THIS DEFINITION OF IT.
UM, IT'S VIRTUAL MEDICINE, RIGHT? TELEMEDICINE.
WE ALSO DO THAT AS WELL, RIGHT? AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S A, IT'S A, IT'S A REALLY SMALL BUT MIGHTY TEAM THAT'S SPREAD, YOU KNOW, UH, ACROSS MANY DIFFERENT RESPONSIBILITIES.
ELLIOT AND THAT TEAM, UH, RE UH, REPORT TO ME AND IT'S MY JOB AND DR.
ELLIOT'S JOB TO LOOK AT EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN DO TO MAKE THE JOB, UM, YOU KNOW, MANAGEABLE, RIGHT? WITH THE RESOURCE REHAB ACROSS A LARGE NUMBER OF ANIMALS THAT WE PROVIDE CARE FOR.
UM, AND SO WE DON'T WANNA FALL SHORT.
UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD HIM FALLING SHORT IN A COUPLE INSTANCES WHERE SOME MANS WENT WITH THAT, THAT, UH, THAT MEDICINE, YOU KNOW, THAT CHEWABLE MEDICINE FOR A A MONTH OR TWO.
UM, ANYTHING ELSE? DID ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER CARBAHOL PROMISE YOU THAT THIS WAS GONNA BE AN EASY JOB?
I SEE HER THERE SO SHE CAN CHIME IN.
I NOTICED YOU DIDN'T ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
[Item 6 & 7]
SIX.AND IS, IS ITEM NUMBER SEVEN CONNECTED TO ITEM NUMBER SIX? UM, SO WITH, UH, IF THERE'S NO OBJECTION, I WOULD LIKE TO BRING UP SIX AND SEVEN TOGETHER.
IS THERE ANY OBJECTION TO THAT? NO.
LET'S BRING UP SIX AND SEVEN TOGETHER.
I SHOULD GUESS I'LL READ THEM.
FIX WORKING GROUP RECOMMENDATION REGARDING ANIMAL WELFARE POLICIES AND MARKETING PRIORITIES, AND APPROVE A RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL REGARDING ANIMAL WELFARE POLICIES AND MARKETING PRIORITIES.
AND WE HAVE A SPEAKER ON THIS.
UM, THANKS FOR LETTING ME SPEAK ON SO MANY AGENDA ITEMS. I APPRECIATE IT.
UM, I WAS PART OF THE GOOD FIX WORKING GROUP, UM, WHOSE PURPOSE WOULD INCREASE THE TURNOUT FOR THE JULY CLINIC.
AND WITH THE INCREDIBLE EFFORTS OF THE WORKING GROUP, UH, MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY, AND THE INCREASED MARKETING EFFORTS TAKEN ON BY A A C, THE JULY CLINIC WAS JUST A GREAT SUCCESS.
I ARRIVED VERY EARLY, LOTS OF CARS WHEN I GOT THERE ON THE LAST DAY, I GOT THERE AT 5:50 AM AND I'M PRETTY SURE WE WERE AT CAPACITY.
UM, IT WAS THE, THERE'S SUCH A NEED FOR SPAY NEUTER, ESPECIALLY IN THAT AREA.
WE EVEN HAD, UH, TWO PEOPLE WHO WALKED THERE WITH THEIR DOGS.
UM, SO IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HOST ANOTHER CLINIC AT THIS, UM, LOCATION, IF THAT'S AT ALL POSSIBLE, EVEN ON A MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.
UM, I WANNA THANK THE CIRCUIT OF AMERICAS FOR BEING SUCH GRACIOUS HOSTS.
MAGGIE BOYD IS THEIR DIRECTOR OF EVENTS, AND SHE WAS OUR CONTACT DURING THE CLINIC, AND SHE VOLUNTEERED EVERY DAY AS WELL.
SHE'S VOLUNTEERED AT PRIOR, UH, GOOD FIX CLINICS TOO.
WE COULDN'T HAVE ASKED FOR A BETTER LOCATION, BOTH IN TERMS OF WHERE THE NEED LIES AND HAVING THE ACCOMMODATING HOSTS.
I ALSO WANTED TO THANK, UH, THE FOLKS THAT DONATED LUNCH FOR US, IKES 11 SANDWICHES, DELAWARE NORTH, AND FRIENDS OF AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER.
THEY HELPED KEPT EVERYONE FED AND ENERGIZED TO GET ALL THOSE DOGS AND CAT SPADE AND NEUTERED.
SO ONCE THE LOCATION IS SET FOR NOVEMBER, WE ARE READY TO CONTINUE TO MARKET THIS THING AND SPREADING THE WORD AND REACHING CAPACITY AGAIN.
TODD, THANKS FOR VOLUNTEERING.
[8. Conduct officer election for Chair.]
IS THIS YOUR YES, THANK YOU.SO MUCH SHELLY, WHO IS A, UM, CRITICAL PART OF THIS WORKING GROUP THAT WE LAST FORMED IN MAY.
UM, TO JUST TRY TO, UM, GET THE PUBLIC MORE INVOLVED IN, IN,
[01:45:01]
UM, ADVERTISING AND, AND, AND GETTING THE WORD OUT ABOUT THIS AMAZING RESOURCE THAT THE CITY HAS BEEN PROVIDING AND, AND, AND TRY TO MEET, TRY, TRY TO GET TO CAPACITY.SO I AM, I'M SORRY THAT PEOPLE WERE TURNED AWAY BECAUSE WE WERE AT CAPACITY.
UNFORTUNATELY, THAT MEANT THAT THE MARKETING WAS DONE CORRECTLY.
UM, AND, AND JUST TO ECHO WHAT SHELL, SHELLY SAID, UM, I, I HOPE IT MEANS THAT WE'LL DO MORE AT THE CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS.
'CAUSE AFTER, I THINK, UH, UH, MS. ROCHELLE MENTIONED THAT, UM, A LOT, A LOT OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ABLE TO BE HERE TONIGHT, A LOT OF THE PEOPLE WHO'VE VOLUNTEER AT THE SHELTER, A LOT OF US DON'T GO OVER TO DEW VALLEY CURRENTLY.
UM, AND I'VE STARTED TO GO AND IT'S, IT'S BEEN AMAZING.
UM, AND, AND, AND I THINK THAT, UM, IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HAVE, HAVE MORE RESOURCES IN THIS EPICENTER OF, OF WHERE A LOT OF, UM, OUR INTAKE ANIMALS ARE COMING FROM.
AND, UM, SO, SO NOT TO DRAW THINGS OUT ANY MORE, I APOLOGIZE THAT THE, THAT THIS DRAFT RECOMMENDATION DIDN'T COME OUT UNTIL, UM, UH, LATE THIS MORNING.
I HOPE EVERYBODY'S HAD A CHANCE TO, TO READ IT.
IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS, I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM.
THE ONLY THING THAT OCCURRED TO ME WAS, IS THERE, I KNOW, I KNOW OUR BYLAWS SAY, UM, ADVISE CITY COUNCIL AND TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT ABOUT BUDGET PRIORITIES FROM THE COMMUNITY, BUT, BUT NOT NECESSARILY OTHER ISSUES.
BUT I WAS WONDERING, I THINK IT'S EVERYTHING.
UM, BUT I WAS WONDERING IF THERE'D BE A WAY TO, TO ADD THEM INTO THIS, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE AS I WAS GOING OUT AND, UH, GOING TO LIBRARIES IN DELL VALLEY AND THERE WAS A LIBRARY THERE THAT WAS OUTSIDE OF AUSTIN, BUT WITHIN TRAVIS COUNTY WHO SAID, REQUESTS FOR SPAY AND NEUTER INFORMATION WAS THE LIBRARY'S NUMBER ONE REQUEST.
AND SO IF WE COULD JUST MAKE SURE WE INVOLVE TRAVIS COUNTY IN, UM, MAKING SURE ALL OF, ALL OF THEIR MUNICIPAL PLACES
I JUST WANNA INTERJECT, IF YOU WANT TO TAKE ON YOUR ROLE.
IT IS LITERALLY MY JOB TO DO THAT, SO I WOULD BE THE END PERSON OTHER THAN LIKE THE PEOPLE LITERALLY PUTTING UP PLIERS.
SO LET'S CONNECT ON HOW WE CAN, UH, MAKE THAT A POPULAR THING OR IF THERE'S A WAY FOR YOU TO QUICKLY ADD AN AMENDMENT TO THIS AFTER, AFTER, IF THERE'S A MOTION TO, TO PASS THIS.
DO YOU WANT TO MOVE? I WOULD LIKE TO MOVE.
WOULD YOU ACCEPT A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT IN THE PARAGRAPH BEFORE HEADING NUMBER ONE AFTER THE WORDS AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL, LET'S SAY THE FOLLOWING, AND THE TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT.
I WOULD BE DELIGHTED TO ACCEPT THAT AMENDMENT.
UH, IS THERE A SECOND? I GUESS I SHOULD HAVE ASKED, IS THERE A SECOND FOR THE MOTION? ACTUALLY, I WOULD LIKE TO NOT BE THE ONE THAT MAKES THE SECOND.
IS THERE
THERE HAS BEEN A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT, WHICH HAS BEEN ACCEPTED.
UH, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION, I GUESS THIS A QUESTION FOR CHRISTIE SINCE THIS WAS POSTED TODAY, DO YOU WANT US TO TRY TO READ IT INTO THE RECORD? NOT NECESSARY.
IT WAS POSTED TODAY AT 3:00 PM SO NOT NECESSARY TO READ INTO THE RECORD.
DO YOU WANT TO DO SO OR DO YOU NO, NO, THANK YOU.
TYPICALLY, WE, UM, IT'S BEEN OUR PRACTICE AT LEAST THE LAST FEW YEARS TO TRY TO GET THIS STUFF ON FRIDAY BEFORE.
UM, BUT I KNOW THEY CAN ALWAYS BE DONE.
UM, COMMISSIONER ODAS, AND THIS IS JUST MORE EDUCATIONAL FROM, FROM ME.
I LIKE THE, THE, UM, THIS RECOMMENDATION.
UH, OKAY, WE HAVE THE DATE OF APPROVAL, AND THEN YOU HAVE RECORD OF THE VOTE INCLUDE MOTION AND SECOND UNANIMOUS ON VOTE, SEVEN ZERO VOTE, FOUR THREE VOTE WITH NAMES OF THOSE VOTING, NOT NO LISTED.
IS THAT COMMON? I'M JUST CURIOUS.
THIS IS JUST FROM THE TEMPLATE THAT CARRIED OVER.
SO IF THE COMMISSION PASSES THIS RECOMMENDATION, IT WILL BE UPDATED TO REFLECT ACCURATE NUMBERS.
COULD YOU JUST REPEAT ONCE MORE WHERE WE'RE INSERTING THE ANN TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT? DID THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? DID THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? DOES THAT COMMISSIONER DOES? YES.
I THINK IT'S PROBABLY INACCURATE AND BECAUSE OUR PRACTICE IS TO LIST ALL THOSE WHO VOTE FOR AND AGAINST.
UM, BUT UH, IN THE PARAGRAPH PRIOR TO NUMBER ONE, UH, IN THE SECOND, UH, LINE IT SAYS
[01:50:01]
AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL, THAT'S WHERE WE WOULD ADD IT.IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION, ANY COMMENTS FROM STAFF? SO WE HAVEN'T HAD OUR CONVERSATION WITH, UH, THE GOOD FIX EVENT AS A POST DEBRIEF FOR NOT JUST THE JULY EVENT, BUT ALL THE EVENTS.
AND I KNOW, AND JUST TALKING TO, YOU KNOW, JASON AND OTHER OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS THAT WERE INVOLVED IN THIS EFFORT, UM, WELL BEFORE I GOT THERE, UH, I, I LIKE TO LISTEN TO THEIR FEEDBACK AND SO, UH, AND SEE WHAT FEEDBACK THEY HAVE TO, UH, PROVIDE TO GOOD FIX.
AND YOU CERTAINLY, BEFORE I SHARE ANY OF MY THOUGHTS, I WANT TO GIVE GOOD FIX A CHANCE TO HEAR THEM FIRST.
UM, UH, I WILL SAY THIS, UM, I, I, I THINK THE DATA, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, I THINK TUESDAY WAS THE DAY THAT THEY GOT THE MOST ANIMALS DONE.
I THINK IT WAS LIKE TWO 60, AND IT WAS ALSO THE SAME DAY THAT THEY GOT THE MOST OR THE SAME, YOU KNOW, TIMEFRAME THAT THEY GOT THE MOST DOGS DONE AS WELL, WHICH BEING NEW TO THIS BUSINESS AND, YOU KNOW, I HEARD THAT DOGS TAKE A LITTLE MORE TIME, ESPECIALLY THOSE BIG DOGS.
AND SO I, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE SORT OF THAT BREAKDOWN IN, UH, THE DOGS THAT THEY GOT THAT DAY.
BECAUSE AFTER THAT, IT VARIES EVERY DAY.
AND WE DON'T PAY PER, YOU KNOW, WE PAY A SET AMOUNT FOR EACH EVENT, AND I NEED TO MAXIMIZE THAT AMOUNT.
UM, AND I ALSO WANT TO BE ABLE TO PRIORITIZE, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE ANIMALS IN OUR CARE.
SO I THOUGHT I SAW A BULLET ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY CATS.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HOW I CAN PRIORITIZE OUR FOSTER, UH, ANIMALS.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, ANY SPACE AVAILABLE, ANY ANIMALS ARE AVAILABLE IN OUR SHELTER SO THAT, YOU KNOW, I GET THE MOST I CAN GET.
SO IF GOOD FEST SAYS, HEY, WE CAN DO TWO 50 A DAY, THAT WE'RE GETTING TWO 50 A DAY BECAUSE I'M PAYING, YOU KNOW, FOR THAT SERVICE.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT I TALKED ABOUT EARLIER IN TERMS OF MAXIMIZE OUR DOLLARS, RIGHT? I THINK THERE'S SOME ROOM IN THIS AREA TO DO THAT AND I, I'M, I KNOW GOOD FIX WANTS TO DO THAT, SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT CONVERSATION.
SO I WOULD SAY THAT I JUST GOTTA DO RIGHT NOW,
WE WANT TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE EVERY DAY'S FILLED, UH, AND IF NOT BY OUR COMMUNITY, THEN I'M FILLING THE GAP WITH OUR ANIMALS AND OUR CARE.
JUST TO ADD SUPER BRIEF, UM, CONTEXT TO THAT, THE, THE VETERINARIANS WHO ARE SPECIFICALLY TRAINED AND ARE, AND ARE AT THESE CLINICS TO DO HIGH VOLUME, HIGH QUALITY SPAY AND NEUTER.
THEY CAN NEUTER A CAT IN PROBABLY 20 SECONDS.
UM, THEY CAN SPAY A LARGE FEMALE DOG IN ABOUT 15 MINUTES JUST TO GIVE YOU YEAH.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT THOSE TAKE.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON ITEMS NUMBER SIX AND SEVEN? NO, I'LL PERSONALLY SAY THANK YOU TO THE COMMISSIONERS AND TO THE VOLUNTEERS WHO WORKED ON THIS ITEM.
SO WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE TABLE, UH, UNDER ITEM NUMBER SEVEN.
IT HAS A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT THAT HAS BEEN ADDED.
UM, WE HAVE A SECOND ON THE MOTION AND WE FINISH DISCUSSION, SO WE WILL GO TO A VOTE.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AND THAT IS UNANIMOUS.
MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER EIGHT, CONDUCT OFFICER ELECTION FOR CHAIR.
ARE THERE ANY NOMINATIONS FOR CHAIR? COMMISSIONER? NEER? I WOULD NOMINATE YOU, UH, CHAIR CLINTON FOR ONE MORE TERM FOR ASKING YOU THAT QUESTION.
UM, I NOMINATE, UM, COMMISSIONER NIELSEN AND, UH, I, NO, WHAT'S THAT? DID YOU ACCEPT THE NOMINATION? I DON'T KNOW.
I, I MEAN, I, I AM VERY, VERY HAPPY WITH SOMEONE ELSE DOING THIS.
UM, I, I HAVE, I HAVE DONE, SERVED MY TIME.
UM, I HAVE, I WILL SERVE IF THAT'S HOW WE GET TO SEVEN.
UM, BUT I AM VERY HAPPY FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO SERVE.
UH, SO IF SOMEONE ELSE CAN GET TO SEVEN, LIKE COMMISSIONER HOLT I THINK CAN GET TO SEVEN IF SHE WOULD BE WILLING TO SERVE.
I THINK THAT WOULD BE THE BEST OUTCOME TONIGHT.
UM, 'CAUSE I PERSONALLY WANT US TO GET SEVEN AND, AND MOVE ON.
IS THERE ANY WAY, COMMISSIONER HOL, THAT YOU WOULD ACCEPT THE NOMINATION? IF WE ALL HELP YOU, I'LL HELP YOU FROM BEHIND THE SCENES.
[01:55:02]
UH, LET'S SEE IF WE CAN GET TO SEVEN BETWEEN COMMISSIONER, UH, SDIS AND DR. NELSON.
IF WE CAN'T, I WILL, UH, ACCEPT THE NOMINATION A SECOND VOTE TO SEE IF WE CAN GET TO SEVEN, BUT MY GUESS IS WE CAN'T.
SO, UH, SO LET'S HAVE THE VOTES FOR DR. NELSON DISCUSSION, PLEASE.
ANY, ANY, ANY DISCUSSION
UM, AND INSTEAD, OUR CHAIR SHOULD HAVE AN ALLEGIANCE TO THE ACTUAL ANIMALS AND PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY, REGARDLESS OF IT, IF THOSE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY FIT A PARTICULAR ANIMAL RESCUE BRAND OR NOT.
AND, UM, I BELIEVE OUR VERY STRONGLY THAT OUR COMMUNITY DOES NOT SUPPORT THE PROHIBITION OF PREGNANCY TERMINATION.
OUR COMMUNITY BELIEVES THAT PREGNANCY TERMINATION SHOULD BE DECIDED ON BY THOSE DIRECTLY AFFECTED BY IT AND NOT BY LAWMAKERS.
AND, AND, AND I
I DON'T THINK ANYBODY HERE CAN DOUBT MY COMMITMENT TO THIS COMMISSION AND TO THIS BEING A FUNCTIONAL COMMISSION THAT IS RESPONSIVE TO THE PUBLIC AND THE DESIRES OF THE PUBLIC.
UM, MY DEDICATION IS SO STRONG THAT WHEN A SEVENTH VOTE WAS REQUIRED TO REACH QUORUM TO ELECT THE THE CURRENT CHAIR, I VOTED IN THAT DIRECTION.
UM, BECAUSE I'M COMMITTED TO A FUNCTIONAL COMMISSION, UM, AND ONE THAT, THAT ACTUALLY DOES RESPOND TO OUR CITY'S BUDGET NEEDS AND, AND REQUIREMENTS IN A REASONABLE AND THOUGHTFUL WAY WITHOUT PRIOR ALLEGIANCE TO, TO ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN WHAT'S RIGHT FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR VICE CHAIR LINDER? OH, I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, I THINK COMMISSIONER NEER HAS HER HAND UP.
COMMISSIONER NEER, I'D JUST LIKE SOME CLARIFICATION IF THAT'S POSSIBLE.
DR. NIELSEN, UM, AREN'T YOU CONTRACTUALLY OBLIGATED TO THE AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER AND DON'T YOU HAVE AN ALLEGIANCE TO THEM? I HAVE NO CONTRACT WITH THE AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER.
I NO
I WORKED THERE FOR 11 HOURS YESTERDAY.
I UNDERSTAND THE NEEDS AND CHALLENGES.
I'VE WORKED VERY CLOSELY WITH APAS VETERINARIANS ON THE CASES WE NEED TO WORK TOGETHER ON TO SAVE LIVES AND DO THE RIGHT THING FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR WHAT A PA DOES IN THAT REGARD, AND I'M HAPPY TO HEAR THE BEST IDEAS FROM ANYBODY.
AND BASICALLY JUST, FIRST OF ALL, JUST BE THE CHAIR TO PRESIDE OVER MEETINGS WHERE I WOULD HAVE TO TEMPER MY COMMENTS, WHICH MIGHT BE A BENEFIT TO SOME PEOPLE.
SO YOU WORKED THERE, BUT YOU'RE NOT, YOU DIDN'T GET PAID? I DON'T HAVE A CONTRACT.
I GET, I, I DO GET PAID AS AN HOURLY RELIEF VETERINARIAN.
WHEN I AM PUT ON THE SCHEDULE.
SO THAT WOULD MAKE YOU A CONTRACTOR RIGHT? UNDER THE CITY HILLS? I DON'T HAVE A CONTRACT.
YOU'RE CONFLATING THE TWO? NO, I'M JUST ASKING.
THE TWO I JUST WANT THE PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND.
GOSH, I WISH I WERE A CITY EMPLOYEE, BUT I AM NOT.
COMMISSIONER NIER AGAIN, JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, BASED ON WHAT YOU JUST SAID, IT SOUNDS LIKE YOUR AFFILIATION IS WITH THE AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER.
DO YOU WORK SOMEPLACE ELSE AS WELL? I DO.
AND I, I THINK, YEAH, I'M CURRENTLY ON, YES.
AND SEVERAL PEOPLE HERE WORK FOR A PA, IS THAT CORRECT? AND HAVE AFFILIATIONS WITH A PA WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE, THE, THE, THE CHAIR POSITION THOUGH, RIGHT
[02:00:01]
NOW.AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT YOU SAYING SPECIFICALLY THAT YOU WANT SOMEBODY THERE WHO'S NOT AFFILIATED.
AND I DON'T BELIEVE THAT COMMISSIONER ZAES IS A, IS I DIDN'T SAY AFFILIATED, I SAID HAS ALLEGIANCE TO OKAY.
AND IF I SEE THE SHELTER DOING SOMETHING WRONG, I'M GONNA CALL IT OUT.
IF I SEE A PA DOING SOMETHING WRONG, I'M GONNA CALL IT OUT.
IF I DO THE SEE THE SHELTER DOING SOMETHING RIGHT, I'M GONNA ASK HOW WE CAN DO MORE OF IT.
IF I SEE A PA DOING SOMETHING RIGHT, I'M GONNA ASK HOW WE CAN HELP DO MORE OF IT IN OUR ROLE AS THE COMMISSION.
BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS, IS THAT YOU DO WORK FOR A, A CI HAVE WORKED FOR A A C I'M ON THE SCHEDULE A COUPLE MORE TIMES.
I DON'T KNOW, I, I DON'T KNOW.
DO YOU HAVE, UM, DO YOU GET PAID BY A PA OR HAVE AN AFFILIATION WITH A PA? NO, I, UM, NO, I VOLUNTEER.
WHAT I, AND I, WHAT I HAVE DONE IS, UH, TRANSLATING FROM ENGLISH TO SPANISH DOCUMENTS HAVE WALKED DOGS.
UM, AND THIS YEAR, MY TIME THERE HAS BEEN MINIMAL 20 HOURS.
CAN I MY ASK, MY, MY, CAN I TALK MORE? OF COURSE.
UM, THE REASON FOR MY INTEREST TO BE A CHAIR, I'M, I'M VERY PASSIONATE, LIKE EVERYBODY HERE ABOUT THE ANIMAL WELFARE.
AND I, I'M VERY MUCH INTO BEING FAIR.
MY GOAL IS TO BE FAIR AND TO BE GIVE EVERYONE A EQUAL VOICE AND TO COLLABORATE WITH THE ANIMAL COMMISSION AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS.
UM, AND, UM, TO MAKE A BETTER PLACE, UH, AND KEEP AUSTIN BEING A LEAD, UH, INNOVATOR IN THE NATION AND IN THE WORLD.
I MEAN, I HAVE, UH, PETS FROM THE AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER.
I ALSO HAVE FROM A PA, TO ME, IT, IT'S, DOESN'T MATTER WHAT IT'S THE ORGANIZATION, IT'S, UM, I JUST WANT TO CONTRIBUTE AND BE FAIR AND GIVE THE VOICE AND MAKE OUR CITY, CITY BETTER.
UM, I JUST WANT TO, UM, UH, THANK, UM, DR. NIELSEN FOR CLARIFYING HER POSITION.
UM, AND I THINK, UH, WHEN I ASKED FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN I ASKED ABOUT THE HEARTWORM ISSUE, UM, SHE TOOK A POSITION THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS HOW WE DO PREVENTATIVES, BUT THERE'S ALSO, AS WE BROUGHT UP THIS ISSUE WITH THIS SOFTWARE THAT MIGHT BE CAUSING A PROBLEM, AND SOMEONE WHO IS COMPLETELY LOYAL TO ONE GROUP WOULD NOT HAVE IN THIS PUBLIC FORUM, UH, BROUGHT THAT UP AND BEEN HONEST ABOUT IT.
SO, UM, I APPRECIATE KNOWING ABOUT YOUR POSITION AND, AND THAT YOU BACK IT UP WITH WHAT YOU'VE, UH, TALKED ABOUT TONIGHT.
DR. NELSON, CAN I ASK, THE LAST TIME COMMISSIONER ES WAS, WAS AT THE SHELTER, AND, UM, AND I KNOW THAT YOU'VE BEEN COMING REMOTELY TO THE MEETINGS FOR ABOUT THE LAST YEAR.
I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN KEEPING YOU FROM COMING AND IF YOU SEE THAT CONTINUING BECAUSE THE CHAIR IS REQUIRED TO BE HERE IN PERSON THERE, THERE SHOULDN'T BE AN ISSUE FOR ME COMING IN PERSON.
I WAS IN PERSON LAST, UH, LAST MEETING.
I WAS, UH, GOING TO COME IN PERSON TODAY.
BUT LIKE I MENTIONED, WHEN THE MEETING BEGAN, UH, OUR CAT, MY PARTNER, AND MY CAT, 17-YEAR-OLD, VERY SICK.
WE MADE THE DECISION YESTERDAY THAT HE NEED TO CROSS THE RAINBOW.
THE APPOINTMENT WAS AT 4:30 PM OH, SORRY ABOUT THAT.
SO, UM, I'M SORRY, CHAIR, ARE YOU TAKING THE SECONDS FROM THE, THOSE WHO HAVE ACCEPTED THE NOMINATION? BECAUSE I DO HAVE MOTIONS.
I JUST DON'T HAVE SECONDS ON MOTIONS.
I DIDN'T KNOW WE HAD MOTIONS AND SECONDS.
I'M SORRY FOR THE NOMINATIONS.
IS THERE A SECOND FOR, UM, DR.
NELSON'S, COMMISSIONER HOLT? IS THERE A SECOND FOR, UM, COMMISSIONER DDAS.
AND YOU'RE NOT ACCEPTING THE NOMINATION CORRECT? IF WE DON'T GET TO SEVEN.
[02:05:01]
HAPPY TO SERVE AGAIN, BUT I THINK IT'S, IT'D BE GREAT IF WE HAD A A, A NEW I I'M, I THINK IT'S GOOD TO HAVE NEW LEADERSHIP.UM, ALRIGHT, SO ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF DR. NELSON.
1, 2, 3, AND ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF COMMISSIONER DDAS.
SO IT IS SEVEN THREE, UH, SORRY, SEVEN, FOUR.
UH, AND DR. NELSON IS THE NEW CHAIR.
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. WE DON'T HAVE TO HAVE THEM NOW, BUT IF ANYBODY WANTS TO PUT THEM ON, WE CAN.UH, ALSO, IF ANYBODY WANTS TO PUT THEM ON, THEY CAN EMAIL, UH, STAFF AND HAVE ONE ADDITIONAL PERSON VOTE OR ASK TO BE, UH, SECONDED.
AND YOU'RE WELCOME AT ANY TIME TO COPY ME ON SOMETHING TO ASK FOR A SECOND CHAIR.
UM, I DID TAKE THE LIBERTY OF WRITING A NEW ANNUAL REVIEW DRAFT, SO I'D LIKE TO HAVE THE APPROVAL OF THAT ON NEXT MONTH'S MEETING.
SO THE REVIEW OF THE ANNUAL REVIEW DRAFT AS AN ITEM, UH, DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEM ON NEXT MONTH'S MEETING.
ANYONE ELSE? UH, CAN I HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN, PLEASE? YES, DR. NIELSEN.
CAN I HAVE A SECOND? COMMISSIONER DDAS, BEAT EVERYONE TO IT.
UM, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, THAT IS UNANIMOUS.