REGULAR MEETING of the ANIMAL ADVISORY COMMISSION May 13, 2024, 6 p.m. Austin City Hall, Room 1101 301 W. 2nd St Austin, Texas 78701 Some members of the Animal Advisory Commission may be participating by videoconference. The meeting may be viewed online at: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely via telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation by telephone. To register to speak remotely, contact Eric Anderson at eric.anderson@austintexas.gov or (512) 974-2562. CURRENT COMMISSIONERS: Ryan Clinton, Chair, Travis County Nancy Nemer, Parliamentarian, Travis County Lotta Smagula, D1 Beatriz Dulzaides, D2 Ann Linder, Vice Chair, D3 Paige Nilson, D4 Whitney Holt, D5 Luis Herrera, D6 Larry Tucker, D7 Sarah Huddleston, D9 Amanda Bruce, D10 Laura Hoke, Mayor CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL AGENDA The first 10 speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Animal Advisory Commission Regular Meeting on April 8, 2024. STAFF BRIEFINGS 2. 3. Staff briefing regarding monthly reports provided by the Animal Service Center. Staff briefing on the progress of the Finder to Foster program. DISCUSSION ITEMS 4. Discussion of the Austin Animal Center "Urgent Placement List" Memorandum and Matrix. Discussion of the implementation of Ordinance No. 20240201-002 (An ordinance amending City Code Chapter 3-1 relating to disposition of an impounded animal, notice to rescue organization, reporting by animal shelter, removing Definitions; and adopting a bite scale). Discussion of animal cruelty investigations including the deceased dogs found in South Boggy Creek. 5. 6. Recommendations from the working group regarding City of Austin spay & neuter WORKING GROUP RECOMMENDATION 7. contracts. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 8. 9. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Approve a recommendation to Council on the current and future City of Austin spay- neuter contracts. Approve recommendations on the Fiscal Year 2024-25 Animal Services Budget. ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Meeting locations are planned with wheelchair access. If requiring Sign Language Interpreters or alternative formats, please …
1. ANIMAL ADVISORY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES APRIL 8, 2024 The Animal Advisory Commission convened in a regular meeting on April 8, 2024, at 301 W. 2nd St in Austin, Texas. Chair Clinton called the Animal Advisory Commission Meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Commissioners in Attendance: Ryan Clinton, Chair, Travis County Amanda Bruce, D10 Paige Nilson, D4 Ann Linder, D3 Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Nancy Nemer, Parliamentarian, Travis County Beatriz Dulzaides, D2 Whitney Holt, D5 Lotta Smagula, D1 Commissioners Absent: Larry Tucker, Vice Chair, D7 Luis Herrera, D6 Laura Hoke, Mayor’s Appointee Sarah Huddleston, D9 PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL Rochelle Vickery – Dogs Pat Valls-Trelles – Posting a draft agenda two weeks before the Commission meeting & not voting on any motions on important recommendations until there has been a full discussion, including community input, for at least one meeting before the vote is taken. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approve the minutes of the Animal Advisory Commission Regular Meeting on February 12, 2024. 1 STAFF BRIEFINGS 2. The minutes from the meeting of February 12, 2024, were approved on Commissioner Linder’s motion, Commissioner Nilson’s second on an 8-0 vote. Vice Chair Tucker, Commissioners Herrera, Hoke, and Huddleston were absent. Staff briefing regarding monthly reports provided by the Animal Service Center. The presentation was made by Jason Garza, Deputy Chief Animal Services Officer and Don Bland, Chief Animal Services Officer. Chair Clinton requested that staff notify Animal Advisory Commission members when additional incentives for rescue partners to transport animals are offered. Staff briefing regarding FY 2023 actual expenditures, including performance measures, for each Animal Services program (i.e., Shelter Services, Field Services, Spay/Neuter). The presentation was made by Don Bland, Chief Animal Services Officer. Staff briefing regarding FY 2024 actual expenditures, as of the second quarter (March 31, 2024), for each Animal Services program (i.e., Shelter Services, Field Services and Spay/Neuter). The presentation was made by Don Bland, Chief Animal Services Officer. Staff briefing on the year-to-date progress of the spay/neuter goals for the City of Austin. The presentation was made by Jason Garza, Deputy Chief Animal Services Officer and Don Bland, Chief Animal Services Officer. Commissioner Nilson requested that staff provide data related to the need for in-house spay/neuter services. DISCUSSION ITEMS 6. Discussion of the License Agreement Report from Austin Pets Alive. The presentation was made by Stephanie Bilbro, Austin Pets Alive! Director of Operations. Discussion of a potential ban on …
M E M O R A N D U M Mayor and Council Members Stephanie Hayden-Howard, LMSW, Assistant City Manager Don Bland, CAWA, Chief Animal Services Officer TO: THROUGH: FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: March 29, 2024 Urgent Placement List Earlier this week the Animal Services Office (ASO) published a list on our website titled “Urgent Placement.” I wanted to provide more context for you about the information posted and its purpose. A multidisciplinary team of shelter employees meet weekly to discuss dogs that have significant barriers to placement. From there, ASO created a list that we chose to make publicly available. The list is modeled after KC Pet Project’s list, which is a nationally renowned no-kill shelter serving the municipality of Kansas City, Missouri with a live release rate of 93%. They tested many communication methods surrounding potentially at-risk dogs and found that providing concise, easy-to-digest information was the best method. We modeled our list after theirs, and utilized language that has been successful for their shelter. The list’s primary goals are to: 1. Identify the dogs that have significant barriers to adoption and facilitate their placement into appropriate foster or adoptive homes. 2. Notify stakeholders of which dogs could potentially be at risk of euthanasia. The webpage has been updated to reiterate that the normal process of euthanasia notices will be followed should that become necessary. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 512-978-0565. cc: Jesús Garza, Interim City Manager Page 1 of 1
MEMORANDUM TO: THROUGH: Mayor and Council Members Stephanie Hayden-Howard, LMSW, Assistant City Manager May 8, 2024 Urgent Placement List Update Don Bland, CAWA, Chief Animal Services Officer FROM: DATE: SUBJECT: To help respond to questions you may be receiving from the public about the new Austin Animal Center’s (AAC) Urgent Placement List, this memo provides information you can share with other Austinites. The Animal Services Office’s (ASO) March 29 memo introduced the Urgent Placement List which identifies dogs that have significant barriers to adoption to facilitate their placement into appropriate foster or adoptive homes. The list is also designed to help notify stakeholders of which dogs may be at risk. Over the last month, the list has been updated to also include a dog’s positive character traits. Recently, more dogs were added to the list since placement had been found for many animals on the original list. AAC has been at or over critical capacity for the last several years. The Animal Services Office (ASO) has asked the community for help on many occasions, which often provides momentary relief before kennels are filled again. Unfortunately, since ASO has had to issue urgent pleas consistently, the strength of the pleas has waned and the public is no longer responding at the same level as in the past. On Wednesday, May 1, ASO issued social media posts about dogs on the Urgent Placement list. Despite reaching over 14,000 people per platform, only 22 medium/large dogs left for foster or adoptive homes between May 2-6. In that same period, AAC impounded 41 medium/large dogs. This past month, 270 more animals were taken into the shelter than were fostered or adopted out. To open large kennel space, ASO has done the following: 1. Adoption fees have been waived since June 2023. 2. To increase rescue transfers, ASO offered partners a financial incentive. Since March 2024, on three occasions, ASO offered rescue partners up to $500 to pull any dog that would open large kennel space. Unfortunately, these efforts only resulted in six dogs being transferred to partners. Page 1 of 2 3. ASO is boarding 24 medium/large dogs at other boarding facilities. However, this is not a sustainable solution as ASO is paying a daily fee and if any of the boarded dogs have an issue, they would need to be transported back to AAC. We are eager to improve the quality of life …
April 2024 Animal Services Report April 2024 AUSTIN ANIMAL SERVICES REPORT Animal Services News • The live outcome rate for April was 97.80%. • A total of 1,202 animals were brought to the shelter which included 639 cats, 512 dogs, 18 wild animals, 15 ducks, 10 guinea pigs, 5 rabbits, 2 emus, and a parakeet, • A total of 470 animals were adopted (165 adult dogs, 104 puppies, 113 kittens, and 85 adult cats). • A total of 95 dogs and cats were returned to their owners (RTOs and RTO-Adopt). • On April 1, there were 727 dogs and cats within the ASO inventory (383 onsite, 341 in foster, and 2 at a vet clinic • On May 1, there were 993 dogs and cats within the ASO inventory (519 onsite, 470 in foster, and 2 at a vet clinic and 1 at Austin Pets Alive!). and 1 at Austin Pets Alive!). Animal Protection • Animal Protection Officers (APOs) returned 16 animals to their owners in the field. • Officers handed out 26 fencing assistance applications and implanted 2 microchip(s). • Officers impounded 185 injured animals and delivered approximately 161 wildlife animals to Austin Wildlife Rescue. • Officers entered 277 rabies exposure reports and submitted 33 specimens for rabies testing. We had 6 rabies positive bats, 1 rabies positive skunk and 2 destroyed bats. • 58 total coyote related activities o 26 Wild Sick o 3 Wild Speak o 1 Wild Injured o 20 Sightings o 5 o 3 Encounters Incidents • Out of 58 coyote related reports, 28 reports fell within the reported behavior types. Behavior types include Sighting, Encounter, Incident, and Observation. “Observation” is defined as hearing coyotes howling and finding scat or footprints. o Encounters: Pets were a factor in 1/5 (20%) of encounters reported. ▪ Two encounters involved a coyote following a resident, but unsure if pet was involved. ▪ An encounter involved a coyote denning in an abandoned shed in resident’s backyard. ▪ An encounter involved a coyote following a resident and on-leash dog. ▪ An encounter involved coyotes “not being afraid of the caller”. Unable to contact caller. o Incidents: Pets were a factor in 2/3 (67%) of incidents reported. ▪ An incident involved a coyote killing an outside unsupervised cat. ▪ An incident involved a coyote killing sheep on property. • Out of 58 related activities, 30 fell within the reported behavior types …
Recommendation The Animal Advisory Commission recommends that updates be made to contracts regarding the provision of spay-and-neuter services. Description of Recommendation to Council The Austin Animal Advisory Commission recommends that the Austin City Council and the Austin City Manager’s Office update the terms of the City’s contracts that govern the provision of spay-and-neuter services in order to expand access to these services to meet the growing needs of the community and to reduce the number of animals entering the shelter system. The Commission recommends that these updates include: 1) Adding performance measures for the minimum number of spay-neuter surgeries to be provided, broken down by animal type (dog/cat), sex (male/female), and size with regards to dogs (large breed/small breed). 2) Allocating funding for spay-neuter services separately from funds dedicated to the provision of wellness services such as vaccines, microchips, and other veterinary care not directly related to animals receiving spay-neuter surgeries. 3) Incorporating quarterly reporting requirements with updates to be delivered in person to the Austin Animal Advisory Commission. Basis for Recommendation The provision of spay-and-neuter services is an integral part of maintaining Austin’s status as a No-Kill community, and contracts for the provision of these services must be updated to account for dynamic and growing community needs. These suggested updates are intended to help ensure that funding for spay- neuter is spent where those needs are greatest and to keep the public informed by providing for reporting requirements.
Information is from October 1, 2023 – April 30, 2024 Information compiled via ASO Power BI dashboards. Difference of outcomes - intakes Outcome Year (fiscal) Intake Year (fiscal) Dog totals Cat totals Totals Dog totals Cat totals Totals Dog totals Cat totals Totals Cats Adoption Transfer Euthanasia Died Missing Total Dog Adoption Transfer Euthanasia Died Missing Total RTO/RTO Adopt SNR (former SCRP) RTO/RTO Adopt 2024 3117 2798 5915 2024 3062 2754 5816 2024 -55 -44 -99 2024 1762 102 543 54 33 1 259 2754 2024 2021 462 512 48 17 2 3062
ANIMAL ADVISORY COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION 20240513-008 May 13, 2024 City of Austin Spay-and-neuter Services Seconded By: Commissioner Whitney Holt Date: Subject: Motioned By: Vice Chair Ann Linder Recommendation The Animal Advisory Commission recommends that updates be made to contracts regarding the provision of spay-and-neuter services. Description of Recommendation to Council The Austin Animal Advisory Commission recommends that the Austin City Council and the Austin City Manager’s Office update the terms of the City’s contracts that govern the provision of spay-and-neuter services in order to expand access to these services to meet the growing needs of the community and to reduce the number of animals entering the shelter system. The Commission recommends that these updates include: 1) Adding performance measures for the minimum number of spay-neuter surgeries to be provided, broken down by animal type (dog/cat), sex (male/female), and size with regards to dogs (large breed/small breed). 2) Allocating funding for spay-neuter services separately from funds dedicated to the provision of wellness services such as vaccines, microchips, and other veterinary care not directly related to animals receiving spay-neuter surgeries. 3) Incorporating quarterly reporting requirements with updates to be delivered in person to the Austin Animal Advisory Commission. Basis for Recommendation: The provision of spay-and-neuter services is an integral part of maintaining Austin’s status as a No-Kill community, and contracts for the provision of these services must be updated to account for dynamic and growing community needs. These suggested updates are intended to help ensure that funding for spay- neuter is spent where those needs are greatest and to keep the public informed by providing for reporting requirements. Vote: 11-0 For: Chair Ryan Clinton, Vice Chair Ann Linder, Parliamentarian Nancy Nemer, Commissioners Amanda Bruce, Beatriz Dulzaides, Luis Herrera, Whitney Holt, Sarah Huddleston, Paige Nilson, Lotta Smagula, and Larry Tucker Against: None Abstain: None Absent: Commissioner Laura Hoke was off the dais. Attest: Eric Anderson, Staff Liaison, Office of the City Clerk 1 of 1
ANIMAL ADVISORY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES MAY 13, 2024 The Animal Advisory Commission convened in a regular meeting on May 13, 2024, at 301 W. 2nd St in Austin, Texas. Chair Clinton called the Animal Advisory Commission Meeting to order at 6:05 p.m. Commissioners in Attendance: Ryan Clinton, Chair, Travis County Ann Linder, Vice Chair, D3 Amanda Bruce, D10 Luis Herrera, D6 Laura Hoke, Mayor’s Appointee Whitney Holt, D5 Sarah Huddleston, D9 Paige Nilson, D4 Lotta Smagula, D1 Larry Tucker, D7 Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Nancy Nemer, Parliamentarian, Travis County Beatriz Dulzaides, D2 Commissioners Absent: None PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL Heather Myers – Vote of No Confidence, Urgent Placement List, Euthanasia, Community Engagement Caroline Clay – Foster/Adoption Barriers Rochelle Vickery – Trap-Neuter-Return Pat Valls-Trelles – General 1 APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Animal Advisory Commission Regular Meeting on February 12, 2024. The minutes from the meeting of May 13, 2024, with the following correction were approved on Commissioner Nilson’s motion, Commissioner Holt’s second on a 10-0 vote. Commissioners Hoke and Tucker abstained. The correction was to revise Item 12 to read: “Commissioner Bruce began providing an update that was truncated by loss of quorum.” STAFF BRIEFINGS 2. Staff briefing regarding monthly reports provided by the Animal Service Center. The presentation was made by Jason Garza, Deputy Chief Animal Services Officer, Austin Animal Services, and Don Bland, Chief Animal Services Officer, Austin Animal Services. Commissioner Smagula requested that a breakdown of the inventory from April to May with the number of cats and dogs be provided by Animal Services staff. Staff briefing on the progress of the Finder to Foster program. The presentation was made by Don Bland, Chief Animal Services Officer, Austin Animal Services. DISCUSSION ITEMS A motion to take up Item 6 next was made by Commissioner Nilson, seconded by Commissioner Huddleston, and accepted without objection. 6. Discussion of animal cruelty investigations including the deceased dogs found in South Boggy Creek. A presentation was made by Lieutenant Michael Burgeson, Austin Police Department, Detective Christian Esquivel, Austin Police Department, and Robert Escamilla, Austin Police Department. A motion to make the PowerPoint presentation a part of the record was made by Commissioner Nilson, seconded by Commissioner Smagula, and approved on a 12-0 vote. Discussion of the Austin Animal Center "Urgent Placement List" Memorandum and Matrix. Discussed. 3. 4. 2 5. Discussion of the implementation of Ordinance No. 20240201-002 …
Austin Police Department Animal Cruelty Unit Detective Christian Esquivel Detective Robert Escamilla Specialist Alan Schwettmann Introduction • Austin Police Department Animal Cruelty Unit is currently comprised of 2 Detectives and 1 Civilian Cruelty Specialist. • Detective Christian Esquivel • Detective Robert Escamilla • Specialist Alan Schwettmann within the City. Texas 78702, 512-974-2000. • The Animal Cruelty Unit was created in 2002 to better serve the citizens of Austin and the animals that exist • The Animal Cruelty Unit is currently located at the AAC-Austin Animal Center, 7201 Levander Loop, Austin, APD Community Police Academy Agenda • The Primary Mission of the Animal Cruelty Unit is to investigate allegations and reports of cruelty, neglect, and illegal exploitation of domestic, feral, and wild animals within the jurisdictional boundaries of Austin. • To establish rapport and bridge the gap with our community; to create a safe, and comfortable environment in which a communication interaction can take place. • Enforce state and local laws, prepare Animal Cruelty and Neglect cases and work with the local County/District Attorney’s office on animal cases. APD Community Police Academy Animal Cruelty vs. Animal Control Animal Cruelty • Under the Austin PD • Made up of 2 police detectives and 1 civilian cruelty specialist • File criminal warrants (all levels) • Can file for search/seizure warrants Animal Control • Under Health & Human Services • Made up of 20 civilian animal control officers • Can only issue Class C citations • File civil cases (dangerous/vicious dog) • Handle loose dogs, bite cases, and rabies control APD Community Police Academy Austin Police Department Animal Cruelty Unit Yearly Statistics • ~400 cases of animal cruelty investigated • ~50 warrants filed • Over 100 citations issued • ~6 seizure warrants filed with 15+ animals removed by court order _______________________________________ Statistical facts • Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) estimates that nearly 1 million animals a year are abused or killed in connection with domestic violence. People who abuse animals are five times more likely to commit violent crimes against domestic partners, children and others. • Most common victims according to HSUS -64.5 % (involved dogs) -18 % (involved cats) -25 % (involved other animals) APD Community Police Academy Texas Penal Code Sec. 42.09 Cruelty to Livestock Animals Sec. 42.092 Cruelty to Non Livestock Animals Sec. 42.10 Dog Fighting Sec. 42.105 Cock Fighting Sec. 21.09 Bestiality (just added for 2018!) Health and Safety …
