REGULAR MEETING OF THE ANIMAL ADVISORY COMMISSION MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2026, AT 6:00 P.M. AUSTIN CITY HALL, ROOM 1101 301 WEST 2ND STREET AUSTIN, TEXAS 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 Nekaybaw Watson at nekaybaw.watson@austintexas.gov or 512-974-2562. CURRENT COMMISSIONERS: Dr. Paige Nilson, Chair, D4 Koby Ahmed, Mayor Ryan Clinton, Travis County Beatriz Dulzaides, D2 Jennifer Daniel, D6 Erin Ferguson, D8 Whitney Holt, D5 Sarah Huddelston, D9 David Loignon, D10 Julie Maron, D3 Nancy Nemer, Travis County JoAnn Norton, Parliamentarian, D7 Erin Van Landingham, D1 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 March 9, 2026. STAFF BRIEFINGS 2. 3. Staff briefing regarding monthly reports. Presentation by Monica Dangler, Director, Austin Animal Services and Jason Garza, Assistant Director, Austin Animal Services. Staff briefing regarding deceased animal recovery services. Presentation by Amy Slagle, Assistant Director, Austin Resource Recovery. DISCUSSION ITEMS 4. Quarterly report from Animal Pets Alive! Presentation given by Mara Hartsell, Quality of Care Director, Austin Pets Alive! DICUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Approve the reprioritization of the legislative priority list sent to the Austin Government Relations Office in February. Approve a Recommendation to Council regarding pet friendly housing policies in public funded housing developments. Approve the election of Chair. Approve the election of Vice Chair. Approve the election of Parliamentarian. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. For assistance, please contact the Liaison or TTY users’ route through 711. A person may request language access accommodations no later than 48 hours before the scheduled meeting. Please email or call Nekaybaw Watson at Austin …
ANIMAL ADVISORY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES MARCH 9, 2026 The Animal Advisory Commission convened in a regular meeting on Monday, March 9, 2026, at Austin City Hall, Boards and Commissions Room 301 W 2nd Street in Austin, Texas. Chair Nilson called the Animal Advisory Commission Meeting to order at 6:00 pm. Commissioners in Attendance: Dr. Paige Nilson, Chair, D4 Jennifer Daniel, D6 Erin Ferguson, D8 David Loignon, D10 Erin Van Landingham, D1 Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Ann Linder, Vice Chair, D3 Koby Ahmed, Mayor Beatriz Dulzaides, D2 Whitney Holt, D5 Nancy Nemer, Travis County Commissioners Absent: Ryan Clinton, Travis County Sarah Huddleston, D9 Jo Anne Norton, Parliamentarian, D7 PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL Robyn Katz Gonzalez – State of Animals in ATX Rochelle Vickery – Thanks to Pat Valls Trelles and Amy, Animal Control Response Concerns Julie Oliver- Capital Improvements in Bond and ADA Compliance within the Shelter Suzie Chase- Austin Pets Alive! Area Wide Adoption Event APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Animal Advisory Commission Regular Meeting on February 9, 2026. The minutes of the February 9, 2026, regular meeting of the Animal Advisory Commission was approved during the March 9, 2026, regular meeting on Commissioner Ferguson’s 1 motion, Commissioner Loignon’s second on a 10-0 vote. Commissioners Clinton, Huddelston, and Norton were absent. STAFF BRIEFINGS 2. Staff briefing regarding monthly reports. Presentation by Monica Dangler, Director, Austin Animal Services and Jason Garza, Assistant Director, Austin Animal Services. Presentation given by Monica Dangler, Director, Austin Animal Services and Jason Garza, Assistant Director, Austin Animal Services. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 3. 4. 5. 6. Approve the addition of new members to the Budget Working Group. Withdrawn. Approve a FY27/FY28 Budget Recommendation to Council to convert two animal care positions to regular full-time employees from temporary employees. The motion to approve a FY27/FY28 Budget Recommendation to Council to convert two animal care positions to regular full-time employees from temporary employees was approved as amended on Chair Nilson’s motion, Commissioner Loignon’s second on a 10-0 vote. Commissioners Clinton, Huddleston, and Norton were absent. The amendment was to insert “WHEREAS, Austin Animal Services has, as one of the six priorities in the strategic plan as staff and volunteers with a specific goal to “enhance working conditions and build skilled support staff,” under the third WHEREAS statement. Approve a FY27/FY28 Budget Recommendation to Council to provide funding in the general budget for two dog …
Reports and Updates Austin Animal Services | April 13, 2026 30-60-90 Day Horizon Plan Monica Dangler, Director Accomplishments on the Horizon! Completed action items in the past 30 days Process Improvement Met with Doobert about foster management program Programs and Socials Developed marketing plan Created quarterly promo and events calendar Enhance Staffing Adjusted Animal Care Tech schedules to better meet business needs Feedback Met with groups of dog and cat volunteers Develop plan for re-opening intake Trying out different strategies Improvements to shelter presence Collaborating with volunteers for social strategy Updated the Lost & Found page on shelter website Became current with reporting data to Petco Love & Best Friends to apply for grants and compare national data 3 What does the horizon plan look like for April? 30 Community Engagement • Implement Marketing plan • Event calendar website built, but not yet updated Enhance Staffing • Continue interviewing for vacant vet techs positions • Analyze kennel cleaning study results Process Improvement • Continue work on pathways and transfer protocols • Maddie’s Fund Clinic Consultation for efficiency and S/N • Develop communication strategy for kennel space protocol on Socials 4 What does the horizon plan look like for April? 30 Foster Program • Weekly foster posts • Identify 3 dogs for foster every day • Daily foster emails • Launch Dog Day Out to 3 days a week • Develop accountability plan Develop plan for reopening intake • Ongoing process • Work with APA on community-based solutions 5 60 What does the horizon plan look like for April? Foster Program • Weekly foster posts • Identify 5 dogs for foster every day • Daily foster emails • Implement foster management tools • Offer Dog Day Out program 5 days a week Shelter and Process Improvements • Develop communication strategy for kennel space protocol on Socials • Continue recruitment for Vet Tech openings Social Presence • Update language and tone on socials • Implement Newsletter • Implement plan for socials Develop plan for reopening intake • Reduce wait-time for intake 6 What does the horizon plan look like for April? 90 Open Intake Planning • Open intake for all stray animals Foster Program • Identify 7 dogs for foster every day • Offer Dog Day Out program 7 days a week • Implement foster management tools Shelter Database • Evaluate volunteer module for effectiveness and potential future enhancements • Explore allowing …
Deceased Animal Recovery Services Austin Resource Recovery | April 13, 2026 Background Deceased animal collection provided daily, including some holidays Animals are collected from the rights-of way and the Austin Animal Center Employees assigned to north and south zones of city for collection Program does not collect livestock. Contact the county in which you reside for livestock removal: Travis County: (512) 974-0845 Williamson County: (512) 832-7000 2 Collection Process Residents contact Austin 311 via phone, online, or through app to create service request Requests completed within 24 hours of being created Domestic animals are scanned for microchips Microchip information is provided to Animal Services for pet owner notification 3 Metrics Over 6000 calls per year are processed for dead animal collection. Non-domestic animals (deer, opossum, squirrels, etc.)are largest category collected 4 Pet Search Requests All pet searches require department staff to check collection records Austin Resource Recovery received a total of 47 requests for FY25 Outcome will be provided to Animal Services to respond to resident requests 5 Cross Department Collaboration ARR collects deceased animals from the Austin Animal Center 3x per week Austin Watershed Protection retrieves deceased animals found in waterways and creates requests for ARR collection through 311 Parks and Recreation creates a service request through 311 for collection of deceased animals All other City departments create a service request through 311 for collection of deceased animals found on City property 6 Questions? Amy Slagle, Assistant Director Amy.Slagle@austintexas.gov Austin Resource Recovery
