Item #2 Draft Animal Services Office Strategic Plan 2025-2030 — original pdf

Backup

HUMANE CARE Measures: Strategies: CITY OF AUSTIN ANIMAL SERVICES OFFICE STRATEGIC PLAN 2025-2030 DRAFT 01.08.2025 Vision: The vision of the Animal Services Office (ASO) is to provide services and resources that allow people and animals to thrive in the city of Austin. Description: Meet animals’ physical and emotional needs and ensure a high quality of life for animals in shelter and foster care by providing enrichment, behavioral support, and well- maintained facilities. Goal: Increase enrichment, socialization, and behavioral services • # of times out of kennel per day per dogs (2 times for large dogs, 3 times for small dogs) • % of animals with daily in-kennel enrichment • # of staff training hours in animal behavior • Expand capacity to provide enrichment and socialization services for all animals through adequate staff, volunteers, funding, and partnerships • Offer staff training and educational opportunities in animal behavior • Enhance support for fosters through training and resources Goal: Improve campus facilities and physical spaces Measures: • Average amount of time between issue identification and entry of work order into Building Services system • Additional location analysis completed within 12 months of strategic plan implementation Strategies: • • In partnership with the Building Services Department, identify opportunities to enhance proactive maintenance and optimize facility operations Identify priority facility upgrades and develop a timeline to enhance animal and staff spaces for optimal care and safety • Research, analyze, and explore additional locations to offer ASO services throughout the community (i.e., new satellite locations, secondary locations) ASO Strategic Plan 2025-2030 Final Draft, 01.08.2025 Subject to further review and revision by the Animal Advisory Commission, City Management, and Austin City Council page 1  Goal: Enhance shelter cleanliness and sanitation • Pass yearly state health inspection • Quarterly kennel cleanliness audit Measures: Strategies: Measures: Strategies: • Establish and implement a sanitation protocol for facilities and kennels aligned with best practices, including routine checks to maintain a high standard of cleanliness Goal: Develop responsible pathways for all eligible animals emphasizing those with behavioral needs • % of at-risk animals who have a behavioral training plan • % of behavioral animals placed with partners and rescues • % of adult animals in ASO care beyond 30 days who are plead for foster or rescue placement • % of behavioral animals in ASO who are plead for foster placement • Total number of cats and dogs over 30 days • Create a citywide, inter-shelter team to identify, assess, and connect at-risk animals into the most appropriate behavior program • Proactively identify animals at risk of behavioral decline and prioritize for appropriate placement • Establish and implement a protocol for assessing, managing, and supporting animals with behavioral needs, including the process for developing behavioral training plans • Review, research, and provide recommendations for policies, regulations, processes, and programs to support animals with behavioral needs, seeking review and/or approval from governing bodies (e.g., City Council, Animal Advisory Council, Travis County Commissioners Court) as applicable ASO Strategic Plan 2025-2030 Final Draft, 01.08.2025 Subject to further review and revision by the Animal Advisory Commission, City Management, and Austin City Council page 2  Description: Reduce the number of stray, unowned, and unwanted animals by improving and increasing spay/neuter services. Goal: Increase the number of free and subsidized spay/neuter surgeries for owned animals • # of free or subsidized spay/neuter surgeries performed by contracted partners • # of free or subsidized spay surgeries for large female dogs performed by contracted • # of free or subsidized spay surgeries for female cats performed by contracted partners SPAY NEUTER Measures: partners Strategies: • Develop and maintain strong partnerships with community organizations and national vendors to expand low-cost spay/neuter services and referral opportunities available within the community • Review, research, and provide recommendations on policies, regulations, processes, and programs that promote and expand spay/neuter, seeking review and/or approval from governing bodies as applicable • Create additional marketing efforts to communicate spay/neuter services to the community, targeting areas with the highest rates of stray and surrendered pets Goal: Increase the number of spay/neuter surgeries for stray and unowned animals Measures: Strategies: • Number of cats served through trap-neuter-return (TNR) • # of spay/neuter surgeries performed at the shelter • Average length of wait time for spay/neuter for shelter/ASO foster animals (from eligibility to receive surgery to time the surgery is performed) • Partner with volunteers and organizations that support community cats to identify opportunities to maximize the impact of trap-neuter-return programs • Allocate additional resources and optimize processes and staffing to ensure stray animals are spayed/neutered as quickly as possible while in shelter or foster care ASO Strategic Plan 2025-2030 Final Draft, 01.08.2025 Subject to further review and revision by the Animal Advisory Commission, City Management, and Austin City Council page 3  OPEN INTAKE Description: Ensure Austin Animal Center has the capacity to accept animals, facilitate care by partners and the public, and assist people in keeping their pets in a timely manner. Goal: Increase the timeliness of ASO intake support • # of days intake is fully open per quarter • # of people seeking intake (# receive same day intake, # receive services no same day • Pet Resource Center (PRC) Wait Times for walk-ups and for owner surrender Measures: intake) appointments Strategies: • Develop and implement standard operating procedures for triaging intake requests and providing customers with appropriate and timely support • Collaborate with volunteers to identify opportunities to involve them in intake support, with appropriate training and guidance Goal: Expand the capacity of the shelter Measures: • Number of active fosters • Number of pets fostered • Number of people participating in finder-to-foster • % of animals in ASO care/control in foster and other placements (i.e. boarding, training programs) Strategies: • Explore innovative collaborations with community groups and partners to facilitate the • direct placement of animals into care, minimizing shelter intake Increase foster enrollment and streamline the foster process to improve efficiency and responsiveness • Expand capacity of the finder-to-foster program, including developing protocol and providing adequate staffing to provide timely services for finder-to-foster participants • Collaborate with community partners to increase awareness and accessibility of programs that divert animals from shelter (e.g., lost and found resources, finder-to- foster, microchip scanner locations) • Enhance capacity to comprehensively manage the flow of animals, ensuring optimal space utilization, improved animal well-being, and successful placements ASO Strategic Plan 2025-2030 Final Draft, 01.08.2025 Subject to further review and revision by the Animal Advisory Commission, City Management, and Austin City Council page 4  Goal: Remove barriers to pet ownership through resources and policy change • # of community events with ASO staff/volunteers providing responsible pet owner • Services provided (# of vouchers, # of families receiving fencing supplies, # of Measures: education microchips) • # of owner surrenders Strategies: • Review, research, and provide recommendations on policies, regulations, processes, and programs that advance pet-friendly policies (e.g., restrictions on pet rent, pet deposits, and weight limits), seeking review and/or approval from governing bodies as applicable • Expand and market resources and education on responsible pet ownership, including • microchipping and spay/neuter Identify grants and partnerships to increase and promote services to those in need including fences, vet assistance, and behavior assistance services • Develop and maintain strong partnerships with community organizations to expand low- cost services and referral opportunities available within the community LIVE RELEASE Measures: Description: Maximize the number of animals that are adopted, rescued, transferred, or returned to their owners through enhanced services, partnerships, and community engagement. Goal: Expand and enhance all programs that lead to successful placements for animals • Average length of shelter stay • Number of animals adopted • Number of animals transferred • Number of animals returned within 30 days of adoption • % of pets returned to owner Strategies: • • Improve the adoption process and ensure successful placements by expanding services and providing adopters with training and resources Improve the rescue process and ensure successful placements ASO Strategic Plan 2025-2030 Final Draft, 01.08.2025 Subject to further review and revision by the Animal Advisory Commission, City Management, and Austin City Council page 5  • Develop and implement innovative solutions to expand the transfer network and increase the quick transfer of animals Improve the availability of information and the marketing of shelter animals • • Design and implement methods that leverage technology, outreach, and partnerships to increase visibility of animals in stray hold, maximizing the number of animals returned to their owners • Review, research, and recommend policies, regulations, programs, and processes to support high live release rate, gathering stakeholder input and seeking review and/or approval from governing bodies as applicable Goal: Improve customer experience Measures: Strategies: • Customer satisfaction ratings • # customer service training hours per employee • Create more and easier ways for customers to share their feedback to enhance customer experience (e.g., exit surveys) • Enhance the shelter experience by improving signage and navigation and ensuring staff and volunteers are available to support customers • Develop and implement customer service training for staff and volunteers • Increase accessibility to ASO services through offsite events and exploring new locations across the community Goal: Increase awareness of ASO and build community trust Measures: • ASO Web and Social Media Traffic • City of Austin Community Survey ASO Service Rating • # of participants at ASO events • # of animal outcomes associated with offsite events (e.g., adopted at event, returned to shelter to adopt after event attendance) Strategies: • Implement a new data management system for transparency and to ensure data accuracy • Launch a comprehensive marketing campaign to increase awareness of ASO’s mission, policies, resources, and location ASO Strategic Plan 2025-2030 Final Draft, 01.08.2025 Subject to further review and revision by the Animal Advisory Commission, City Management, and Austin City Council page 6  • Expand ASO’s community presence, including increasing participation in local events, hosting new activities, and building partnerships • Expand multilingual resources and improve accessibility across ASO services • Strengthen outreach and trust-building efforts with community partners PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY Description: Ensure the health and safety of the public and animals by providing resources and information, working with community partners, and responding quickly to animal related concerns. Goal: Increase public awareness on how to interact safely with animals Measures: Strategies: • Reduction in incidents with unhealthy or aggressive animals • # of dogs adopted from ASO returned for aggression/behavior • Web page traffic to resources • Offer targeted training, resources, and support for managing behaviorally challenging animals, including through an online training and resource hub • Enhance public education and awareness on safely interacting with behaviorally challenged pets, unfamiliar animals, and local wildlife • Strengthen partnerships and increase awareness of community cat programs and trap- neuter-return (TNR) Goal: Ensure timely response to animal welfare calls and public safety concerns Measures: • APO to call volume ratio • 311 call measures (ASO response time and percentage of APO service calls meeting service standard) • # of ASO dispatcher training hours Strategies: community need • Expand capacity of animal protection officers (APOs) and dispatchers consistent with • Collaborate with 311 to enhance ASO service call triage, ensure consistent messaging, and provide clear interim assistance to the community (e.g., steps to take while waiting, when to expect updates) Identify opportunities for external organizations, such as wildlife rescues, to directly support response to animal welfare needs • ASO Strategic Plan 2025-2030 Final Draft, 01.08.2025 Subject to further review and revision by the Animal Advisory Commission, City Management, and Austin City Council page 7  Goal: Reduce the number of incidents involving aggressive or unhealthy animals in the community Measures: Strategies: • 311 call volume related to animal public health and safety incidents • Develop and implement methods to evaluate and improve the impact and effectiveness of public health and safety resources and services provided by ASO • Review, research, and provide recommendations on animal related policies and regulations that impact public health and safety, seeking review and/or approval from governing bodies as applicable STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS Description: Recruit and retain well-trained and dedicated staff and volunteers by providing the tools, resources, and support they need to create a culture of inclusion and responsibility. Goal: Enhance working conditions and build skilled and supported staff and volunteers Measures: Strategies: • Training completion rates for staff and volunteers and volunteers ensure pay equity address them • Develop and implement a comprehensive training and development program for staff • Conduct staffing analysis to determine appropriate levels of staff and volunteers and • Conduct an analysis of equipment needs for staff and volunteers, and take steps to • Review, research, and recommend policies, regulations, training, and processes to ensure the health and safety of staff and volunteers, seeking review and/or approval from governing bodies as applicable Goal: Increase morale and satisfaction of staff and volunteers Measures: • Retention rates for staff and volunteers • Staff and volunteer satisfaction rates (collected through surveys) • % of staff that attend annual compassion fatigue training ASO Strategic Plan 2025-2030 Final Draft, 01.08.2025 Subject to further review and revision by the Animal Advisory Commission, City Management, and Austin City Council page 8  Strategies: • Increase awareness of and access to resources to support the mental health needs of staff • Develop programs to improve volunteer participation and retention, including incentives and team building • Develop programs to improve staff retention, including team building, mentorship, and career development Increase and improve cooperation between staff and volunteers • Goal: Improve operational efficiency Measures: Strategies: partners • Percentage of standard operation procedures reviewed and updated annually • Maintain, regularly update, and enforce clear standard operating procedures • Review, analyze, clarify, and define roles and responsibilities of staff, volunteers, and • Conduct analysis of technology, contracts, and shared services needed to operate shelter at maximum efficiency and create a roadmap for implementation ASO Strategic Plan 2025-2030 Final Draft, 01.08.2025 Subject to further review and revision by the Animal Advisory Commission, City Management, and Austin City Council page 9