Item #3 Strategic Planning Update Presentation — original pdf

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Strategic Planning Update to Animal Advisory Commission Susana Carbajal, Assistant City Manager Don Bland, Chief Animal Services Officer Audrey Muntz, Budget and Performance Manager January 13, 2025 Strategic Planning Team & Working Group PLANNING TEAM • Responsible for coordination of the strategic planning process, including managing timelines, selecting Working Group members, and plan refinement. Included representatives from ASO staff, Animal Advisory Commission, City Manager’s Office, and Travis County WORKING GROUP • Responsible for using feedback and information gathered from stakeholders, along with their expertise in animal welfare, to collaboratively develop the strategic plan during a series of workshops facilitated by the external consultant • Included Planning Team, a community advocate and representatives from: 2 o ASO staff o ASO volunteers o Animal Advisory Commission o Austin Humane Society o Austin Lost and Found o Austin Pets Alive o City Manager’s Office o Classic Canines o Emancipet o TRAPRS Trapping, Rescue and Pet Recovery Service o Travis County 2 Strategic Planning Process Overview Purpose: To map out the strategic planning process. External consultant Dr. Larry Schooler hired Planning Team and Working Group members identified STRATEGIC PLAN PREPARATION Apr to Jun 2024 PHASE 1: ASSESSMENT Jun to Aug 2024 PHASE 2: STRATEGIC PLAN FRAMEWORK DEVELOPMENT Aug 2024 to Jan 2025 PHASE 3: STRATEGIC PLAN FINALIZATION Jan to Mar 2025 Purpose: To understand ASO's current state and gather feedback from stakeholders, including staff, volunteers, partners, and the community to ensure the strategic plan is responsive to the needs, priorities, and aspirations of stakeholders. Purpose: To create a strategic plan that addresses audit findings, fulfills ASO’s mission, and effectively balances stakeholder needs and aspirations while building trust among Working Group members. Purpose: To share, finalize, and adopt the strategic plan. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Conducted a community survey with 2,041 participants Held four listening sessions with 40 ASO volunteers Held nine listening sessions with 94 ASO staff members Interviewed 10 ASO leadership team members Interviewed 11 community partners Reviewed prior audits, reports, and surveys Benchmarked similar animal welfare organizations Compiled two comprehensive reports of survey and listening session findings Held five initial workshops with the Working Group Shared draft focus areas and goals with stakeholders Held staff town hall to gather feedback on draft framework Conducted community survey to gather feedback on draft framework Feedback shared with the Working Group and in a report Held two additional workshops to refine the plan and ensure alignment Held two meetings with Planning Team to ensure plan cohesion and clarity Shared the final plan with stakeholders, including staff, volunteers, and the community Present plan to the Austin Animal Commission Present plan to Austin City Council Move into the Implementation Phase 3 Plan Definitions • Vision: A shared idea of what the community will experience when ASO implements this plan. • Mission: The core purpose and role ASO serves in supporting the community and achieving the vision. ASO’s mission was not updated as part of this process. • Focus Areas: High-level priorities. These foundational elements guide ASO in advancing its mission and achieving its vision. • Descriptions: A brief overview of each focus area. • Goals: A specific end-result that ASO envisions, plans, and commits to • Measure: How ASO will track progress toward achieving its goals. Targets will be developed to gauge progress year to year. • Strategies: Actionable plans or methods that ASO will take to achieve its achieve. goals. 4 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. Focus Areas Humane Care: 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. Spay Neuter: Reduce the number of stray, unowned, and unwanted animals by improving and increasing spay/neuter services. Live Release: Maximize the number of animals that are adopted, rescued, transferred, or returned to their owners through enhanced services, partnerships, and community engagement. Public Health and Safety: 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. Open Intake: 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. Staff and Volunteers: 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. 5  Humane Care 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. . Strategies Goals Increase enrichment, socialization, and behavioral services Improve campus facilities and physical spaces Enhance shelter cleanliness and sanitation Develop responsible pathways for all eligible animals emphasizing those with behavioral needs • 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 • • 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 • In partnership with the Building Services Department, identify opportunities to safety enhance proactive maintenance and optimize facility operations • Identify • Research, analyze, and explore additional locations to offer ASO services throughout the community (i.e., new satellite priority facility upgrades and develop a timeline to enhance animal and staff spaces for optimal care and safety • Research, analyze, and explore additional • Establish and implement a sanitation protocol for facilities and kennels aligned with best practices, including routine locations to offer ASO services throughout the community (i.e., new satellite checks to maintain a high standard of cleanliness locations, secondary locations) locations, secondary locations) • 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 6 Reduce the number of stray, unowned, and unwanted animals by improving and increasing spay/neuter services. Spay Neuter Goals Increase the number of free and subsidized spay/neuter surgeries for owned animals Increase the number of spay/neuter surgeries for stray and unowned animals 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 • In partnership with the Building Services Department, identify opportunities to • Review, research, and provide recommendations on policies, regulations, processes, and programs that promote and enhance proactive maintenance and optimize facility operations • Identify 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 priority facility upgrades and develop a timeline to enhance animal and staff highest rates of stray and surrendered pets 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) • 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 7  Open Intake 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. . Goals Strategies Increase the timeliness of ASO intake support appropriate and timely support guidance • Develop and implement standard operating procedures for triaging intake requests and providing customers with • Collaborate with volunteers to identify opportunities to involve them in intake support, with appropriate training and Expand the capacity of the shelter Remove barriers to pet ownership through resources and policy change • Explore innovative collaborations with community groups and partners to facilitate the direct placement of animals into provide timely services for finder-to-foster participants care, minimizing shelter intake • In partnership with the Building Services Department, identify opportunities to 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 enhance proactive maintenance and optimize facility operations • Identify priority facility upgrades and develop a timeline to enhance animal and staff • 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) spaces for optimal care and safety • Research, analyze, and explore additional • Enhance capacity to comprehensively manage the flow of animals, ensuring optimal space utilization, improved animal locations to offer ASO services throughout the community (i.e., new satellite locations, secondary locations) well-being, and successful placements • 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 8  Live Release Maximize the number of animals that are adopted, rescued, transferred, or returned to their owners through enhanced services, partnerships, and community engagement. . Goals Strategies Expand and enhance all programs that lead to successful placements for animals Improve customer experience • 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 • • 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, • In partnership with the Building Services Department, identify opportunities to gathering stakeholder input and seeking review and/or approval from governing bodies as applicable enhance proactive maintenance and optimize facility operations • Identify priority facility upgrades and develop a timeline to enhance animal and staff • 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 spaces for optimal care and safety • Research, analyze, and explore additional support customers locations to offer ASO services throughout the community (i.e., new satellite locations, secondary locations) • 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 Increase awareness of ASO and build community trust location building partnerships 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 • Expand ASO’s community presence, including increasing participation in local events, hosting new activities, and • Expand multilingual resources and improve accessibility across ASO services • Strengthen outreach and trust-building efforts with community partners 9  Public Health and Safety 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. . Strategies Goals Increase public awareness on how to interact safely with animals Ensure timely response to animal welfare calls and public safety concerns Reduce the number of incidents involving aggressive or unhealthy animals in the community • Offer targeted training, resources, and support for managing behaviorally challenging animals, including through an • Enhance public education and awareness on safely interacting with behaviorally challenged pets, unfamiliar animals, online training and resource hub and local wildlife • Expand capacity of animal protection officers (APOs) and dispatchers consistent with community need • Collaborate with 311 to enhance ASO service call triage, ensure consistent messaging, and provide clear interim • Strengthen partnerships and increase awareness of community cat programs and trap-neuter-return (TNR) • 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 assistance to the community (e.g., steps to take while waiting, when to expect updates) spaces for optimal care and safety • Research, analyze, and explore additional Identify opportunities for external organizations, such as wildlife rescues, to directly support response to animal locations to offer ASO services throughout the community (i.e., new satellite welfare needs locations, secondary locations) • • 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 10  Staff and Volunteers 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. . Strategies Goals Enhance working conditions and build skilled and supported staff and volunteers Increase morale and satisfaction of staff and volunteers • Develop and implement a comprehensive training and development program for staff and volunteers • Conduct staffing analysis to determine appropriate levels of staff and volunteers and ensure pay equity • Conduct an analysis of equipment needs for staff and volunteers, and take steps to address them • 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 • 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 Increase awareness of and access to resources to support the mental health needs of staff spaces for optimal care and safety • Research, analyze, and explore additional locations to offer ASO services throughout the community (i.e., new satellite Increase and improve cooperation between staff and volunteers locations, secondary locations) • • 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 • Improve operational efficiency • Maintain, regularly update, and enforce clear standard operating procedures • Review, analyze, clarify, and define roles and responsibilities of staff, volunteers, and partners • Conduct analysis of technology, contracts, and shared services needed to operate shelter at maximum efficiency and create a roadmap for implementation 11  Measures Each goal in the ASO Strategic Plan has associated measures. These measures will be used to track progress toward achieving the goal and inform ASO on whether to modify or sustain its approach to reach the desired outcome. ASO staff will develop targets for each measure and additional measures may be created during plan implementation. Focus Areas Humane Care Spay Neuter Open Intake Live Release Sample Measures • # of times out of kennel per day per dogs (2x for large dogs, 3x for small dogs) • % of at-risk animals who have a behavioral training plan • % of behavioral animals placed with partners and rescues • # of free or subsidized spay/neuter surgeries performed by contracted partners • # of cats served through trap-neuter-return (TNR) • # of spay/neuter surgeries performed at the shelter • In partnership with the Building Services Department, identify opportunities to enhance proactive maintenance and optimize facility operations • Identify • # of days intake is fully open per quarter • # of people seeking intake priority facility upgrades and develop a timeline to enhance animal and staff • % of animals in ASO care/control in foster and other placements (i.e. boarding, training programs) 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) • Average length of shelter stay • % of pets returned to owner • Customer satisfaction ratings Public Health and Safety • # of dogs adopted from ASO returned for aggression/behavior • # of ASO dispatcher training hours • 311 call volume related to animal public health and safety incidents Staff and Volunteers • Training completion rates for staff and volunteers • Retention rates for staff and volunteers • Percentage of standard operation procedures reviewed and updated annually 6 Next Steps • January 2025 - Finalize and design strategic plan document, including background information, planning methodology, and glossary • February 10 – Animal Advisory Commission meeting discussion and possible action • March 2025 – Austin City Council Meeting for consideration and adoption of Strategic Plan • April 2025 – Upon Council adoption of plan, ASO commences implementation of Strategic Plan 12 For more information contact Susana.Carbajal@austintexas.gov Thank you 13