Police Department
Reference: Presentation by Chief Paul Southard
To: Mayor Kenneth J. Kreutzer and Members of City Council
Through: Philip Rodriguez, City Manager
Prepared By: Paul Southard, Chief of Police
Date Prepared: January 22, 2018
PURPOSE
To enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) between the City and Adams County for Animal Shelter/ Adoption Center Services (ACASAC)
BACKGROUND
The Brighton Police Department provides Animal Control services for the City of Brighton. Animal Control Officers respond to service requests related to stray animals and animals running at large. Animal quarantine, transfers, care of animals, euthanasia and disposal, impoundment and sheltering are among the Animal Control Officers responsibilities.
Three Animal Control Officers operate the shelter 7 days a week. The equivalent of .8 full time employees are required to clean, feed, greet customers and transfer animals to other facilities. An Animal Control Officer is required to feed and clean the shelter on holidays.
The current shelter was built as an administrative office for the water treatment plant in 1984. Presently the shelter is in marginal condition. It is a poorly insulated cinderblock building and is very drafty. The roof leaks and interior paint is peeling. The southwest corner of the foundation is cracked and showing signs of stress, and will likely require future repair. The odor from the water treatment plant can be very pungent creating a less than pleasant workplace.
The shelter is primarily a temporary holding facility with most animals being transported to other facilities as soon as possible. As of December 2017, 578 animals had been transferred to other facilities. In 2017, the Every Creature Counts organization in Ft Lupton closed leaving officers with the option of transferring to the Adams County Shelter, the Denver Dumb Friends League, or the Humane Society of Boulder Valley. These transfers present a significant impact on an Animal Control Officers time, often between 5-7 hours per week per Animal Control Officer.
A service improvement that will present itself if the IGA is approved by Council, is that the Brighton Police Department can close the Brighton shelter and repurpose job duties by reclassifying Animal Control and Code Enforcement Officers to the newly formed position of Community Service Officer (CSO). This position will continue to operate under the Support Services Division of the Police Department. Duties will include animal control, enforcement of municipal parking laws, abandoned vehicle enforcement and enforcement code related violations. CSOs will also be available to take cold theft, found property, lost property and some cold accident reports. Each CSO will be trained in traffic direction allowing them to assist with traffic control at accidents, road repairs and power outages. A longer term strategy will include requests to fund additional CSO’s in future budget years, lessening the more minor calls for service that currently strain our Police Officers time and focus.
As calls for police services increase in both number and severity, customers have been experiencing longer wait times for service than in years past. The CSO position not only minimizes the wait for citizens, it will allow Police Officers to stay on the street, patrolling and attending to more serious public safety related matters.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The cost of animal shelter service varies dependent on the amount of fees collected from animal owners. The cost will vary from year to year and is affected by the number of reclaimed animals. If an animal is reclaimed within 5 days there is no cost to the City. If an animal is not claimed by the owner, the City will be charged an impound fee of $150.00 for cats and dogs.
Using data provided by Brighton Animal Control, ACASAC calculated estimated costs for 2014 to 2016. ACASAC indicates $81,675 for 1065 animals in 2014, $48,010 for 789 animals in 2015 and $63,290 for 970 animals in 2016. These estimates do not take into account the number of animals returned to owners.
With the closure of the local shelter in the fall of 2017 due to an impacted gas line in the adjacent area, Animal Control Officers began transporting animals to the ACASAC shelter in November and December 2017. For those two months combined, the charges totaled $4,335.
ACASAC Director Stephanie Wilde reviewed impound statistics provided by our Animal Control Officers and estimates Brighton’s annual fees at approximately $60,000.
In addition to the impound fees, the reclassified positions will require bringing the current Animal Control Officers up to the Code Enforcement Officer pay scale. This creates an estimated additional $8,674 expense in personnel costs. If the IGA is approved by Council, a subsequent Quarter 1 Budget Amendment will be presented to Council in the coming weeks to plan for the offset of any increase in costs. Such increases can be absorbed in the FY 2018 Budget due to unappropriated fund balance from the FY 2017 Budget.
OPTIONS FOR COUNCIL CONSIDERATION
1) Approve the Intergovernmental Agreement.
2) Reject the Intergovernmental Agreement.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends approval of the IGA. While there is a financial impact to accepting this IGA, it will allow the Brighton Police Department to positively impact the code enforcement and parking enforcement functions of the City of Brighton by providing swifter attention to concerns that are often quality of life issues for our customers.
ATTACHMENTS
1) Intergovernmental Agreement between the City of Brighton and the Adams County Animal Shelter/Adoption Center Services