City to Present Council with a Proposed Contract with Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter to Maintain Shelter Services

Alameda -- Following months of discussion between the City of Alameda and Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter (FAAS), City staff is pleased to present Council with a proposed contract for their consideration on June 6, that meets both the City’s and FAAS’s objectives. The proposed Animal Services Agreement will increase funding from the City to FAAS to manage the City’s animal care services. The City will continue to provide the shelter facility, capital improvements, and Animal Control Officers at no cost.

Specifically, the terms of the proposed agreement include:

• An annual payment from the City to FAAS not to exceed $804,300, which provides 58 percent of the total FAAS budget, with the remaining 42 percent to come from fundraising and fees, critical to maintaining shelter operations.
• A one-time payment from the City to FAAS of $75,000 to cover costs anticipated to be incurred between now and June 30, 2017.
• The City will continue to rent the shelter facility to FAAS for $1 per year. In 2016-17, the City will provide more than $170,000 in capital improvements to the shelter, including a new roof, an upgraded kitchen where animal meals are prepared, and upgrades to the heating and cooling system. In 2017-18, the City will reimburse an additional $45,000 in one-time capital costs for shelter upgrades.
• The Alameda Police Department will continue to provide Animal Control Officers to support shelter operations and enforce animal control laws.
• Working jointly with FAAS, the City will commission an operational assessment of the shelter by the American Humane Association to identify best practices in shelter management and services.
• FAAS will continue their new partnership with the job training and placement program at Alameda Point Collaborative with the goal of providing employment for up to two program participants, expand its grants program to help support shelter operations, and explore additional grants for services like spay and neuter.
• The term of the proposed contract is for two years, ending June 2019, with the ability for the City Council to offer to extend the contract an additional two years.

In California, city and county animal control shelters are mandated to provide care to sheltered animals to prevent the spread of disease, protect the animals, and protect the public good. Historically, animal care and control in the City of Alameda has been provided by the Police Department. In 2011, during the recession and its aftermath, budget cuts were absorbed by every City department. To comply with state mandates, the Alameda Police Department had only two choices, 1) outsourcing the shelter to another city or nonprofit and eliminating four police officer positions, or 2) eliminating nine police officer positions. At that time, the Alameda community expressed a strong interest in FAAS taking over the shelter, rather than contracting with another municipality.

The City and FAAS then entered into a 15-year contract starting January 2012, which included an annual payment to FAAS of $300,000, with an annual increase based on cost of living. The City also agreed to rent the facility to FAAS for $1 and maintain responsibility for the building’s roof, foundation, HVAC, and electrical systems. Responsibility for animal control remained with the Police Department, including responding to stray animal calls, transporting animals to the facility, and fielding enforcement of animal control laws.

FAAS operated the shelter under this agreement for five years, making annual reports to the Council. Then in early 2016, FAAS approached the City, indicating the existing contract was not providing sufficient funding to maintain operations. Since then, City staff and FAAS have worked collaboratively to determine how to continue a high level of service and performance, while at the same time balance other demands within the City. The proposed agreement outlined above meets these shared objectives. The Alameda City Council will make a decision on this contract at the June 6, 2017 City Council meeting. 

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About FAAS

The mission of Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter (FAAS) is to shelter and care for abandoned companion animals, find them new homes, and prevent animal cruelty through education and community programs. FAAS was founded in 2009 by a small group of volunteers dedicated to raising funds for medical care for the animals at the Alameda Animal Shelter. The group expanded and there are now 13 full- and part-time staff and more than 150 active volunteers providing daily care to the more than 1000 animals who come through the shelter each year. FAAS is governed by a volunteer Board of Dire