Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Louise F. Rogers, Chief, San Mateo County Health
Srija Srinivasan, Acting Director, Public Health, Policy and Planning
Subject: Agreement with Twenty Cities of the County and with Peninsula Humane Society and SPCA
RECOMMENDATION:
title
Adopt a resolution authorizing the Chief of San Mateo County Health or designee to:
A) Execute an agreement with the twenty cities of the County for the facilitation and coordination of animal care and control services for the term of July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2026; and
B) Execute an agreement with the Peninsula Humane Society and SPCA to provide animal care and control services for the term of July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2026, in an amount not to exceed $32,548,990.
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BACKGROUND:
The County of San Mateo's Ordinance Code including, but not limited to, Chapter 6.04 and similar city ordinances, as well as state law including, but not limited to, the California Penal Code, Food and Agriculture Code and Health and Safety Code, require cities and counties to provide animal care, control, and shelter services. These services are essential to protecting the health and safety of all County residents.
Animal care, control and shelter services are highly specialized and intensive, making it difficult for any single jurisdiction to provide these services on its own. As a result, since 1951, the 21 local jurisdictions (twenty cities [Cities] and the County) have pooled resources to collectively purchase these services. With this arrangement, the jurisdictions have realized lower costs and better services than each jurisdiction could provide on its own. Under the agreement between the County and the Cities, all jurisdictions share costs based upon a formula that reflects each jurisdiction's proportionate use of field and shelter services.
DISCUSSION:
On January 5, 2021, a Request for Proposals (RFP) was released to 71 organizations, seeking a contractor to provide animal care, control and shelter services for San Mateo County jurisdictions. Two entities submitted proposals in response to the RFP.
On March 4, 2021, the proposals were evaluated by a review committee comprised of nine reviewers including a Deputy County Manager, a San Mateo County Fiscal Officer, five reviewers from the Cities, and subject matter experts from Los Angeles County and San Bernardino County. The review committee concluded that the proposal from the Peninsula Humane Society and SPCA (PHS) was the superior of the two proposals.
A committee of representatives from the Cities and County have negotiated an agreement with PHS that incorporates the terms of PHS’ RFP response. The parties to this agreement are the County (on its own behalf and on behalf of the Cities) and PHS. Specific components offering value improvements in this agreement include:
• A 6.6% decrease in expenses for animal control and shelter services from $6,625,381 to $6,189,291 in the first year of the term of the new agreement;
• Four additional Animal Control Officers (ACO) providing services under the agreement compared to the prior contract;
• Increased revenue for the Cities and County through development of an animal license citation process for license violations;
• Performance and fiscal accountability through regular reporting and audits;
• 25 performance measures delineating service expectations as well as institution of a quality improvement program to ensure maintenance of key documents, reporting, scheduling services and activities, staff performance, and customer service;
• And animal control services to County residents:
o ACO to respond to the following “Priority 1 Service Calls” within an hour:
§ To Public Safety Officers that need immediate assistance
§ To bats, aggressive animals, animals posing a risk, sick or injured animals, dogs at large, or trapped animals on school grounds
§ Jointly with Public Safety Officials/Fish and Wildlife officers to mountain lions or escaped exotic animals that are posing an imminent threat (a new service).
o ACO to respond within four hours for the following:
§ A dog or cat in trap
§ An animal in custody, constrained, or confined
o ACO to respond within 18 hours for the following:
§ Dead animal pick-up
§ Quarantines on animals that have bitten.
The Animal Control Services agreement between the County and PHS has been executed by PHS. The agreement between the County and Cities for allocation of the cost of services under the agreement between the County and PHS will have been executed by all Cities as of June 28, 2021. Each of the agreements is contingent upon the full execution by all parties of the other agreement.
The agreements and resolution have been reviewed and approved by County Counsel as to form.
In order to minimize service delays, Public Health Policy and Planning (PHPP) seeks your Board’s authorization for the Chief of San Mateo County Health, or designee, to execute the agreements on behalf of the County, in lieu of the President of the Board.
The Board is being asked to authorize the Chief of San Mateo County Health, or designee, to execute subsequent amendments which do not exceed an aggregate of $25,000.
It is anticipated that 95% of Priority 1 Field Service Calls will be completed within one hour and 85% of animals will have a positive placement in FY 2021-22.
PERFORMANCE MEASURE:
|
Measure |
FY 2021-22 Estimated |
FY 2022-23 Estimated |
|
Percentage of Priority 1 Field Service Calls completed within one hour |
95% 3,587/3,775 calls |
95% 3,515/3,700 calls |
|
Percentage of animals that will have a positive placement |
85% 1,266/1,489 animals |
85% 1,266/1,489 animals |
FISCAL IMPACT:
The term of the agreement is July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2026. The amount of the agreement is not to exceed $32,548,990 for the five-year term. Revenues and expenditures for the base amount of agreement for FY 2021-22 fiscal year, $6,189,291, have been included in the PHPP FY 2020-21 Adopted Budget. The agreement costs are shared by the Cities and County based on a three-year average of usage of services. Currently, the County share of costs is approximately 7% and is the portion paid by Net County Cost.