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Home My WebLink About2023.08.10 TCACA Agenda AGENDA Tri-Cities Animal Control Authority 5:30 PM - Thursday, August 10, 2023 Pasco City Hall, Council Chambers Page 1. WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS 2. PUBLIC COMMENTS - The public may address the Tri-Cities Animal Control Authority (TCACA) on any items related to animal control within Kennewick, Pasco or Richland. This is to provide the opportunity to bring items to the attention of the TCACA or to express an opinion on an issue. Its purpose is not to provide a venue for debate or for the posing of questions with the expectation of an immediate response. Some questions require consideration by the TCACA over time and after a deliberative process with input from a number of different sources; some questions are best directed to staff who have access to specific information. Public comments will normally be limited to three minutes each. Those with lengthy messages are invited to summarize their comments and/or submit written information for consideration by the TCACA outside of formal meetings. 3. TCACA AGENCY REPORTS 4. TRI-CITIES ANIMAL SHELTER UPDATES 3 - 12 (a) TCACA Presentation (b) Quarterly Statistics (c) Communications Plan (d) Outreach and Events (e) Updates to Policies/Process/Operations (f) Staffing, Training, and Volunteering 5. OLD BUSINESS 13 - 17 (a) June 8, 2023 Meeting Minutes Page 1 of 17 6. NEW BUSINESS 7. NEXT MEETING SCHEDULED FOR OCTOBER 12, 2023 8. ADJOURNMENT Page 2 of 17 Page 3 of 17 •City of Pasco Representative: Interim ACS Director Jesse Rice •City of Richland Representative: Commander Darryl Judge •City of Kennewick Representative: Commander Randy Maynard •City of Pasco/Tri-Cities Animal Shelter Manager: Ben Zigan •City of Pasco Administrative Assistant II: Ally Garza •City of Pasco/Tri-Cities Animal Shelter Department Assistant II: Annen MartinPage 4 of 17 Public Comments The public may address the Tri-Cities Animal Control Authority (TCACA) on any items related to animal control within Kennewick, Pasco or Richland. This is to provide the opportunity to bring items to the attention of the TCACA or to express an opinion on an issue. Its purpose is not to provide a venue for debate or for the posing of questions with the expectation of an immediate response. Some questions require consideration by the TCACA over time and after a deliberative process with input from a number of different sources; some questions are best directed to staff who have access to specific information. Public comments will normally be limited to three minutes each. Those with lengthy messages are invited to summarize their comments and/or submit written information for consideration by the TCACA outside of formal meetings. Page 5 of 17 Minutes from June 8, 2023 •Welcome and Announcements on what the meeting would entail. •Public Comments –No comments •TCACA Agency Reports •Deputy Police Chief Neher stated there was nothing to report for the City of Richland. •City of Kennewick Lieutenant Moos stated there was nothing to report for the City of Kennewick. •Tri-Cities Animal Shelter Manger, Ben Zigan, provided an update regarding the running of the Tri-Cities Animal Shelter. •Tri-Cities Animal Shelter Updates •Quarterly Statistics for intakes, adoptions, and redemptions. (See handout) •Outreach and events •TCAS is working with SECOMM to set up after hours services for the public to contact the on-call ACO or leave a message for non-emergencies. •TCAS staff is communicating closely with current outreach groups and trying to obtain more contacts so there will be more options for placing dogs and cats. •TCAS is going to be using “SECTOR”, which is an automated e-ticketing system that will file ticket electronically, saving money and time. •TCAS staff is in the process of creating and implementing a visitor’s liability waiver to protect the TCAS facility, the city, and the public. •TCAS has currently partnered with Krystal from Speak Dog to provide training and assessments on the dogs at the shelter. •New Business •TCAS is currently looking for rotating behavior consultants to work with the dogs, staff, and volunteers. •TCAS is running into issues with out-of-state transfers due to certain requirements that must be met before the transfer. •The TCAS facility is currently at full capacity for dog, and all other rescues and human societies are as well. This presents a challenge each time a new dog enters the shelter. •TCAS new schedule: Tuesday –Saturday, 10:00 am –5:00 pm. •AdjournmentPage 6 of 17 Intakes for June: 293 Pasco 41 –Dogs 111 –Cats Kennewick 26 –Dogs 80 –Cats Richland / West Richland 9 –Dogs 18 –Cats Benton City 1 –Cat Returns / Surrenders: 7 7 –Dogs Adoptions for June: 109 51 –Dogs 58 –Cats Intakes for July: 260 Pasco 59 –Dogs 70 –Cats Kennewick 41 –Dogs 41 –Cats Richland / West Richland 15 –Dogs 28 –Cats Returns / Surrenders: 4 3 –Dogs 1 –Cats Seized: 2 2 –Dogs Adoptions for July: 125 50 –Dogs 75 –Cats Transferred Out (June): 65 8 –Dogs 57 –Cats Euthanasia Medical: 18 1 –Dogs 17 –Cats Euthanasia Behavioral: 0 Transferred Out (July): 64 16 –Dogs 48 –Cats Euthanasia Medical: 9 1 –Dog 10 –Cats Euthanasia Behavioral: 0 Page 7 of 17 Current Projects/Events •Construction on the new shelter is continuing and progress is good. •We currently have two upcoming adoption events scheduled for August that we hope will draw people to the shelter and encourage them to adopt animals that need a loving furrever home. •Friday, August 18th 2023 from 10:00 am –2:00 pm / Firefighters & Felines. Location: Tri -Cities Animal Shelter (1312 S. 18th Ave, Pasco WA 99301) •Wednesday, August 30th 2023 from 5:00 pm –7:00 pm / Doggie Paddle. Location: Memorial Aquatic Park (1520 W. Shoshone, Pasco WA 99301Page 8 of 17 Page 9 of 17 Page 10 of 17 TCAS Budget Page 11 of 17 Case Highlight / July 2023 ID: A0052703137 Breed: German Shepherd Name: Ozzy Ozzy came into the Tri-Cities Animal Shelter on May 19, 2023. During is stay at the shelter he was very temperamental. Staff and volunteers were unable to work with him, or even enter his kennel. After his behavioral assessment he was deemed a non standard adoption due to aggression. The shelter reached out to various rescues in hopes that someone would be able to take him and avoid potential euthanasia process. We are pleased to announce that on July 26, 2023, Ozzy was transferred from the shelter to Mikey’s Chance. As of today, Ozzy is doing well and thriving in his new environment. With a little more training and TLC, it is likely that he will be able to be placed in his furrever home. We wanted to give a big shout out and say thank you to Mikey’s Chance for their willingness to take him. Page 12 of 17 MINUTES Tri-Cities Animal Control Authority 5:30 PM - Thursday, June 8, 2023 Pasco City Hall, Council Chambers WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS Attendees: City of Kennewick Representative: BJ Moos City of Pasco Representative: Jesse Rice City of Richland Representative: David Neher City of Pasco -Tri-Cities Animal Services Manager: Ben Zigan City of Pasco - Administrative Assistant II: Ally Garza City of Pasco - Department Assistant II: Annen Martin Mr. Rice opened the meeting with a welcome and provided brief announcement on the structure of the meeting and presented the other Cities representatives. PUBLIC COMMENTS OLD BUSINESS April 13, 2023 Meeting Minutes NEW BUSINESS TCACA AGENCY REPORTS Deputy Police Chief Neher said there was nothing to report from the City of Richland. City of Kennewick Lieutenant Moos said there was nothing to report from the City of Kennewick. Tri-Cities Animal Shelter Manager, Mr. Zigan, provided an update regarding the running of the Tri-Cities Animal Control Shelter (TCACS). Page 1 of 5Page 13 of 17 TRI-CITIES ANIMAL SHELTER UPDATES Bi Monthly Statistics for April & May Intakes for April: 258 Pasco 40 – Dogs 75 – Cats Kennewick 38 – Dogs 44 – Cats Richland / West Richland 13 – Dogs 29 – Cats Returns / Surrenders: 16 10 – Dogs 6 – Cats Seized: 3 3 – Dogs Adoptions for April: 104 58 – Dogs 46 – Cats Transferred Out (April): 95 14 – Dogs 81 – Cats Euthanasia Medical: 13 2 – Dogs 11 – Cats Euthanasia Behavioral: 0 Intakes for May: 298 Pasco 55 – Dogs 86 – Cats Kennewick 31 – Dogs Page 2 of 5Page 14 of 17 96 – Cats Richland / West Richland 13 – Dogs 10 – Cats Returns / Surrenders: 11 8 – Dogs 3 – Cats Seized: 2 1 – Dog 1 – Cat Adoptions for May: 97 43 – Dogs 54 – Cats Transferred Out (May): 107 26 – Dogs 81 – Cats Euthanasia Medical: 9 9 – Cats Euthanasia Behavioral: 2 1 – Dog 1 – Cat Communications Plan Currently, the Tri-Cities Animal Control Shelter (TCACS) is posting on social media 2-3 posts a week. All posts are either informative, uplifting, and/or fun. They sometimes will also highlight the pet of the week. • The public really liked the post on animal CPR, as there are different methods for different types of dogs/cats. • One uplifting post consisted of the time when eight homeschooled boys came to the TCACS and read to and played with the dogs. Such a touching and heartwarming story. • The TCACS recently had a group of girls bring in goodie bags for the animals. • Another post that seemed to really touch the public, was the post regarding long distance dog adoptions. • People from all over the country come to the TCACS because they found the perfect dog for them online. It’s so refreshing to hear positive stories of hope for these animals. Page 3 of 5Page 15 of 17 • The public also tends to enjoy the updates the shelter posts on adopted animals. • The TCACS is regularly posting construction updates on the new building, and the progress that is being made. Outreach and Events The TCACS is currently working with SECOMM to set up after hour services for the public to contact the on-call Animal Control Officer or leave messages for non- emergencies. The TCACS staff is communicating closely with current outreach groups, and trying to obtain more contacts, so that there are more options for placing dogs and cats. The TCACS is going to be using "SECTOR", which is an automated e-ticketing system that will file tickets electronically, saving money and time. The TCACS staff is in the process of creating and implementing a visitor’s liability waiver, to protect the TCACS facility, the City, and the public. The TCACS has currently partnered with Krystal from Speak Dog, to provide training and assessments on the dogs. Staffing, Training, and Volunteering 3 – Animal Control Officers 1 – Animal Control & Shelter Lead 1 – Animal Control Dispatcher 1 – Animal Services Manager 1 – Department Assistant 2 – Front Desk/Customer Service Representatives 1 – Transfer Coordinator 2 – Animal Intake/Medical Assistants 6 – Animal Care Technicians (2 Vacant) The two vacant Animal Care Technician positions will be filled on June 12th. Both candidates will begin orientation on that day. Training Hours Bite stick training for ACO’s – 10 hours Hantavirus training for shelter staff – 10 hours SECTOR Training – 12 hours Minimizing Workplace Gossip Training – 2 hours Search Warrant Training – 2 hours 36 hours Updates to Policies/Process/Operations The TCACS facility currently at full capacity for dogs. All other rescues and humane societies are full as well. Adoptions have drastically slowed and there are Page 4 of 5Page 16 of 17 more dogs coming in than going out. This presents a challenge each time a new dog enters the shelter. The TCACS staff is running into issues with out-of-state transfers. In order to transfer out-of-state from rescue to rescue, a USDA Veterinarian must sign off on the animal beforehand. The cost to do so is $150.00 per animal. The TCACS’s new schedule is Tuesday – Saturday, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. This allows the public more access to the animals. However, in order to minimize overtime for intake staff, the TCACS is considering making 4:30 pm the latest intake time. The TCACS is currently looking for rotating behavior consultants to work with the dogs, staff, and volunteers. TCAS Budget Mr. Zigan stated that the TCACS is operating within budget. The TCACS should be able to stay within budget if there are no unforeseen issues. NEXT MEETING SCHEDULED FOR AUGUST 10, 2023 ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:49 PM Page 5 of 5Page 17 of 17