Funds released for immediate improvements at County animal shelters

No general fund monies used to increase space, staffing and vet services

New cat cages, dog runs and more staffing are among the immediate upgrades at King County animal shelters that will be funded by nearly $1 million in one-time funds approved today by the Metropolitan King County Council, which also established five benchmarks by which to determine whether the County should stay in the business of providing animal shelter services.

“Our first responsibility is to the health and safety of the animals that are in our care,” said Council Chair Julia Patterson. “Releasing these funds allows for these life-saving changes to get underway as quickly as possible.”

“These upgrades will improve the lives of animals in King County shelters, while bringing more animals to our current spay and neuter programs,” said Council Vice Chair Dow Constantine. “Our next task is to determine the best future for animal programs in King County.”

The $965,000 of interim funding is part of a joint agreement reached April 10 by Councilmembers Julia Patterson and Dow Constantine and County Executive Ron Sims to improve conditions and reduce crowding and the spread of disease at the shelters in Kent and Bellevue that house approximately 13,000 stray, abandoned and neglected animals each year.

No money from the County current expense fund that could be used for general operations was used. Money for the shelters comes from public donations to the shelter and reprogrammed capital improvement and public health funds, and will pay for immediate, short-term shelter and operating improvements that include:

• New dog runs,
• New cat cages,
• Increased shelter staffing,
• Improved coordination between shelter staff and community volunteer organizations,
• Increased veterinary services at Kent and Bellevue and disease control,
• Reimbursable medical supplies for volunteer veterinarians,
• Web cameras in animal housing areas,
• Enhanced spay and neuter outreach, and
• Independent oversight of shelter operations by the King County Auditor’s Office.

“The benchmarks this legislation sets will help the County evaluate how close it has come, or how far it has to go, to creating a solution on behalf of the animals in King County’s care,” said Councilmember Bob Ferguson. “And if the County can’t meet these benchmarks, it will be time to consider whether King County can properly provide these services, or whether an outside agency should take over.”

“This action will immediately help save lives and provide hope for the animals in our custody,” said Councilmember Larry Phillips. “We will make use of donations from animal enthusiasts in King County and use those funds as they were intended—to help abandoned animals.”

The ordinance identifies five programmatic objectives by which the Council will determine whether the County should continue to provide animal shelter services:

• Implementation of a stable and sustainable funding mechanism that does not require the Animal Care and Control program to compete with other programs for money from the County general fund,

• Implementation of a full cost recovery revenue plan for the Animal Care and Control program in accordance with the recommendations of the County’s Budget Advisory Task Force in 2003 and previous County policy,

• Implementation of a model “no-kill” type animal services program,

• Implementation of the vision, mission, guiding principles and goals of previous County policy directives, and

• Reduction of animal euthanasia rates to 20 percent by the end of 2008 and 15 percent by the end of 2009.

Release of the funds comes a week after the Council and Executive declared an emergency at the shelters, called on local veterinarians to assist in providing care, and urged County employees and the public to adopt pets from County shelters, either directly or through cooperating organizations. The goal of all of the measures is to help place animals in permanent homes, alleviate the shelter health crisis and prevent future overcrowding and suffering while the County moves forward with longer-term strategic plans.

Today’s action continues King County’s response to several critical reports on the animal shelter program. An analysis performed by a team of veterinarians from the University of California, Davis, supports many of the previous findings and recommendations of the King County Animal Care and Control Citizens Advisory Committee and a Council consultant.

The UC Davis report states that the workload of the shelter’s veterinarian, vet technicians, and other staff is too high and, as a result, the staff cannot adequately care for the number of animals in the shelter. The report also indicates a lack of shelter protocols and procedures, oversight deficiencies and inadequate facilities.

Read more about this legislation on the King County Council’s LEGISEARCH system.
Type in “2008-0224”