King County would be divided into four districts each staffed by at least one animal control officer and stray or abandoned animals would be housed at a non-profit shelter in Lynnwood or at the county shelter in Kent under a new regional animal services model developed by a Joint Cities-County Work Group.
As part of the agreement, the county’s Crossroads animal adoption/shelter would be closed.
The proposal was developed over the past three months by a Joint Cities-County Work Group composed of representatives from the county and the cities of Bellevue and seven others. If adopted by a sufficient number of cities, the new program with the working title “Regional Animal Services of King County” would have three parts:
Animal control
The county would be divided into four districts: north, east, and two in the south. Six full-time animal control officers would be dedicated to work in the field five days per week, with one officer dedicated to each district to assure local accountability. Service level will be more consistent and predictable and cities will be able to build a relationship with their district’s dedicated officer. Cities could coordinate to buy higher levels of service.
Resources for the region would include one field sergeant, one animal cruelty sergeant, and a call center staffed by three people with after-hours dispatch through the King County Sheriff’s Office.
A bright line will be drawn between field staff and shelter staff, with each having separate and clearly defined responsibilities.
Animal sheltering
The small Crossroads shelter in Bellevue will be closed for daily operations to focus resources on Kent, but it could be used as a base of operations for the east district and as a staging area for transfer of animals to Kent.
Animals from all four districts will be housed at the county shelter in Kent, with support from two staff transferred from the Crossroad shelter. A volunteer and foster care coordinator will be added to enhance the quality of care for animals within limited financial resources.
Five cities in the north district – Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Kenmore, Bothell, and Woodinville – would contract for space in the PAWS shelter in Lynnwood. The county may also contract with PAWS to house animals from the unincorporated parts of the north district.
Animal licensing
A single licensing system administered by the county would be retained for the region, but license fees collected from residents of each individual city would be credited back to that city against its share of the program’s cost. Each city would have a strong incentive to increase its rate of pet licensing to lower its costs.
Benefits
Those involved with the agreement say the new model proposes a humane and sustainable system through significant economies of scale and financial incentives for cities that promote public health and safety, animal welfare and customer service, and help contain costs over time:
For the public – a regional system provides a single place to call to find a lost pet, get a license, or register a complaint. The public health system will be better able to identify and track issues related to animals, such as rabies, officials say.
For the cities – a regional system allows local police to focus on traditional law enforcement. It shifts the burden of complex cases to specially-trained animal services staff with the expertise to handle unusual events, such as horse cruelty, animal hoarding, illegal reptile vendor operations, necropsies, animal quarantines, and holding of animals as evidence in criminal cases. Trained staff can also address multi-jurisdictional issues, such as dog- and cock-fighting rings and puppy mills.
Costs
Pet licensing revenue from fees and related fines currently cover about 60 percent of the proposed regional service model. With a total program cost to cities estimated at $4.1 million, after their license fees are credited back their net cost is estimated at $1.9 million.
The proposal seeks to balance the different needs and licensing rates among cities by allocating costs 50-50 based on the relative populations of cities and their use of the system. For example, if a city has 20 percent of the population but accounts for only 10 percent of the animals that arrive at the shelter, then that city’s cost allocation for sheltering will be about 15 percent of the total.
For Bellevue, one of five cities with the lowest licensing revenue per capita, the county would provide transitional license marketing support at a cost of about $100,000, which is estimated to generate $150,000 in additional revenue.
The “Agreement in Principle” proposes a 2.5 year agreement, through the end of 2012, during which time the parties will work to increase system revenue and reduce costs. The agreement could be extended by mutual agreement for an additional two years.
The “Agreement in Principle” is now before cities for evaluation and potential action on prospective contracts by their respective city councils. The King County Council must also approve the contracts, which must be in place by June 30.
