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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCS 11-05 REPORT TO EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Report Number: CS 11-05 Date: January 26, 2005 From: Bruce Taylor, AMCT, CMM City Clerk Subject: - PAW Animal Services 2004 Activity Report - Notice of Termination of PAW Agreement Recommendation: 1. That the PAW Animal Services 2004 Activity Report as set out in PAW Treasurer's Report 2-05 be received for information. That the letter from the Town of Whitby dated December 14, 2004 advising of a resolution passed by the Council of the Town of Whitby giving notice of the termination of the current animal services agreements effective December 31, 2005 be received for information. That the appropriate officials of the City of Pickering be authorized to take the necessary actions to give effect thereto. Executive Summary: The purpose of this Report is to advise Council of the 2004 PAW Activity Report and to advise Council of a resolution passed by Whitby Council to give notice of termination of the current animal services agreements effective December 31, 2005. Financial Implications: Not applicable Background: Please be advised that the PAW Joint Animal Services Committee passed the following motion at its meeting of January 11, 2005: That the Pickering-Ajax-Whitby (PAW) Animal Services 2004 Activity Report be received as information. Report CS 11-05 PAW Animal Services Janua~ 26,2005 Page 2 2. That the PAW Committee commend the efforts of the public and the local animal rescue organizations in assisting the animal services staff achieve a "no kill" status for a third successive year; and, That a copy of Treasurer's Report, Item 2-05, be forwarded to the Councils of Ajax, Pickering and Whitby for their information. Attached hereto is a copy of PAW Treasurer's Report 2-05 for your information. At its meeting of December 13, 2004, the Council of the Town of Whitby passed the following resolution: That the Town of Ajax and the City of Pickering be advised that the Town of Whitby desires to negotiate a new joint animal services arrangement; and That the Town of Whitby give written notice of the termination of the current animal services agreements effective December 31st, 2005. Attached hereto for your information is a letter from the Town of Whitby providing the written notice of termination as noted in the above resolution. Attachments: 1. PAW Treasurer's Report 2-05 2. Letter from the Town of Whitby giving notice of termination of PAW agreements Prepared By: Bruce Taylor City Clerk Approved I Endorsed By: Gillis A. Paterson Director, Corporate Services & Treasurer Attachments Copy: Chief Administrative Officer Report CS 11-05 PAW Animal Services January 26, 2005 Page 3 TREASURER'S REPORT TO THE PI'CKEILTNG- A,1AX- WHITBY 3OZNT ANZMAL SERV/CES COMMITTEE I'TEM 2-05 3anuary11,2005 Subject: PickeringrAjax-Whitby Animal Services 2004 Activity Report' Recommendation: That the Pickering-Ajax-Whitby (PAW) Animal Services 2004 Activity Report be received as information; That the PAW Committee commend the efforts of the public and the local animal rescue organizations in assisting the animal services staff achieve a "no kill" status for a third successive year; and, That a copy of Treasurer's Report, Item 2-05, be forwarded to the Councils of Ajax, Pickering and Whitby for their informaUon. Oriqin: As the attached activity report indicates, pAw can' boast that for'the third successive year no adoptable pets had to be euthanised. With the assistance of the general public and the local animal rescUe organizations PAW was successful in finding a home for every adoptable pet taken in at the Animal Services Centre in 2004. Analysis: The adoption success of PAW is in no small measure attribUtable to a number of initiatives introduced by the PAW Committee to, · promoteand develop responsible pet 'ownership; and, · adopt out as many homeless animals as possible. The initiatives include, customer service training and development for the animal services staffto equip them with the skills and. knowledge reqUired to provide 'quality animal services; the development of an animal services website to better promote and publicize'animal services available to the citizens of the three communities; an advertising program to promote the importance of responsible pet ownership, publicize the plight of homeless pets, find good, loving homes for unwanted pets and seek the public's assistance in 'combatting pet overpopulaUon; exploring new ways and means of improving communication and working relationships with local'pet fanciers such as veterinarians, pet store owners, animal shelter operators, rescue groups, etc., to find good, loving homes for homeless pets and to promote responsible pet oWnership; and, establishing a pet foster program to increase the chances that animals at the Animal Services Centre find good homes. i Treasurer's Report, Item 2-05 (Continued) i/-o % These' iniUatives have resulted in PAW achieving a "no kill" status the last three years. With the invaluable help and'assistance of the general public and local animal rescue groups, PAW has been able to find a .home for every homeless, adoptable pet taken in. Alternatives: N/A Existinq Policy: N/^ · Financial Considerations: N/^ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ~~ o  04 0 0 P,.. 0 O"J C:~ 0 0,1 0 0 0 0 0 0 ~ 0 0 0 0 0 Telephone 905-665-$803 Toronto 905-686-2621 Fax 905-686-7005 ~ ~ ~A~?,, ~Ei~'~' - ' WHITBT In the Regional Municipality of Durham MUNICIPAL BUILDING e~.~N~75 Rossland Road East Whltby, Ontario ~,~ Canada ' ~*~IN 2M8 % December 14, 2004~ File: ~-2160 (Animal Se~ices) Clerk's Division Corporate Services Department Pickering Civic Complex One The Esplanade PJckering, Ontario L1V 6K7 Attention: Bruce Taylor, City Clerk Re: Pickerinq-Ajax-Whitby (PAW) Animal Services 2005 will mark the 20th anniversary of Whitby's reciprocal animal services arrangement with the Town of Ajax and the City of Pickering. Whitby Town Council believes it is timely to review the arrangement. At a meeting held on December ~13th, 2004, Whitby Town Council passed the following resolution: That the Town of Ajax and the City of Pickering be advised that the Town of Whitby desires to negotiate a new joint animal services arrangement; and, That the Town of Whitby give written notice of the termination of the current animal services agreements effective December 31st, 2005. Background information is contained in Corporate Services Director's Report, Item 22-04, a copy of which is enclosed. -2- Notice is accordingly hereby given that the animal services agreements dated December 3:[st, 1985, between the Town of Whitby and the City of Pickering and the Town of Ajax shall terminate on December 3:Lst, 2005. As indicated, Whitby wishes to negotiate a new joint animal services arrangement. The founding premise that by working together Ajax, Pickering and Whitby are able to offer animal services of the highest quality and the most effective delivery possible with the resources that are available applies equally as well today. DGM/Icr Donald~/~ Dire~rate Services/Clerk CORPORATE SERVZCES DTRECTOR'S REPORT TO OPERATTONS COMMITrEE TI'EM 22-04 December 6, 2004 Subject: Pickering-Ajax-Whitby (P.A.W.) Animal Services Recommendation: ~.. That the Town of Ajax and the City of Picketing be advised that the " Town of WhitbY desires to negotiate .a new joint animal services arrangement; and, 2. That the Town of Whitby give written notice of the termination of the current animal services agreements effective December 31~, 2005. Oriqin: Analysis: Next year will mark the 20t~ anniversary of Whitby's reciprocal animal services arrangement with the Town of Ajax and the City of Pickering. It is timely to review and update the joint animal services arrangement to best position the municipalities to continue to provide cost effective animal services to the citizens of their communities. Background In 1985 Ajax, Pickering and Whitby collaborated to assume joint responsibility for animal services. The services had previously been provided under contract by the Ontario Humane Society. By agreement, the Town of Whitby assumed responsibility for the provision of pound-keeper and animal control officer services for the three municipalities. In return, Ajax and Picketing agreed to pay their per capita share of the operating costs. It was agreed that capital costs would be shared equally. Also, a joint board of management known as the Pickering-Ajax-Whitby .loint Animal Services Committee, composed of a councillor from each of the three municipalities, was established to manage the operation of the joint service, including the maintenance and operation of the animal services centre in Whitby and the administration of the service contract. The agreement was based on the premise that by acting together in a collaborative way, the three municipalities would be best positioned to offer animal services of the highest quality and the most effective delivery possible within the resources that were available. Over the years, the economies of scale have benefited each of the municipalities. The reciprocal animal services arrangement has served the municipalities well. Corporate Services Director's Report, Item 22-04 (Con't) " /I- It is timely to review the terms and conditions of the animal services agreements to ensure the three municipalities are well positioned to continue to provide cost effective services to an ever increasing urban population. There are a number of areas that should be reviewed. For example, under the current arrangements neither Ajax nor Pickering share any of the associated overhead costs of running the animal services operation. In the early days, PAW's mandate was simple and straight forward i.e. to control domestic animals and wildlife. Over the years, PAW's mandate has developed into a multi-faceted animal service providing everything from cat and dog control to public education in dealing with wildlife, the regulation and control of exotic animals, and the promotion of responsible pet ownership. Ajax and Pickering have increasingly relied on Whitby to take the lead in the development, delivery and administration of animal services programs and operations. While Ajax and Pickering have played an important contributing role in the area of policy development, it has been left to Whitby to administer and manage the day to day animal services operations and programs. While there is general agreement that each of the municipalities is better served by having the responsibility for the delivery and administration of animal services vested in one municipality, Whitby is finding it necessary to devote an ever increasing amount of time and effort in providing the necessary administrative support services in areas such as finance, human resources, information technology, administration, marketing and promotion, legal, and technical services. The overhead costs associated with these administrative services are significant. Conservatively speaking, it is estimated that they amount to between six and eight percent of PAW's operating budget, or, in other words, between $45,000.00 and $60,000.00 annually. Under the current contractual arrangements, Ajax and Pickering do not share these costs. They are borne solely by the Town of Whitby. Another contractual area that needs to be addressed is the termination provisions contained in the current animal services agreements. The agreements simply provide that the animal services contract may be terminated on December 31~ in any year by any one of the municipalities upon six months written notice. On termination, Whitby is required to pay to each of Ajax and Pickering one third of the value of the animal services premises including buildings, equipment and related appurtenances. There is no requirement on the part of either Ajax or Pickering to assist Whitby in the placement of animal services employees that might be displaced as a result of the termination of the contract. As the municipalities continue to grow in population and as PAW continues to provide ever increasing levels of service, there will be a need for Whitby to hire additional staff. The termination provisions of the current agreements need to be revisited to better protect Whitby's interests and the interests of its employees. Also, the whole concept of the management and control of the animal service and what particular role the Pickering-Ajax-Whitby Joint Animal Services Committee should play in the future requires examination. These are but a few of the areas that need to be reviewed and updated. Corporate Services' Director;s Report, item 22-04 (Con't) Conclusions The founding premise that by working together Ajax, Pickering and Whitby were able to offer animal services of the highest quality and the most effective delivery possible with the resources that are available applies equally as well today. However, the working arrangement that was negotiated nearly twenty years ago is out of date and needs to be revisited. It is therefore recommended that Ajax and Pickering be advised that Whitby desires to negotiate a "new deal". :In order to best position the Town of Whitby going into the negotiations, Whitby should give written notice of the termination of the current animal services agreements effective December 31~t, 2005. Existinq Policy: Refer to Analysis Alternatives: N/A Financial Considerations: Refer to Analysis