By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
City council members earlier this month heard an update on the city’s progress toward the construction of a new facility for its animal services division.
After the start of the special Feb. 6 work session, Interim City Manager Manuel Chavez told council members, “As previously mentioned, we will be having workshops so that we can have staff come in and present on projects, on operations, so we can inform the council, and the council can provide feedback, provide questions, so we can come back at a future city council meeting for final approval.”
Chavez said city staff has been working on the proposed animal facility “for quite some time.”
He said, “A quick history of what got us here: Back in 2014, our current facility was built, and unfortunately, the day after it was opened or shortly thereafter, we realized we had already outgrown the facility.”
Chavez said the city has “received complaints” about the existing facility and in 2022, staff proposed – and council approved – a needs assessment study of the city’s animal services division and a new facility.
“The needs assessment was completed in early 2023, and in September 2023, the needs assessment was presented to the council by the Shelter Planners of America. At that particular meeting, there were some questions regarding the location of a possible new facility and council did ask staff to review and come back, and that’s why we’re here. Scot Carcasi, operations and compliance auditor, will be presenting the information here tonight,” Chavez said.
“During the assessment, there were three phases we wanted to accomplish. One was to have that needs assessment study, the other is to develop a conceptual site plan and building floor plan, which Mr. Carcasi will go over, and the last phase is for the development of drawings and specifications for construction, which, as I mentioned before, once we have feedback, we will come back at a future council meeting for approval to get us there,” Chavez added.
Carcasi went to the podium and he and Alletse Hernandez, supervisor of the animal services department, gave the presentation.
Carcasi told the council he would review the city’s current operations and the city’s existing facility, key considerations, discuss the purpose and scope of the needs assessment study, people and animal levels, site considerations and probable cost.
Carcasi said the city’s current animal control division consists of eight employees, “which is sufficient based on our current operations; however, as the population grows, then the number of employees should also increase.”
Carcasi said the current employees of the animal control division consist of an animal services manager, a senior animal control officer, five animal control officers and a clerk.
He praised the animal services division team, calling its employees “some of the hardest-working people I’ve seen in the city.”
The auditor also reviewed the division’s work for 2023, noting they answered 2,358 calls for service during the year.
During the year, the division picked up 462 cats and 623 dogs for a total of 1,085 animals. Of that number, 61 cats and 89 dogs were adopted, 15 cats and two dog died while in the animal control facility, and 324 cats and 258 dogs were euthanized, Carcasi told the council. He also noted one cat and 110 dogs were returned to their owners, and 21 animals escaped and two cats were relocated.
Carcasi further discussed the current animal control facility’s euthanasia statistics, telling council members the city’s current rate of euthanasia is 63 percent of all animals brought into the facility, a rate of about 2.5 animals per day. He said 16.2 percent of the animals that come into the facility are eventually adopted.
Mayor Al Arreola asked about the protocols followed by the division once they pick up an animal.
“So, a lot of the dogs that come into our facility, a lot of them do not have identification, so we do our best. We have a microchip scanner, and we check for tags, but in reality, a lot of the public does not do that, so we treat the dog, as the ordinance states, as a stray, and we hold them for a certain period of time, but unfortunately, once that time runs out, we have to make space,” Hernandez replied.
Carcasi added with new software implemented by the division last year, there is a link on the city’s Facebook page and on the animal control page, citizens can view every animal currently being held in the animal control facility.
“So that way, if somebody sees it online, they can call us and say, ‘Hey, that’s my dog,’ and come down and get it,” Carcasi said.
He said the city’s public relations division also works closely with the animal control facility staff to try and find homes for animals brought into the facility.
Councilwoman Alexandra Falcon Calderon asked how long an animal is typically held at the facility.
“Typically, it just depends. If it’s a busy week, and we have to pick up a lot of strays, we really work with our fosters to find (alternate) placement, but it really just depends on the amount of calls in a week, but another factor is owner surrender. We always have a lot of people wanting to surrender their animals, when they can no longer take care of them anymore, and dogs we seize from people, they also take up space. All of that affects us, as we only have 17 kennels for dogs, 12 regular and five quarantine,” Hernandez said.
Councilman Jesus Lopez Jr. asked if animal control officers canvass neighborhoods where they pick up animals and ask if anyone knows to whom the animals belong.
“The officers will do that, and a lot of people have Ring doorbells, so they try to leave a message,” Hernandez replied.
Carcasi then reviewed information about the existing facility.
He said the current facility was built in 2014 and includes about 4,044 square feet in four separate buildings.
He said the facility includes 17 kennels for dogs, including five for dogs that must be quarantined, and 12 kennels for cats, with none for quarantine.
Carcasi noted the kennels are not constructed in a way that makes cleaning easy and told the council the current shelter “has received inspection violations from the Texas Department of Health” and said although the city has corrected the violations, new state standards are coming next year for which the city will have to prepare. He said those new standards will include a requirement to provide bedding for animals that is raised above the kennel floor.
Carcasi also reviewed what he called “key considerations.”
He said the city’s facility only has two persons certified to euthanize animals, so each certified employee averages about 292 animals per person.
“It does cause stress to them, having to put down that many animals. It’s a very negative public image, and rightfully so. People say that if we take their animal, all we’re going to do is put it down, and it’s a public image we’re trying to overcome through customer service and communication, but we still have a very high number,” Carcasi said.
He said the high percentage of euthanasia also makes the city ineligible for many public and private grants.
Arreola asked if facility staff worked with other cities to place animals.
Hernandez replied that she and her staff don’t work with other cities, but with animal rescue organizations in other parts of the country.
Carcasi said a new animal facility would allow the city to house more animals for longer periods, “allowing staff more time to look for adoptions, rescues and fosters.”
Carcasi said the city’s existing facility does not have a training or conference room to allow staff to hold meetings with citizens, and noted a new facility would also include a medical area where the city could allow the city to hold a reduced cost or free spay-and-neuter clinics.
He said a new facility would have a more inviting atmosphere and would not have to be shared with the parks department. He noted the current facility is not enclosed, and animals have escaped.
Carcasi said the new facility will include an enclosed outdoor space for animals to go outside.
Cascasi next went over the needs assessment study, which was conducted by Shelter Planners of America, and completed in the fall of 2023.
He pointed out the city has already borrowed $4 million for the construction of a new facility.
Among the findings of the study, Cascasi said, is that the population of Del Rio is expected to increase 15 percent in the next 20 years to 39,846. He said the study found that local animal adoption rate of 16.2 percent is low compared to adoption rates for more modern shelters, and the city facility’s euthanasia rate of 63 percent is higher than the 10 to 20 percent rate of modern shelters.
Carcasi went over site considerations recommended in the needs assessment study, then reviewed the proposed shelter site and probable cost.
He said the study proposed a new facility be about 10,066 square feet, located off the East Gibbs/Highway 90 and Bedell Avenue intersection, the current headquarters for the city’s neighborhood services division.
Carcasi estimated construction cost of the new facility will be between $3.8 and 4.2 million. He said the current funds available total $4,266,000.
After Carcasi finished his presentation, Arreola asked if there were any more questions.
Calderon said the initial plan had been for a shelter and asked if the new facility would be more of a clinic.
Carcasi said the new facility would be a shelter, but a clinic is needed inside the facility so staff can “doctor” animals, something they now have to do inside each kennel. He said the eventual goal would be to offer no- or low-cost spay-and-neuter events at the facility.
He said the city would at that time try to negotiate a contract with a local veterinarian for that person to come to the clinic, since now the animal control officer has to take the animal to the clinic.
Councilman Jim DeReus pointed out the estimated cost of the new facility is only the construction cost, and the city, if it moves forward with the plan, needs to budget for additional animal control officers and any cost needed for treatment of animals in the facility.
Lopez seemed to take issue with the inclusion of medical clinic space in the new facility. He said the city is responsible for maintaining a “dog pound” for public safety, adding he believes pet owners are responsible for providing veterinary care for their own animals.
“There’s no reason for us to take the burden of responsibility from citizens who want pets to do their job and making sure they’re registered, spayed or neutered. That’s the responsibility of an owner,” Lopez said.
“This whole process is gearing us to move away from only being an animal control facility, and that’s our idea, trying to get progressively better,” Carcasi responded.
Lopez said he agrees the city needs more space to house more dogs and cats, but reiterated he disagrees with including space for a veterinary care clinic.
Arreola said he believed the council represented not only Del Rioans human inhabitants, but also was responsible for its animal “citizens.”
“To me, we’re moving towards modernization. We’re getting to that level. Yes, it’s going to be expensive, but I believe it’s something the city needs to start providing for the animals out there,” Arreola said.
Arreola said one criticism he had heard of the site was that it is close to the creek, and Carcasi assured him no animal excrement would be washed into the creek.
Arreola said he was “100 percent” behind the project.
Calderon said she supported the project, but added she believed the new facility should be the subject of a public hearing so that citizens could comment on it.
City council members will take final action on the project at a future meeting.
The writer can be reached at DelRioMagnoliaFan@gmail.com .
