Strategic Government Resources representative Pat Fowler presented the results of their performance evaluation of Garland’s Animal Services Department at the July 6 City Council work session. Garland Animal Services was compared to nine other municipal programs.
Fowler was afforded complete access to all records and facilities where he visited with employees, inspected facilities and evaluated the following items:
- Staffing and workload
- Budget
- Revenue
- Policies
- Infrastructure
- Software
- Performance measures
- Euthanasia procedures
- Collaboration with animal welfare groups
- Compliance with laws
- Fee comparison
- Adoptions
- Live release rate
- Efficacy of pet adoption center
- Efficacy of rescue coordinator position
The evaluation concluded that there are 20 full-time employees and one part-time employee and the department’s annual budget is $1,602,946. The estimated dog population is 47,206. Cat population is 51,605.
Strengths of the department noted by the inspector included shelter cleanliness, compliance with all laws and regulations, high customer service level, the employees’ philosophy valuing animals’ lives and the 66 percent live release rate which is a major improvement over past years.
Fowler was impressed that there is a group of employees that meets daily to review the situation and status of every animal in the shelter and what can be done for them. He said that the staff is motivated and productive and that the department manager has extensive knowledge.
Additionally, having a city veterinarian adds credibility to the department.
Potential problems include:
- Inadequate weekend staffing
- Lack of tandem teams in euthanasia and euthanasia log lacks important data
- Inadequate infrastructure
- Inadequate landscape maintenance
- Animals not marked with unique ID numbers
- Lack of tracking animal bites in annual report and lack of education for bite victims
- Lack of volunteer bottle feeders for unweaned animals
- Employees need customer service training that is designed for law enforcement personnel
- Lack of policies for tranquilizing animals in the field and dealing with injured pets
- Confusion regarding incoming calls because of use of water dispatch personnel
- Animal service advisory committee exceeds authority given them by ordinance
- Poor compliance with registration law and inability to register pets online
- Dangerous dog section of ordinance needs rewrite
“In the last approximately 10 years, there has been a fundamental paradigm shift in the culture of Garland Animal Services employees,” Fowler said. “The life, health, and outcome of every animal entering the shelter is now of paramount importance to every GAS employee.”
Richard Briley, managing director of health and code compliance, told the mayor and City Council that solutions for some of the findings have already been implemented. He is also looking at each of the findings and recommendations to ascertain what would be needed for the staff to implement them.