32 Shelter Circle, Camden, DE 19934 * 302-398-3006 » fsac-spca.org January, 26, 2015 Dear Friend: ‘The First State Animal Center and SPCA/Delaware Animal Care and Control had requested that dog control be moved from county oversight back to the State of Delaware. We are perplexed by the Delaware Animal Control Recommendations (2014, April 23) and Part 2. Delaware Animal Control Recommendations (2014, October 31) from the Delaware Health and Social Services; Division of Public Health: Office of Animal Welfare. The recommendation does not appear to be well documented or researched Attached you will find an analysis completed by Captain Sherri Warburton, Delaware Animal Care and Control, in response to this recommendation. We ask that you review this analysis, when investigating the transfer of dog control. Some of the major issues we have noted: 1. Hiring, training & certifying casual/seasonal employees as the majority of the new animal control workforce. 2. Sheltering is a complex issue; there was no consultation or input from FSAC-SPCA, DE SPCA, or DHA on recommendations to address the care, housing or euthanasia requirements for Delaware animals. 3. Unrealistic financial budgets and cost-neutral ideals. 4. Legislative code overhauls are necessary and challenging. Since March 2014, we have provided every resident of the State of Delaware dog control and/or shelter services, and have recently accepted statewide (except Newark and Dover) investigation for animal cruelty and abuse. The advantage of our statewide coverage is consistent enforcement and oversight with cost-saving consolidation of services and most importantly ease of service for human residents. The current model is also a positive economic engine for other local small businesses state wide. This important and urgent 24/7 public safety program makes our state a great place to live and visit. Keeping that philosophy is critical in our opinion. We appreciate your attention to this complicated matter and will be happy to discuss further details. eyes de \ Yo. ~~ J in Usilton Executive Director A . FIRST STATE animal center AND SPCA woof. meow. quack. moo. neigh. oink. honk. pollywantacracker. cluck. squeak. hiss. baa. cheep.“DELAWARE 7 Animal Care +o e A, Control. Sey An Analysis of the Office of Animal Welfare’s “Cost-Neutral” Animal Control Agency Sherri Warburton, Delaware Animal Care and ControlHaving provided statewide animal control services for the residents of Delaware for nearly nine years, itis the blended missions of both First State Animal Center — SPCA (FSAC-SPCA) and Delaware Animal Care and Control (DEACC) to increase adoption rates and public education on responsible pet ownership, while also reducing the number of unwanted and mistreated animals, and decreasing euthanasia rates through committed leadership, public education, community events, enforcement of animal welfare laws, adherence to contractual obligations, flexible operating structures, and a large donorivolunteer base Animal Welfare in the State of Delaware has been through many changes as identified in the reports issued by the State of Delaware, Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Public Health, Office of Animal Welfare: Delaware Animal Control Recommendations (05/23/2014) and Part 2: Delaware Animal Control Recommendations: Animal Control Transition Plan (10/31/2014). Although there are many issues raised by the report, itis important to acknowledge the working relationship established between the Office of Animal Welfare (OAW) and DEACC. As captain of DEACC, it is not only my duty to analyze and question the proposal, but to emphasize that animal control must have proper financial support, staff training, and administrative oversight to be successful. | look forward to working with OAW to strengthen the animal control profession in Delaware. Dollars to Dollars: Cents to Sense Ata time when revenues are static for state, county and city entities, every tax payer dollar needs to be spent with the upmost care meeting the needs of communities 1served. Ensuring accountability in contractual obligations and adherence to animal laws through quick response times, professional service to the citizens, and compassionate care for animals that are taken into custody has been a priority for FSAC-SPCA and DEACC year after year. OAW reports that an “effective animal control program will cost between $4.00 and $7.00 per capita’’, with more recent industry professionals noting the cost around $8 to $16.00 per capita, According to the OAW, costs for animal control in Delaware for 2014 are $3.42 per capita. Not reflected in the Recommendations is the $600,000.00° general funds budget allotted to the OAW annually. OAW and nonprofits lobbied for $100,000.00 “pass through funds’ for cruelty enforcement in the general funds budget that was passed July 2014. Although those “pass through” funds are cited in the Recommendations per capita costs, the $100,000.00 funding is not available until spring 2015. $6,000.00 is for tethering enforcement. On the surface, it appears OAW has an adequate budget for their staff and other programs while Delaware citizens are getting animal control services at an efficient price For clarification purposes, Animal Control Officers (ACOs) are given authority through Delaware Code Title 10, §2902 as animal control constables to enforce statutes pertaining to animal control or public health, ACO’s attend Delaware Criminal Justice Information System (DELJIS) and Law Enforcement Investigative Support Systems (LEISS) certification. Although stated by OAW that current ACO's “are not adequately Office of Animal Welfare Animaf Control Recommendations. Citing @ 2001 estimate, (04/23/2024) P7 Rowan, Andrew, Ph.D, Animal Sheltering Trends in the U.S. (01/21/2008) P2 State of Delaware Office of Sudget and Management, Fiscal Year 2015 Operating Budget Supplement (35-00-00) ersannel's.0, § General Funds Line Item $706,000. P30certified by a State agency”, a clearer critique would report there are no state academy trainings or continuing education unit requirements for ACO’s, although legislation for ACO certification passed in July 2014 and is yet to be announced. It should also be noted that there are numerous studies citing national trends reflecting government increasing service contracts with nonprofit providers over the last 30 years. Due to the unique features of a nonprofit agency, it permits them to deliver services neither the government or the market is able to match’. Out of the three models cited in the report, the OAW recommends the best model is a government employed enforcement division with contract for service for the sheltering with local non-profits and names Asheville, North Carolina as the “model”. However, OAW did not disclose in the recommendations that the county enforcement agency is one of fifteen divisions in the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office (BCSO), not an autonomous animal control agency. OAW states “animal control officers [are] Figure 1.1 Buncombe County Sheriff's Office Quick Facts: Jurisdiction: 656.55 sq. miles Population Served: 248, 929, }| Overall Budget $29, 630,412 Personnel Budget $24,765,595 Divisions: 15 ‘Animal Control Division: Yes Division Leader: 1 Sergeant Field: 5 full ime sworn sheriff's deputies Pay Grade: $38,915- $59,193 Pay Grade: $34,071- $52, 158 Sources: Buncombe County Annual Budget Report 2015 Office ofthe Sheriff, Buncombe County North Carolina Office of Animal Welfare: Animal Control Recommendations (04/23/2014) P7 Public and Private Funding Reliance of Non Profit Organizations: Implications for Interorganizational Collaboration, Jang and Feiock (2007) P3employed by the county to enforce all animal related laws (...]° Current animal control coverage in Delaware is 1,954 square miles serving a population of 897,934 residents.’ Comparatively, Buncombe County North Carolina square mileage is 33.5% of the area and 27.7% of the total population of Delaware. Therefore, it is assumed that the proposed Delaware Animal Services (DAS) is based off BCSO, and uses a ratio of 1:3 (rounded) for the personnel indicated in the Recommendations. ‘Only the following data was provided by OAW in regards to statewide DAS animal control personnel: (3) three sergeant merit employee supervisor positions, (2) two animal cruelty investigators-merit positions, (14) fourteen DAS officers, causal/seasonal, (6) six DAS officers-part time seasonal, and (4) four dispatch (contract) personnel. The personnel budget cited by OAW is $730,000 with only 17% of the DAS personnel slotted as full-time. A logical question is what is a “casual/seasonal" ACO that constitutes the majority of the workforce? OAW must articulate why they can designate the majority of their ACO’s as “casual/seasonal’ when the very meaning of Figure 1.2 State of Delaware Casual Seasonal Employee Definition: (17)a. Casual seasonal employees may be employed by the State on a temporary basis in order to assist agencies in the following situation 1. Casual assistance — employee is needed on a sporadic or on-call basis where hours cannot be predetermined and vary greatly from week to week. Such employees may be used as needed 2. Seasonal assistance — employee is needed for peak operating seasons not to exceed 9 months [.] Delaware Code Title 29 State Govemment Public Officers and Employees Chapter 59 Merit System of Personne! ‘Administraion Subchapter | Defintions and Exclusions * office of Animal Welfare: Part 2 Animal Control Recommendations (10/31/2014) P4 United States Census Bureau, Quick Facts Beta, Delaware Population, Census (April 1, 2010}. Retrieved from http://www consus.gov/auickfocts/table/P0P010210/10,00the word is “temporary” as defined by the State of Delaware in Figure 1.2. (P4) So, if the majority of the workforce is hired on a “temporary basis” and is limited by either “peak times’ or a “sporadic or on call basis” one could theorize it would create | an extremely high tumover rate and unstable workforce since they are generally limited to 30-hour work weeks®. If DAS is staffed by casual/seasonal ACO’s, how would the DAS organization look? To gain perspective, it is important to compare the current organizational structure to the proposed organizational structure. The Recommendations did not give an organizational chart except to say "Three (3) DAS sergeants (merit employees), reporting to the OAW Enforcement Officer, two (2) DAS Animal Cruelty Investigators (merit employees) reporting to the DAS Sergeants, fourteen (14) DAS officers (seasonal/casual) [sic] and six (6) part-time seasonal DAS officers reporting to the DAS sergeants”. The organizational structure in Figure 1.3 (p96) is based on full contractual staffing provided by DEACC and a mock organizational structure based on the cited information of DAS. Using Figure 1.3 (pg.6) a brief comparison of the divisions in New Castle County shows seasonal schedules of seventeen (17) daily operational hours provided by DEACC from April to October (summer hours) and fifteen (15) daily operational hours from November to March (winter hours), compared to thirteen (13) daily operational hours provided by DAS with no seasonal adjustment. Although a loss of four (-4) daily operational hours in the warm months may not seem significant on the surface, the Recommendations are presented as “cost neutral’, therefore New Castle County will State of Delaware Administcative Directive No. 183. Part B: Casual Seasonal °2 Office of Animal Welfare: Part 2 Animal Control Recommendations (10/33/2014) P6Figure 1.3 Organizational Comparison: DEACC and DAS Organization/Division DEACC Mock Organization/Division DAS ee ey Cer eer Tara poet tee Tare Na Catt County sion Cee ett Toa) eee) eee rane Td rtd Reread Cc eet ee pray erent Ut) Pasir re ed Ce are Tata) erty Purr Peed Coe eee rotate) Prt Peed nee Toe 1 SERGEANT (Mer) lated Pernt) ey errr ata] prc Cod | Cee cote pres | rey Ereeruias | PeoaLared Ce ere ea) Se sicrl Premera Vr) Figure 1.3 Delaware Animal Care & Contra! Represents actual organizational flow chart of DEAC: Division, Supervisor Rank, and Chain of Command, DEACC Officers work 40 hours per week with overtime when requifed and officers ranked corporal and ‘below are “on call at least one night a week. Officers with rank of Sgt. and above are salaried and supervisor ‘on eall” dies are spit between the LL and Sgt. New Castle & Wilmington divisions share Son cal duties and cover both divisions, Delaware Animal Services Mock organizational flow chart based on information provided in Part 2 Delaware Animal Control ‘Recommendations. Five (6) mont staf, Fourteen (14) casuallseasonal staff and six (6) part time seasonal ‘stat. Unknown it aivisions wil be formed as that information was not included in the proposalbe paying the same funding for less service at a loss of eight hundred and fifty-six (-856) operational hours over the summer season and three hundred and two (-302) operational hours over the winter season. Due to less personnel and a net loss of one thousand, one hundred and fifty-eight (-1, 158) operating hours, citizens will be receiving delays in response times coupled with delays in service. The DAS officers will have increased overtime due to after-hour responses, as well as higher workloads as they will be responding to cases from the previous evening that were not responded to by the on-call officer. Understaffing and decreased operational hours are not the only hurdle in the Recommendations with personnel. DEACC dispatch communications call volume was tracked per call to identify how many calls they answer per shift per day. The following data, reflects daily incoming call volume"? answered by DEACC communications dispatch staff that may or may not result in a complaint being made. Calls were tallied by time and location (Appendix A) and entered into a spreadsheet. DEACC dispatchers have many functions in addition to taking complaints twenty-four hours a day. Besides disseminating over 12, 500 complaints to officers in 2014,"" they also gather lost/found animal information, check lost reports against dogs that are picked up by officers, post pictures on-line of found stray dogs as per the Companion Animal Protection Act (CAPA) shelter requirements when the shelter is closed, run microchips, notify owners * Beginning March 01, 2014, Dispatchers began keeping statistics of call volume per shift to evaluate if more dispatch personnel would be needed due to the addition of the Wilmington City Contract. The DEACC Dispatch Daily Call Volume Totols includes all cals answered by dispatch personnel for 9 months (Mar-Dec) where 24,996 calls were logged. The public call animal conteol for numerous reasons and do get transferred to the shelter to ‘obtain information on redemption fees to be paid, adogtion information, make payment arrangements and/or ‘humerous other shelter functions, Those calls are Forwarded to FSAC-SPCA from dispatch RoseRush Services, LUC Computer Software. Shelter Pro Sheltering Software Version 9.17: incident Reports (Jan to 34Dec 2014, Compiled 01/08/2015. —__]ce eee Eom Ce Tat) Measured from March to December 2014 ri eee acer Cel mi te econ td URC Carrey eee ee Ser : 5 Fi 3 See et ot Figure 1.4 and 1.5 DEACC Dispatch Call Volume per Division Measured from March-December 2014 and DEACC Dispatch Call Volume Measured per Shift from March to December 2014. The Dispatch Communications Center is staffed 24-hours a day, 365-days a year and provides 24-hour telephone service to the public. Officers depend on this division for the gathering and dissemination of cals DEACC dispatch call volume totals are dally totals of all calls to the animal control telephone number for a 9-month period. The 24-hour shift is staffed by six (6) dispatchers and data does include incoming calls from the public that were referred to the shelter from animal controlof found pets, coordinate redemptions between lost dog owners and ACO's for returning dog to owner in the satellite kennels, refer active case subject and reporting party calls to officer or supervisor voicemail, sort and file closed reports, type animal bite data received from the Division of Public Health into a complaint for investigation, maintain and retrieve archived case files for FOIA’ requests, provide information to the public on vaccination clinics and many other functions too numerous to list ‘The Recommendations call for contracting out the dispatch function to the existing county non-emergency centers. Since only four (4) contract personnel are funded by DAS, counties will need to inquire how this extra estimated monthly call volume of 2,777 monthly or 33,300 calls annually’, will affect their communications staff workload. New Castle County, Wilmington City, Kent and Sussex counties will each have funding for one (1) contracted dispatcher. How much is the funding and will that be enough personnel based on the call volume data? Whom will handle the day to day administrative functions of the current DEACC dispatch staff? Will that be a county/city responsibility or an OAW responsibilty? The Recommendations fail to disclose an overview of this vital function. It should also be noted that the BCSO has a dispatch division within the sheriff's department. This is yet another example of not following the identified animal control enforcement division. Based on information provided in the Recommendations, what would a DAS schedule look? To demonstrate a fair comparison between the two agencies, Sussex County was chosen due to the similar service hours and staffing levels. The New Freedom of Information Act. Number estimates calculated from the mean of DEACC Dispatch Coll Volume per Division Measured from March to December 2014,Castle and Kent division comparisons revealed significant gaps in coverage due to loss of operating hours by DAS, and/or less assigned personnel with limited hours. A comparison of the scheduling, even with the increase in operating hours (+1) with DAS, Figure 1.6 DEACC Susex Division, Sussex County 0800-2000 DAS Mock Schedule Sussex County 0700-2000 Empire Erpiyee tome” |_s | w |r fw m]e | | [rm | s || + | wim] rs fo Superior Se i St Peale |Beval as ics) oleololelao rest ote fe feo fe | frm [ss Ts att atest ss | [emo »|.T. won [| x |» |v |v [x rwow | y |v » vty ty ’ aust vty ty wow | y | y vty ty oa ap wae | Pao | wat | eaver [Parr | ravct frat Pobal [orto Pree robes | lia Pied [Poet neat [me |e | | | 1 | onc [me LL e P supers [u [uu [ur [se [se [Tse Tse | [Sspersor [se [sn [se [se [se Ls [se 800. | 1000 | 1200. | Seoo ‘0700. | 1000- somvsey | 'e00 | “soo | 2009 sntexey | Seon | i700 | 5000 | Figure 1.6. Comparison of current DEACC Division Staffing Schedule with a Mock DAS Division Staffing Schedule. DEACC Sussex Div. uses 8-hour shifts due to vacation, sick days, training and Court obligations. 8-hour shifts work best in order to have more officers on duty, however, some shifts are extended to 10-hour shifts based on operational need. (No chart was provided by OAW for DAS, and therefore this may not be the scheduling intended by OAW), reveals problems in coverage by the proposed agency. The Animal Cruelty Investigator (ACI) is not on the patrol schedule as it was assumed they will be focused on crueltyinvestigations forwarded to them by the DAS patrol officers in Kent and Sussex Counties, and not responding to routine calls Sussex is the largest county in Delaware and is growing in population. Currently, DEACC officers attempt to stay in zones, but oftentimes ACOs crisscross the county providing assistance to one another. With the DAS employees classified as “causal/seasonal” and limited to 30-working hours per week, overtime estimates will create a budgeting nightmare, as will the delays in service, inadequate response times, and increased officer workload due to lack of personnel. A noticeable concem for the DAS team is the lack of personnel for daily operations during peak times. How will the single officer assigned to third shift, (designated as *y’ in Figure 1.6 (pg10)) handle priority calls such as injured animal, animal attack, and police agency assist calls (high priority calls) that require immediate action and attention? There will be no DAS ACO available to respond to new complaints until the priority call is completed, which could run from minutes to hours depending on the situation. Officer safety is also an issue as the y’ shift officer will be alone from 1700 to 2000 hours, which are peak times with call volume"*, Additionally, the promise by the OAW to expand job duties to include additional work of livestock at large and ‘limited services" including “other species” meaning cats, as well as emergency response for the majority of DAS" personnel while working ten (10) hour shifts, three (3) days'® a week will create additional stresses on the DAS workforce * Figure 1.5 DEACC Dispatch Coll Volume Averages Per Shift from Morch to December 2014. PB ‘Office of Animal Welfare: Part 2: Animal control recommendations PG * Mark Tobin, Animal Welfare Enforcement Officer stated DAS casual/seasonal officers would work three (3)days a week with ten (10) hour shifts (personal communication December 03, 2014), uNo salaries were indicated for the $730,000.00 personnel budget so no speculation on what OAW indicates to pay DAS officers. However the DAS personnel budget can be compared to the general funds budget” of the OAW, set at $600,000.00"* for 5 merit employees with paygrades of 21, 20, 13, 10 and an administrative assistant-most likely at a pay grade 7'°. The combined five salaries using the Yearly Minimum Scale” is $223,641.00. The salary numbers are figured at the low end of the pay scale. Could this potentially cause dissatisfaction and hostility between OAW management and DAS casual/seasonal staff over time since that classification is “not eligible for paid vacation/sick leave, holiday pay, health benefits or pension benefits’?" for the majority of the workforce? In addition to the disparity between the administration of the OAW (the haves) and the majority of the DAS workforce (the have-nots), the particular statement by OAW of “a state-managed enforcement division will ensure high standards during the hiring, training, and 220 performance oversight of animal care and control officers®" is deceptive and plain unrealistic when using comparative figures. If this DAS model and budget are approved by the Delaware Legislative body, one could surmise quite easily that service and morale will be at the low end of the scale at DAS. State of Delaware Office of Budget and Management Budget and Accounting Policy: General funds support salaries, fringes, supplies, equipment and contractual obligations * state of Delaware Office of Budget and Management, Fiscal Year 2015 Operating Budget Supplement (35-00-00) $706,000 GF of which $106,000.00 GF are “Pass Through Funds” for cruelty operations to the animal control Contractor and included in the GF budget. htto://oudaet delaware gov/fy2015/documents/operating/budget-supplement oof ® State of Delaware: Job Description Classifications for Office of Animat Welfare: Executive Director, Social Service Chief Administrator, Investigator il, and Program Coordinator. Unable to locate jab description for Administrative Assistant. * State of Delaware, Office of Management and Budget Classification and Compensation sm/de/auditor/classrepor * state of Delaware, Office of Management and Budget Human Resource Management, Welcome to the Stote of Delaware http://warw.delawarepersonnel.com/neo/casval-seasonal shim! © office of Animal Welfare: Part 2; Animal Control Recommendations PS 2Although only mentioned twice, the key word and emphasis in this proposal is “cost-neutral”. As stated in the Recommendations, the counties will be responsible for the lion’s share of the cost. When compared to current service, it appears they will be receiving the worst end of the bargain. Is this a “cost-neutral’ plan as cited or an attempt to create another bureaucratic layer that would be understaffed and underfunded? What improvements does this proposal bring to the counties? The DAS model, when compared dollars to dollars against the current model, does not make sense The Rush to Change Recommendation to Law The goal of AW, based on the current recommendations, is that a fully functional animal control force will be in place within six to twelve months of passage by the Delaware legislative body in spring 2015. Another question that should be answered by OAW - why is there a rush to pass legislation to acquire the animal control function? OAW consistently uses the term “unsustainable and costly’ in referring to the current model. To counter the “unsustainable” contracts, FSAC-SPCA has never defaulted or threatened a county with ending service while under contract. In fact, when Safe Haven Animal Sanctuary defaulted on their animal control/sheltering contract with Kent County Levy Court in 2013, FSAC-SPCA stepped in early” to ensure the citizens of Kent County had service. Shouldn't the debacle of the Safe Haven Sanctuary failure, be a lesson leamed about a hastily created animal control agency? The term “costly” is sprinkled throughout the proposal in regards to the current contract- for-service model. However, using the per capita figures provided by OAW, it Walter, Laura (2013, October 08) Safe haven seeks to place remaining animals ASAP. Coastal Point het: ccoastalpoint com/content/safe_haven seeks place remaining animals asap 10 03 2013, 2Bis clear that Delaware citizens are paying a significantly lower cost for animal control than the national average. If this plan is approved as is, with a work force consisting of causal/seasonal and part-time seasonal officers, one does not have to be an economist to forecast costs will rise. Unexpected events are often “the norm’ in animal control work, Animal emergencies have no set hours and dangerous animal situations can ‘occur at any time. That is what makes any proposal difficult and expensive to change. Thinking Long Term: Careful Planning and Consideration. On the other hand, this proposal is only a recommendation and is not set in stone. My intention is only to point to the reality of what animal control services are and what they may be. OAW does have some positive assessments in this proposal that should be pursued to promote animal welfare in the State of Delaware: + As stated in the proposal, the three counties and City of Wilmington are dog license vendors. New Castle County and City of Wilmington contract for the services while Kent and Sussex Counties issue licenses themselves. Reverting back to a unified Delaware State Dog License that promotes state-wide compliance and can purchased at numerous locations throughout DE is a positive first step, as recommended by the Animal Welfare Task Force. This would give the State time to assess and develop a solid revenue stream * Linking dog licenses with local veterinarians can singlehandedly increase compliance with “one-stop shopping” convenience for consumers.** Make the license run congruent with the rabies vaccination to promote responsible pet * Recommendations for increased dog licensing revenue identified in the Animol Welfare Task Force Final Report u‘ownership and increase revenue. OAW reports a dismally low license compliance rate, and yet parlays these funds into paying for “overtime” in the new workforce. This revenue stream must be vetted prior to linking DAS overtime funding to a low performing source * Evaluating and updating current animal control laws should also be a priority as. cited by OAW. Additionally, DE Code identifies animal control constables, dog wardens, animal control agents and animal control officers. The code is in need of updating * Delaware Code Title 3 Chapter 77, Livestock at Large, should also be updated to include enforcement abilities by the contracted animal control agency, which is not the case now and only Delaware State Police, Delaware SPCA, and local police agencies have enforcement capabilities. There should be dedicated funding provided by the State for these livestock calls. Delaware SPCA has not responded to these type of complaints and refers them to other police agencies. * There is no doubt that OAW does have an important role in developing certification of animal control officers which will increase professionalism as well as create uniform training standards. However, shouldn't the certifications be in place first, since the OAW has the authority to do so, before attempting to be responsible for animal enforcement state-wide? In summary, certification of animal control officers was passed in July 2014 so it will be interesting to see what OAW has developed thus far; streamlining dog licenses will be a tremendous win for both responsible dog owners as well as the dog control program; advocating change to livestock laws should come with funding 15Animal Control Servic to assist with the added expense and personnel for trailering, hauling and the containing of loose livestock. A Public Responsibility Should Delaware animal control services eventually be a state function? There must be empirical evidence to support such a change. The submitted proposal clearly lacks this evidence. There are a few things that OAW should consider in order to improve animal welfare: ‘+ Analyzing the costly mismanagement malfunction of the defunct Safe Haven Animal Sanctuary should be a pre-requisite to any proposal that is submitted What were the mechanisms that caused a swift catastrophic failure to a newly funded animal control/ sheltering agency? + Creating a survey to gather data and form a comparative study of other animal control agencies that are either contracted for service, fully run state agencies, or state run enforcement with contracted sheltering. Creating a brand new agency from scratch should have solid analysis and data to support it. This would provide a solid benchmark of animal control services for the stakeholders. ‘+ A Joint Powers Authority (JPA) model should be evaluated between county and state officials as a legislative solution for all entities and nonprofit providers. This may be advantageous for all to consider the long term participation, economies of scale, and uniform operating policies that are provided by JPAs. A comprehensive study was submitted by City Gate Associates: Study of the Animal Services Program for the City of Anitoch, Califomia ~ Final Report(04/2009). This study provides an example of the in-depth analysis that must be done to thoroughly research animal control models. Much more analysis of the Recommendations, such as the proposed cost-neutral budget, are needed by fiscal experts, as there are gaps that are evident by a simple comparison of DAS to actual DEACC operations. The fundamentals for moving animal control from a contract for-service model to a government-enforcement division with contracted animal-sheltering lacks empirical evidence. Since the proposed DAS model doesn't reflect any of the organizational structure and funding of the county enforcement agency (BCSO) that provides animal control services in Asheville, North Carolina® it shouldn't be used as a benchmark in this proposal. An ‘example of a JPA is the Marin Humane Society of Narvato California. The JPA model should be explored further by the OAW in order to evaluate the best model for Delaware In closing, the success of an animal control program in helping people and animals live together, depends on how the program is funded, administered and staffed Government, by its very function, is designed to be methodical and slow to ensure best practices for all. This is the approach that the State of Delaware, Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Public Health, Office of Animal Welfare should take to advocate for Delaware's residents, companion animals, animal control officers and animal shelters. * office of Animal Welfare: Part 2 Animal Control Recommendations P& 2 The County of Marin serves as the lead agency under the JPA and contracts directly with the Marin Humane Society for animal control services and pet adoptions. Under this contract, the Marin Humane Society provides animal control services to the City of Belvedere. Costs for services are collected by the Marin Humane Society and remitted tothe County. These revenues are used to offset the local agency costs. Each member agency contributes the difference between the fees collected and the services provided under the contract bitp//onwwnctyofbelvedere.orp/index aspx?nid=159 v7Appendix A Shift Hours: Animal Control. __am/pm_______amipm ***Please mark which county the person lives in once you answer the phone*** __Non Animal Control NEW CASTLE COUNTY WILMINGTON NEWARK. KENT COUNTY ‘OUT GF STATE SUSSEX COUNTY ACOReferences Asheville Humane Society Website: Report abuse and neglect to animal control services. Retrieved from _ http:/Avww.ashevillehumane.org/animal-control_ php, City Gate Associates. (2009, April 03). Study of the animal services program for the City of Anitoch, California — final report. Jang, Heesoun and Feiock, Richard C. (2007, December) Public and private reliance of nonprofit organizations: Implications for interorganizational collaboration. Public Productivity and Management Review. Levin, Harry Jay. (2005, August) The role of New Jersey's SPCA. New Jersey Lawyer Magazine. No. 235. P12-13 Office of the Sheriff Buncombe County North Carolina, J. Vann Duncan, Sheriff Comprehensive annual report year ending December 31, 2013. Retrieved from https //www.buncombecounty.org/common/sheriff/Annual_ Report.pdf RoseRush Services, LLC. Shelter Pro Records Management Software: incident Reports OtJan to 31Dec 2014. Version 9.17, Build 0119. (01/08/2015) School of Government; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (2014, January) County salaries 2014: Table XVI. Part one: Sherriff. chief deputy and deputies, and detention/correctional positions. Retrieved from http:/sogpubs.unc. edu/electronicversions/pdfs/cosal2014/lawent pdf 19State of Delaware, Animal Welfare Task Force. (2013, April 30). Animal welfare task force final report. State of Delaware, Delaware Courts (2013, October 31) Administrative Directive No 183. Retrieved from: hittp:/courts. delaware. qov/supreme/admdir/ad 183.pdf State of Delaware Code Title 29 state government public officers and employees chapter 59. Merit system of personnel administration. Subchapter |. Definitions and exclusions. Retrieved from http://delcode. delaware. govititle29/c059/se01/index.shtm! State of Delaware, Office of Management and Budget : Budget Development Planning, and Administration. Fiscal year 2015 operating budget supplement (35-00-00) Department of Health and Social Services’ Animal welfare. P30. Retrieved from http://budget. delaware. gov/fy2015/documents/operatina/budaet-supplement.pdf State of Delaware, Office of Management and Budget : Budget Development Planning, and Administration. Fiscal year 2014 operating budget supplement (01-00-00) Department of Health and Social Services: Animal welfare. P27. Retrieved from http /Mbudget delaware.govify201 5/documents/operating/budget-supplement.paf. State of Delaware, Department of Social Services, Division of Public Health, Office of Animal Welfare (2014, May 23). Delaware animal control recommendations. 20State of Delaware, Department of Social Services, Division of Public Health, Office of Animal Welfare. (2014, October 31). Part 2: Delaware animal control recommendations: Animal control transition plan. State of Delaware, Office of Management and Budget: Budget and Accounting Policy: (2013, October 10) Delaware's accounting framework. Retrieved from http:/budget.delaware.qov/accounting-manual/chapter03.pdf?ver=1010 State of Delaware, Office of Management and Budget: Human Resource Management. (2014, September). A summary of the state of Delaware workforce demographics for fiscal year 2013, Retrieved from http:/www. delawarepersonnel,.com/orgdevidocumentsiworkforce analysis 2013 pdf State of Delaware, Office of Management and Budget, Human Resource Management Job descriptions for Department of Health and Social Services: Division of Health, Office of Animal Welfare: Executive director, social service chief administrator, investigator Il, and program coordinator. Retrieved from 181513&R2=MUAHOS&R3=350500 1307 14&R2=MDDZ54&R3=350500 http://www jobaps.com/DE/sup/BulPreview.asp?R1=0224148&R2=MBAA03&R3=350500 http://www jobaps.com/de/sup/BulPreview.asp?R. http://www jobaps. com/de/sup/BulPreview.asp?R. http //iobaps. com/de/sup/BulPreview.asp?R1=011014&R2=MAAZ19&R3=350500 State of Delaware, Office of Management and Budget Human Resource Management, Welcome to the state of Delaware. Retrieved from http:/Avww delawarepersonnel.com/neo/casual-seasonal.shtm! 2United States Government (2010, April 1) Census Bureau. 2010 Census, State and County Quick Facts Beta, Delaware. Population Census. Retrieved from http://www. census.gov/quickfacts/table/POP010210/10,00 Walter, Laura (2013, October 04). Safe Haven seeks to place remaining animals ASAP. Coastal Point http:/www.coastalpoint.com/content/safe_haven seeks place remaining animals asa p_10 03 2013 2