A resolution to authorize the renewal of a contract between the City of Riverbank and an Animal Control Services Agreement with the City of Oakdale was approved unanimously by the Riverbank City Council a couple of weeks ago at a regular city council meeting in Riverbank. The City of Oakdale has been providing animal control services to the City of Riverbank since 2009. The new contract is for two years beginning in July 2018 and would expire on June, 30 2020.
The current contract provides Riverbank with a 32-hour a week patrol by an animal control officer for loose and roaming animals.
The City of Riverbank pays for all personnel costs associated with the patrols and after hours animal control officers only respond to emergency type calls in Riverbank for a fee.
The updated contract includes a full time 40-hour a week animal control officer assigned specifically dedicated to Riverbank. This would be an increase of eight hours and the employee would continue to receive retirement and health insurance.
The new contract was negotiated by the City of Riverbank staff and the staff from the City of Oakdale over the past seven to eight months, which Oakdale’s City Council also voted on and approved.
The Animal Control Services are funded by the General Fund which can be offset by annual dog licenses and citations that are issued.
“We are now reaching the point where some of the equipment that was originally purchased is starting to phase out or give out as well as we need to take into consideration some cost increases for operations of the shelter and other items,” stated Assistant City Manager, and Director of Finance Marisela Garcia. “So we do pay for a portion of a part time shelter attendant, we have the dispatch services that we can take advantage of and other operating costs like pet food and supplies and the vehicle maintenance on the cars and trainings, etcetera.”
The operational costs have increased in the new contract as well which have not been increased since the original contract was created in 2009. The replacement of the old transportation box with a new AC transportation box at an approximate cost of $20,000 which would occur this year was also added to the new contract. Animals that are picked up by animal control get put into the transportation box in the truck and then are delivered to the shelter in Oakdale.
Garcia explained that the air conditioner in the old transport box has failed at times which leaves the animal in hot conditions.
“They have been able to maintain it fairly well, the City of Oakdale,” said Garcia. “So we haven’t had to do any major reconstruction or any major repairs to it so we are confident it will last at least another two years but in the meantime with the City of Oakdale we would like to build up a bit of a reserve so that the funding of the replacement does not have to come all in one fiscal year for the city. So we will be forwarding $20,000 a year towards that purchase.”
The following year, she added, they will begin a vehicle replacement fund for the current vehicle that is a 2008 so it is 10 years old.
