PRESENTER: Presenter
Christopher J. Looney, AICP, Planning & Development Services Director
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SUBJECT: Title
Approval of amendments to the agreement between the City of New Braunfels, Texas and the Humane Society of the New Braunfels Area, Inc.
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DEPARTMENT: Planning & Development Services
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COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: All
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
In 2012, the City of New Braunfels entered into an agreement with the Humane Society of the New Braunfels Area, Inc. (HSNBA), a local not-for-profit, to share administration and operation of various animal-related services for the community. This included shared use of the animal shelter for impoundments, details on quarantine services, and parameters for the welfare of animals in shelter care. The agreement was updated by City Council in 2015, and again in 2018. Agreements between the two entities include fees for animal intake, administrative costs, and facility use which includes mortgage contribution. HSNBA has similar agreements with Comal County and the City of Marion, minus administrative and facility use fees.
ISSUE:
Like all not-for-profits, HSNBA relies on charitable donations and volunteers to accomplish their mission. HSNBA continues to experience increased costs associated with vaccinations, population increases, personnel retention and recruitment, and general inflation. Additionally, the City’s agreed-to monthly contribution to the building’s mortgage will expire in 2022. HSNBA and the City collaborated on this proposed update to address these issues and better align recurring income and expenditures.
Following is a summary of the proposed edits:
• Updating the term of the agreement
• Alphabetizing definitions of terms
• Restructuring the animal intake fee methodology from per animal, to a rolling 3-year average to better predict revenue/cost for service/budget on both sides
• Streamlining of fees for quarantine services
• Clarification of terminology to know what the fees are intended to cover
• Streamlining and adding clarifying detail to the reporting and financial document sections
• Various grammar corrections
• Terminology, position/title, legal, and division name updates throughout
Updating this agreement as proposed is supported by Envision New Braunfels as follows:
• Action 3.35: Support local non-profits whose missions support the Comprehensive Plan goals
• Action 8.3: Foster opportunities for collaboration with local non-profits
FISCAL IMPACT:
The fiscal impact associated with the proposed edits will be approximately $50,000 additional dollars towards the contract in FY 2022, a result of the increased and streamlined animal intake fee referenced above. These additional funds have been incorporated into the FY 2022 Proposed Budget. However, in FY 2023 and beyond, the total cost associated with the contract will actually revert back to current levels, due entirely to the intended sunset of the facilities use fee payment that will expire at the end of FY 2022.
Recommendation
RECOMMENDATION:
Approval