The City of Riverbank has been partnering with the City of Oakdale for Animal Control Services since 2009. The Riverbank City Council unanimously approved the new contract for the next five years at the last city council meeting on Aug. 23.
The City of Riverbank’s Senior Management Analyst Norma Torres-Manriquez presented the council with the specifics of the new Animal Control Services Agreement. Currently, the city has a two-year agreement, one full time officer, two part-time shelter attendants which is a shared cost, one supervisor, and 24/7 dispatch services with an annual cost of $232,287.
The contract expired on June 30, 2022 and the renewed agreement will continue through 2027. They will continue with one full-time officer, at the shelter they will now have one full-time and one part-time shelter attendant, during the summer months they will have extended patrol hours between May and September and the cost for the 2022-2023 annual contract is $273,546. The contract has increased due to the increased cost of staff salaries, dispatch services, shelter operation and maintenance.
The General Fund finances the Animal Control Services and a portion of the costs are offset by dog licenses and citations.
In the agenda packet for the contract renewal, it was noted that “the Oakdale animal control staff has worked hard and dedicated many hours to helping our Riverbank community and its many lost and unsheltered animals. The transition of the part-time shelter attendant to a full-time position being proposed is in anticipation of the continual growth of both cities. With the current two part-time shelter attendants, the shelter struggles to meet the customer and animal care needs of the shelter. This increase in hours will better manage the everyday duties and customer service needs of our two communities. Both cities would equally share the cost of both shelter attendant positions.”
The updated Animal Control Services agreement was approved by the city council in Oakdale during its Aug. 1 city council meeting.