Update on the OC Animal Shelter - Part 2

Yesterday we discussed some of the background to the Design Advisory Board (DAB) and the planning of the new $35,000,000 Orange County animal shelter in Tustin.

THE BASIC PREMISE

The major issue discussed at this meeting was the new costs for the shelter, amounting to more than $2,000,000. As I understood it, the County Representative is asking the cities to help share in the new unanticipated costs. One way to do this was to reduce the costs of the shelter, from the projected $35 million to $32.5 million, and the OC Rep went through various draconian alternatives (e.g., eliminating the adoption center, eliminating the air circulation system), almost all of which were denied by the DAB.

Kudos to Orange City Manager Rick Otto and Anaheim Planning Director Dave Belmer who argued strongly against cutting many of the animal friendly features, even while trying to keep costs under control.

IS BIGGER CHEAPER?

The subject of costs by size came up several times during the meeting. Apparently the loss of 4 cities has not made much of a dent in the costs of the shelter, since, as Dr. Hawkins said, “Whether we have 20,000 or 30,000 animals per year we still need the same basic stuff.” There were a few exceptions. For example, as a result of losing 20% of the anticipated animal population, slightly fewer dog kennels will be built.

By and large, the participation of cities is not related to the costs of the construction, though it was pointed out that the operational costs will be different. For example, the number of animal control officers and the number of call center people is directly related to the size of the population. Reducing the population by 20% will probably result in a 20% reduction in operational needs in these areas. However, what wasn’t discussed was the impact on the cities’ costs. Whether or not you have 10 or 12 call center operators, you still have to pay for the call center manager. Hence, costs per City will go up as reduced populations result in the overhead being paid for by fewer and fewer cities. FWIW – since the meeting was strictly construction, these topics came up only tangentially.

WHO PAYS FOR WHAT?

It was interesting to note Dr. Hawkins’ comments that Lake Forest pets are “very adoptable” while animals from some cities (she specifically referred to Garden Grove) are “unhealthy” and “unsocialized”. This means that the true costs of services for Lake Forest are much less and the true revenue is much more, yet Lake Forest is charged the same, on a per animal basis, as other cities. It’s the equivalent of paying the same for any car on the lot, a strategy that would result in bankruptcy if applied to the private sector. If it takes three times as long for an animal control officer to collect a dog from Garden Grove, why do residents in Lake Forest have an equivalent price because they pick up one dog from Garden Grove and one from Lake Forest?

Another issue that seemed to concern the City representatives was that this was “the first time we’ve seen these numbers”. One said “This is not what was represented to us. How do we sell it to our Councils?”

(Of course if your Council is already in the pockets on the County, as Lake Forest is, there is no problem. The "Gang of 3" led by Dwight Robinson, will do whatever the County asks them to do, in return for which the County Supervisors will endorse them, as they have done for Robinson's re-election campaign this year)

WHERE TO NOW?

The Public Works Rep believes that the shelter will be ready for occupancy in “late 2017”. The final design must be completed shortly. It looks like it will cost $35 million but he is trying to get the cities to agree to sharing some of the additional costs imposed by the City of Tustin. As I understood it, this issue will be discussed by the secretive FOAB Committee and then brought before each City Council.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Jim Gardner is on the City Council for Lake Forest. You can check him out on LinkedIn and/or Facebook and you can share your thoughts about the City at Lake Forest Town Square on Facebook. His comments are not meant to reflect official City Policy.

Dr. Gardner has office hours every Tuesday from 4 pm to 6 pm at the City Hall. In addition, he holds a Town Hall meeting every quarter. The next meeting will be in November at the Foothill Ranch Public Library.