(Seguin) — Although many of the details are still being finalized, the Guadalupe County Animal Shelter could soon transition to a new operational model.
Discussion about the shelter’s future came before members of the Guadalupe County Commissioners Court during Tuesday’s meeting, where Sheriff Joshua Ray outlined a proposal to shift the program away from being fully operated under the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office and toward a public-private partnership.
Ray clarified that the proposal would not eliminate animal control services.
Instead, he said the focus is on restructuring the sheltering and animal services side of the program while deputies would continue handling enforcement and field response duties.
“I’m not aware of any cruelty investigations that have been neglected. I know there is a lot of emotion attached to some of these pictures and whatnot. Sometimes, there are expectations that cannot necessarily be satisfied through a criminal investigation, but I think overall, we have done a pretty good job with the funding and resources that we have available. But the purpose of this discussion was to point out that it is not sustainable for the long-term future and we have to work together to formulate some better solutions, and we’ve done our best to put together a few solutions. Obviously, we think the private-public partnership is the way to go because we think that in the end, it saves the taxpayer dollar and it also does better by the animals. It provides them services that some constituents have an expectation of in our community,” said Ray.
Walking county leaders through the concept was Lt. Zach McBride, who presented the logistics and potential benefits of partnering with a nonprofit organization to manage day-to-day shelter operations.
McBride explained that similar models in neighboring communities have improved efficiency, expanded services, and opened the door to additional funding sources such as grants and donations that are not always available to government-run facilities.
“Right now, our animal services program is entirely taxpayer-funded. Donations and fees make up less than 1 percent of costs. Over the last four fiscal years, the budget has nearly doubled, averaging — 18 percent growth annually. About 89 percent of the budget is personnel ($526K), with $63K in operations, which is woefully insufficient. As intake grows, this structure gets more expensive, very fast. In short, the current model scales poorly and isn’t sustainable,” said McBride.
He says even with conservative growth, the price tag to operate the shelter alone will only continue to climb.
“By 2030, we’re looking at 868 dogs under 3 percent growth, or 956 dogs under 5 percent growth. Under our current setup, every additional animal drives higher staffing, medical, and facility costs. Without a structural change, we’re on an unsustainable cost curve,” said McBride.
In researching options, the county looked closely at operations in surrounding areas, including the Humane Society of the New Braunfels Area, which partners with both Comal County and the City of New Braunfels. Representatives there have indicated a willingness to also work alongside Guadalupe County. There is also a plan for the group to meet up and further discussion an extended partnership with the Guadalupe County Humane Society.
“Our current structure generates almost no meaningful revenue. A PPP brings adoption fees, grants, donations, and volunteer labor into the program. This doesn’t eliminate taxpayer funding, but it significantly reduces taxpayer exposure by adding private dollars and community capacity to core services,” said McBride. “In a PPP, the county retains policy oversight. The contract sets performance expectations, reporting, and audit rights. This is a governance decision—not a loss of control. Enforcement remains with Animal Control; operations move to specialists in shelter management.”
McBride says not only is there evidence that such partnerships are proving successful, but it has also learned that only a very few sheriff’s offices still manage animal shelters across the state.
“We contacted 202 of the 254 counties to learn what they do. Most counties either partner with cities or contract with nonprofits for shelter operations, while nearly 60 percent do not respond to stray dog calls at all. Guadalupe County’s current structure places non-law enforcement responsibilities within a law enforcement agency –an approach that is atypical and inefficient. Realigning shelter management to civilian operations, while keeping enforcement with the sheriff, aligns with statewide practice and reduces operational risk,” stated McBride.
Seeking a new way of doing things, however, is apparently nothing new for Guadalupe County. That’s according to Commissioner Jim Wolverton who recently returned to the Precinct 3 seat following Michael Carpenter’s resignation to pursue a county judge campaign.
“Back in early 2000, the county partnered with the cities of Schertz and Seguin for animal control. The only complaint that we ever got was by the time they got there, the dog was back in the yard. Well (former) Judge (Larry) Jones – treasure Jones at the time got legislation passed called Bark which allowed the officers to go after those animals even if they were on private property. The problem there was, our JPs (Justice of the Peace) would not fine them. They just gave the dog back. So, they become repeat offenders. So, we got away from the partnership that we had with the two cities because originally, we gave them $200,000 each to enlarge their facility, buy a truck, and pay for a person to do that. It was working but this court – well I didn’t vote for it – but they decided, well we are going to do it ourselves – we can do it better and cheaper. There were already things in place that could have handled all of this, but we did it ourselves and now, you’ve got a little mess on your hands. I’m sorry for that,” said Wolverton.
The discussion comes as the county is also evaluating the future of the current shelter facility located north of the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office. Commissioners are weighing whether to renovate the existing building or construct an entirely new one. This plan of action that so far has an attached price tag of nearly $50,000 was rolled into action last year during the sheriff’s first official months in office.
Architects with Level 5 provided an update Tuesday on early design considerations. However, officials said the potential shift to a public-private partnership could reshape those plans.
Because of the possible operational changes, parts of the design process are now on pause while the county determines the direction it wants to take.
Members of the public also were on hand to speak in support of animals. Many folks in attendance or who joined the meeting online later said that they appreciated the clarification of the specifics behind animal services/animal control and his efforts to redefine the shelter’s future operation.
Commissioners are expected to continue discussions on the item and may consider the proposal more formally within the next couple of months if not sooner.