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Spay/Neuter Fund Proposal <br />April IOth, 2007 <br />Page 2 <br />promotion of spaying and neutering in the form of outreach materials and /or a marketing campaign as <br />well as some temporary staff support for such outreach and education. <br />As I believe you are aware, our Animal Sheltering Division budget currently includes a substantial <br />expenditure line item for spaying and neutering. As important as these funds are to our operation and <br />mission, however, they are not presently utilized for a positive and proactive program (or programs) that <br />can address pet overpopulation as a community problem. Thus resources from the proposed fund would <br />augment our present spay /neuter activities which are integral to but at the same time limited to our <br />adoption program. <br />More specifically, the funds in our current budget are committed to ensuring that the animals that we <br />directly adopt from the County's Animal Shelter are spayed and neutered prior to their adoption so that <br />they do not contribute to the problem of pet overpopulation in our community, a very fundamental <br />commitment to progressive sheltering and animal services. Currently, they are used to cover the cost of <br />off -site surgeries that are performed by veterinary clinics with whom we contract for these services. <br />It should also be noted that it will be necessary to redefine the use of these funds when we move into the <br />County's new Animal Services facility at the end of 2008. Specifically, pre- adoption sterilization will <br />actually be done within that facility, as it will contain a suite for the spaying and neutering of animals that <br />are adopted to members of the general public (and conceivably on some cost recovery basis for animals <br />transferred to various placement partners). To operate effectively within the new facility, indeed, we will <br />need to directly staff as well as provide effective oversight for our own surgical operations, and our need <br />will be to cover these costs rather than the costs presently incurred for off -site sterilization surgeries. <br />In conclusion, the creation of the proposed fund would be a very proactive step toward addressing the <br />problem of pet overpopulation in Orange County. In the longer run, this is desirable not only from a <br />humane perspective but in helping to reduce the number of animals that need to be sheltered and the costs <br />of sheltering unwanted animals in our communities. Pertinent in this respect is that a successful <br />comprehensive strategy of this kind may help to ensure that the County's new animal services facility has <br />a sufficient animal capacity for a longer period of time. In this as well as other regards, the creation of the <br />proposed fund may be regarded as a very wise investment of available funds. <br />Cc: Gwen Harvey, Assistant County Manager <br />Kristine Bergstrand, DVM, Chair, Animal Services Advisory Board <br />