Spay Neuter Income Eligibility Memo

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ORANGE COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA Animal Services 1601 Eubanks Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27516 919 - 942 -PETS (7387) Memorandum To: Animal Services Advisory Board From: Bob Maro imal Services Director and Sarah H. Fallin, Program Coordinator Date: August 14, 2015 Subject: Income Eligibility Changes for the Community Spay /Neuter Program We are proposing a change in the income eligibility requirements for Orange County residents for the Community Spay/Neuter Program. Our proposal is consistent with the standard income eligibility criteria used by Orange County's Department of Social Services. More specifically, we are proposing to change the qualifying income guidelines from 150 percent to 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. We are making this proposal in order to increase the number of targeted spays and neuters of cats and dogs. As you are aware, these are sterilizations for animals that ordinarily would continue to be reproductive throughout their lives. As we have seen in recent years in Orange County, sterilizing these animals reduces the number of animals admitted to Animal Services and ultimately the number of animals euthanized. We can also help to control the medium and long -term costs of Animal Services, which are driven by the problem of pet overpopulation. To date, 520 is the highest number of sterilizations we have achieved in a single year, and our average for the period 2012 to 2014 is 486. Our goal is to achieve between 600 and 700 targeted sterilizations in order to sustain long -term changes in the homeless population of companion animals, animal intakes, and the number of euthanized animals. This goal is based upon a formula developed from the experiences of communities that have been the most successful in working toward zero population growth. Previously, we have discussed this issue with the Animal Services Advisory Board on two separate occasions (see attached memoranda). On the basis of these discussions we have pursued different outreach methods rather than changing the income eligibility criteria. These outreach methods have included the following: • Use of Every Door Direct Mail, a United States Post Office service that puts a flyer in every mail box in selected zip codes. • Insertion of a spay /neuter application flyer into the News of Orange for distribution to their customers. • Billboards in Hillsborough and on I -85 to promote awareness of spay /neuter opportunities. • Use of a flyer about spay /neuter opportunities distributed to those reclaiming pets at the Animal Services Center.