Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
2 <br /> • Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, all Spay/Neuter surgeries were stopped at Animal <br /> Services and the County's partners (SNAP-NC, AnimalKind, and Independent Animal <br /> Rescue (IAR)), so no surgeries occurred from the end of March to early May. <br /> • This pause in surgeries caused Animal Services to change to adopting out unsterilized <br /> animals and issuing the new owner a voucher to be used once surgeries began again. <br /> Some adopters qualified for the normal Spay/Neuter Program, but 79 of the surgeries in <br /> 2020 were owners that lived outside of Orange County or made more than 400% of the <br /> poverty level. <br /> • Animal Services established a partnership with Independent Animal Rescue to help <br /> perform some of the Working Cat Surgeries, which provided for 200 more cats than in <br /> 2019. <br /> • Animal Services was awarded a $40,000 grant from The Petco Foundation. This grant <br /> will allow the Working Barn Cat program to continue and expand, helping County <br /> residents have working cats spayed or neutered, vaccinated, licensed and microchipped <br /> at no charge. <br /> Orange County's subsidized spay and neuter for cats and dogs is continuing to expand to more <br /> residents than ever before. Orange County Animal Services received another grant from the <br /> Margaret T. Petrie Spaying and Neutering Foundation in the amount of $15,000 to continue to <br /> cover the cost of spay and neuter for animals belonging to residents whose household income is <br /> between 200 and 400 percent of the federal poverty level. Previously, 200 percent was the <br /> ceiling for income-based qualification. <br /> As discussed above, Orange County also continues its effort to sterilize cats from farms and <br /> stables in more rural parts of Orange County. Animal Services is continuing the Working (Barn) <br /> Cat Program that not only sterilizes but vaccinates, microchips, and licenses participating felines <br /> for free. The funding for this effort has shifted from only grant funded to both grant and <br /> donations received through Orange County's Community Giving Fund. As a result of outreach <br /> and a partnership with Independent Animal Rescue, Animal Services was able to sterilize 266 <br /> working cats in 2020. <br /> FINANCIAL IMPACT: The resolution has no financial impact. Events and outreach provided in <br /> conjunction with this year's Spay Neuter Day involve funds already in the County's Community <br /> Spay and Neuter Fund. The FY2021 operating budget for the Community Spay and Neuter <br /> Fund is $82,350 and there is a fund balance of approximately $42,616. These funds primarily <br /> come from the $20 differential license fee for reproductive cats and dogs, combined with <br /> reimbursement from the North Carolina Spay Neuter Reimbursement Program, significant <br /> donations from the public and grants awarded to Animal Services. <br /> SOCIAL JUSTICE IMPACT: There is no Orange County Social Justice Goal impact associated <br /> with this item. <br /> ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: There is no Orange County Environmental Responsibility Goal <br /> impact associated with this item. <br /> RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends the Board receive the written program <br /> report, adopt the proposed resolution, and authorize the Chair to sign the resolution. <br />