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Published on 09/02/1996 All articles from this issue

Council says shop around for animal control

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By Clyde Noel / Town Crier Staff Writer

The City Council of the Town of Los Altos Hills adopted an agreement for emergency animal control and sheltering services with the City of Palo Alto on Aug. 21, but asked the city manager to find out what alternatives were available.

"Two thirds of the services we contract for, our residents can handle themselves." Council member Elayne Dauber said. "Is that what we are paying for, a service we can do ourselves?"

The agreement was pulled from the consent calendar at the July 17 council meeting so Dauber could vote no. Council member Bob Johnson sided with Dauber and a vote resulted in a 2-2 tie postponing the approval until the next council meeting. Johnson asked that the Palo Alto Animal Control send a representative to explain the high costs of the service to the next meeting.

Torin Fischer, City of Palo Alto superintendent of animal services, was at the council meeting and explained the animal service gets more than 100 animals from Los Altos Hills in one year. When the number of animals exceed 30 percent of the norm, than an extra charge is added and the contract is re-negotiated.

In another service provided by the Palo Alto Animal Control services, 550 dogs are licensed in Los Altos Hills.

The Town's cost for animal control services has risen from last year's amount of $30,200 to the proposed $35,358 for fiscal year 1996-97.

Sandy Sloan, Los Altos Hills city attorney, said the only services animal control should provide is to pick up dead animals, stray animals and handle dog bites.

Council member Bill Siegel made a motion to extend the contract for six months and to investigate a do it yourself program by contracting with a veterinary in Los Altos.

When the city attorney advised Siegel that the agreement could be terminated by giving 30 days notice he shifted the time sequence for a program change to the city manager.

"I think this is a rich program, and there are better ways to do this," Siegel said.

Fischer related that one of the problems in Los Altos Hills was the amount of large dead animals they pick up such as horses, and wild deer.

"We only accept animals from the area we cover, but most of the animals from Los Altos Hills are the dead wild life type." Fischer said. "When we have a dead deer that is over 75 pounds we don't want our employees to lift that weight so we contract it out to be picked up by another agency."

The agreement started July 1 and terminates June 30, 1997, or until the city manager comes up with an alternative program to provide animal services to Los Altos Hills.