The City Council this week approved a contract with Pacific Care Pet Emergency and Specialty to provide emergency veterinary services to Seal Beach. The maximum cost: $40,000 for the one-year agreement, according to the staff report.
However, the city manager was authorized to approve additional services up to a maximum of another $10,000, according to the staff report.
This was a Consent Calendar item. Items on the Consent Calendar are voted on collectively, without discussion, unless a council member or staff has the item pulled for individual consideration. This item was not pulled.
“In May of 2022, the Seal Beach City Council directed the Seal Beach Police Department to provide in-house animal control services for the Seal Beach community,” wrote Capt. Nick Nicholas of the SBPD Support Services Bureau in his staff report.
The city launched the in-house animal control program on July 1, 2023.
“As part of the transition to in-house animal control services, the City of Seal Beach needed to locate an emergency veterinary provider to provide emergency services during hours in which our dedicated animal shelter (WAGS) has no emergency veterinarian on-duty, such as during nights, weekends, and holidays,” Nicholas wrote.
“Pacific Care Pet Emergency was selected as the best provider for Seal Beach animal emergency veterinary services,” Nicholas wrote.
“Pacific Care Pet Emergency is experienced in providing such Animal Emergency Veterinary Services for municipal corporations and is able to provide personnel with the required experience and background to carry out these duties. Pacific Care Pet Emergency has proposed a one-year agreement, which would extend from September 12, 2023 through June 30, 2024,” Nicholas wrote.
“All treatment provided to any sick or injured animal will be approved first by a member of the Seal Beach Police Department Animal Control Command Staff and will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis,” Nicholas wrote.
“Adequate funding has been included in the Fiscal Year 2023-24 Budget,” Nicholas wrote.
