Westminster Adoption Group and Services will provide animal shelter services to Seal Beach, under a contract that the Seal Beach council approved this week.
The City Council this week adopted the new agreement, which starts July 1, according to the staff report by Seal Beach Police Support Services Bureau Capt. Nick Nicholas.
The council also terminated the city’s contract with Friends of Seal Beach Animal Care Center, Inc. However, the Seal Beach Animal Care Center would continue providing the public with animal shelter services, according to the staff report.
“Basic animal shelter services will be provided at a not-to-exceed amount of $72,000.00 for the first year of services of the two-year Original Term,” Nicholas wrote, referring to the new WAGS agreement.
Emergency medical care for animals will cost $350 per animal per year, according to the report.
“If the City elects to extend the Agreement beyond the Original Term, basic animal shelter services will be billed at the not-to-exceed amount of the prior year as adjusted by the lesser of the increase in CPI or 3%. Emergency medical care provided in the first 72 hours of care and the TNR Program will be billed the same as the first year, up to a maximum of $5,000, for each extension,” Nicholas wrote.
“Termination of the SBACC Agreement will result in savings of approximately $9,000 per year,” Nicholas wrote.
Background
As reported previously and as reported on page 1 this week, Seal Beach is creating an in-house animal control program.
“As part of the transition to in-house animal control services, a Request for Proposals was sent to several local animal shelters. Based on the specific needs of Seal Beach, and the responses received to the Request for Proposals, the Westminster Adoption Group and Services (‘WAGS’) was selected as the best provider for Seal Beach animal control services,” Nicholas wrote.
“WAGS is experienced in providing such Animal Shelter Services for municipal corporations and is able to provide personnel with the requisite experience and background to carry out these duties. WAGS has proposed a two-year agreement, which would extend from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2025. The Agreement also provides the City with an option to elect to extend the services for up to three one-year extensions,” Nicholas wrote.
Seal Beach shelter history
According to the Nicholas report, on Sept. 27, 2004, the (now defunct) Seal Beach Redevelopment Agency sold property at 1700 Adolfo Lopez Dr. to the Friends of Seal Beach Animal Care Center, Inc., for $1. The sale was made on the “condition that SBACC provide animal shelter services for the City and to the general public at the Property,” Nicholas wrote.
The agreement would have the property revert to the city if SBACC stops providing animal shelter services, according to the staff report.
The notice requires two years’ notice of termination by either party, according to the report.
“In light of the City’s transition to in-house animal control services effective July 1, 2023, and upon approval of the Agreement with WAGS for them to provide animal shelter services for the City, the SBACC Animal Shelter Operation Agreement is no longer necessary and staff recommends that the City terminate the SBACC Animal Shelter Operation Agreement,” Nicholas wrote.
The Animal Care Center waived the two-year notice requirement, according to the staff report.
The Animal Care Center told city officials that the local non-profit, no-kill, shelter will continue providing the public with animal shelter services, according to the staff report.
“As a result, the termination of the SBACC Animal Shelter Operation Agreement will not cause the reversion of the property back to the City,” Nicholas wrote.
“Staff also recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to notify SBACC of the City’s termination of the Animal Shelter Operation Agreement and authorize the City Manager to execute any additional agreements and other documents that may be necessary to memorialize SBACC’s continuing obligation to provide animal shelter services to the general public, in accordance with the Purchase and Sale Agreement,” Nicholas wrote.
