Council Approves New Contract With Humane Society

As part of Monday’s consent calendar, the City Council approved a five-year contract with the Pasadena Humane Society and SPCA to continue providing animal services for a grand total amount not to exceed $8,524,938 over the five-year term of the contract.

The new contract comes following a year of internal analysis, including discussions with other San Gabriel Valley cities.

In 2019, the city of Pasadena and other neighboring cities were confronted with a “significant contract increase” in the cost of services provided by Pasadena Humane.

The new contract cost was 57% above the previous year’s cost, rising from $1.25 million to $1.96 million.

According to a Department of Public Health presentation from Deputy Director Manuel Carmona, Pasadena — along with Arcadia, Bradbury, La Cañada Flintridge, San Marino, Sierra Madre and South Pasadena — negotiated a one-year bridge contract in 2020, and undertook an analysis feasibility study to find other options rather than renewing with the Humane Society at the increased contract rate.

Meanwhile, the cities discussed several options in the face of the new contract, including forming a new Joint Powers Authority (JPA) for animal services, contracting with the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control (DACC), contracting with the City of Los Angeles for Animal Control, developing a city program to deliver animal services, or continuing to contract with the Pasadena Humane Society, which was established in Pasadena in 1904.

Each option presented a series of financial obstacles.

Also on Monday’s consent calendar, the City Council came to agreement on using the balance of the general fund for the General Fund Emergency Contingency and the General Fund Operating Reserve for fiscal year 2021.

Other items included:

• Adoption of Gann appropriations limit for fiscal year 2022.

An annual appropriations limit of tax proceeds of the general fund, established by the City Council through a resolution, is required as a result of the 1979 Proposition 4, Gann Initiative. The appropriations limit is applied only to expenditures funded through tax proceeds. The limit is further reduced by expenditures for debt service or capital.

• A contract with Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) in the amount of $502,115 for the receipt of Measure H funding for fiscal year 2021 to provide homelessness prevention, rapid rehousing, coordinated entry, and emergency shelter programs in the city of Pasadena. The city manager is also authorized to amend a contract with LAHSA to extend the term through June 30, and add Measure H funds in the amount of $634,645 to bring the new contract total to $4,200,728.

• A budget amendment appropriating $1,540,000 from the inclusionary housing fund unappropriated fund balance to the Housing Department’s fiscal year 2021 operating budget for the HHP Housing Acquisition Project. Approval of certain key business terms of the proposed affordable housing loan agreement with Heritage Housing Partners, and authorize the city manager to execute any and all documents necessary to effectuate the staff recommendation.