09/12/1983 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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M I NUT E S e City Council Work Session Treehouse Restaurant September 12, 1983 5 p.m. PRESENT: Betty Smith, Chair; Dick Hansen, John Ball, Mark Lindberg, Cynthia Wooten, Councilors; Mike Gleason, City Manager; Barbara Bellamy, Public Information Director; Pat Lynch, Council Administrator; Karen Goldman, Assistant City Recorder; Dr. Ann Samsel 1 , staff veterinarian, Eugene Spay and Neuter Clinic; Dr. DuWayne Penfold, Eugene veterinarian; Warren Wong, Finance Director; Fred Webb, KUGN; Mark Matassa, Don Bischoff, Henny Willis, Register-Guard; members of the general public. Councilor Smith opened the meeting with a brief comment on the procedure at council work session meetings that allows for informal input and discussion of issues on the agenda. I. SPAY AND NEUTER CLINIC Councilor Lindberg began the presentation with a brief chronological history of the City of Eugene's involvement in the clinic from 1976 to 1981. Although e the City first entered the business in 1977, it was not until 1980 that they totally took over operation of the program. He continued by stating that the purpose of clinic operation was to decrease pet over-population, to prevent potential community health problems by providing innoculations, and to help stabilize expenditures by reducing the pet population. Dr. Samsel 1 , staff veterinarian at the Spay and Neuter Clinic located in the Animal Regulatory Agency shelter, reported on activities at the clinic. She began by explaining the daily schedule that consisted of surgeries in the morning, and vaccinations and surgical consulting in the afternoon. Using flip charts, Dr. Samsell explained clinic caseloads in surgeries and vaccinations for a three-year period. She noted that there had been a 22 percent drop in surgeries performed from 1980-81 to both 1982 and 1983, as well as a drop in vaccinations. In referring to budget figures, she noted that there had been a drop in both revenue and expenditures; the expenditure reduction was explained by a reduction in staff. The revenue of $106,784 for 1983 consisted of approximately $55,000 from surgeries and $52,000 from vaccinations. To monitor the effects of spay/ neuter programs, Dr. Samsell compared statistics of five (out of a total of 34) publicly operated animal control agencies, including Eugene, that included the number of animals handled and surgeries performed. There was a significant drop in the number of animals handled by regulatory agencies from 1980 to 1982 in those cities having a public spay/neuter program. Figures from the Lane County Animal Regulatory Agency showed a 50 percent drop in animals admitted and euthanized in the same two-year period. Dr. Samsell concluded that the impact of the spay/neuter program in this area was evident by the reduction in animal control business. - MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 12, 1983 Page 1