By Sara Beth Williams–
The Citrus Heights City Council voted unanimously on Wednesday to approve a new contract for animal services with Bradshaw Animal Shelter in Sacramento County. The agreement takes effect on Sept. 1 and extends through June 30, 2029.
During an Aug. 14 City Council meeting, Citrus Heights Police Services Manager Tiffany Campbell and Special Services Division Commander Kris Frey said after receiving notice from Placer County Animal Services in March that animal services would no longer be provided to the city beyond 2024, the city began researching other alternative vendors throughout the region.
The animal shelter had cited a significant cost increase and overcrowding of the shelter, which required them to limit service to agencies within Placer County, according to an agenda packet.
“After several months of strategic planning meetings, a mutually beneficial partnership was established with the Bradshaw Animal Shelter,” Frey said during the council meeting. Frey and Campbell said benefits to residents will include a dedicated 24/7 telephone service for citizens to report animal calls, and the ability for citizens to report online as well as by phone. The agreement also includes dispatch services for current Citrus Heights Animal Services Officers, and the use of dedicated animal license tracking software at no additional cost.
The animal services software allows tracking of all registered animals in a database also accessible to Citrus Heights Animal Control, which allows for easier reunification of animals with local pet owners, Campbell said.
Campbell emphasized that licensing and chipping are “one of the most important things” that pet owners can do to help with animal tracking and reunification. Animals that are not chipped are chipped upon entering the shelter, and any animals posted for adoption are spayed or neutered.
Sacramento County Animal Services Director Annette Bedsworth said Bradshaw provides an on-site pet hospital with three veterinarians available to care for sheltered animals. One of the veterinarians works directly with homeless individuals through a mobile clinic, Bedsworth said.
Councilmember Tim Schaefer questioned what would happen if Bradshaw also begins experiencing animal capacity issues in the future and is unable to meet the needs of Citrus Heights throughout the contract term.
Bedsworth said currently some dogs are paired together in kennels when necessary. The shelter also consistently holds adoption events and has found that extending adoption event hours into the late evening on the weekends has proven successful in the past.
Animal rescue and Trap, Neuter and Release (TNR) volunteers have been vocal throughout several council meetings regarding the need for more funding and spay and neuter vouchers, stating that the feral cat population has “exploded” in Citrus Heights.
“TNR is desperately needed in Citrus Heights,” animal advocate Karen Bearman said during the Aug. 14 council meeting, adding that grant funding is available to help volunteers continue to care for, trap, neuter, and release feral cats. Several other animal fostering and TNR volunteers spoke in support of petitioning the city to solicit appropriate grant funding to help fund animal volunteers and TNR efforts.
Bedsworth said the shelter also offers low-cost spay and neuter options, vaccination clinics, and drive-thru micro-chipping clinics. Bradshaw also regularly holds fundraising and adoption events and posts all available pets on their website for easy accessibility. A community cat program, located next door, is also available by appointment for spay and neuter services.
The city’s prior contract with Placer County cost the city $18,600 per month, but was slated to increase to $34,000 per month along with a reduction in services according to a staff report. The new contract’s fiscal impact is listed as a prorated cost of $414,354 for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30.
The agreement includes a share of cost for animal services through Bradshaw for each year between Citrus Heights, the City of Galt, and the County of Sacramento. Agreement terms provide the city with sheltering services each year based on the percentage of actual animal intake numbers from the two prior fiscal years. That percentage is applied to the estimated budget expenses. The County will provide Citrus Heights with cost estimates by March 30 of each year beginning in 2025, according to the city.
