To: County of Sonoma Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Department of Health Services
Staff Name and Phone Number: Nolan Sullivan, 707-565-4774; Brian Whipple, 707-565-7101
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Animal Control Field Services and Licensing with City of Petaluma and the Town of Windsor
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Authorize the Director of Health Services, , to negotiate and execute short term agreements with the City of Petaluma and the Town of Windsor, on a full cost-recovery basis as needed to address immediate service gap, subject to review and approval as to form by County Counsel and the County Executive or designee, for the Department of Health Services to provide animal control field services and animal licensing from April 1, 2026 (Windsor) and April 7, 2026 (Petaluma) through June 30, 2026, with an option to extend for up to a year, if mutually agreed upon and approved by the County Executive or designee, and County Counsel. The total estimated revenue from the proposed agreements for this period is $119,129, based on full cost recovery for services provided.
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Executive Summary:
Sonoma County Animal Services (SCAS) is requesting broad Board authority to negotiate and execute short-term, full cost-recovery agreements, at no net County cost and with no additional staffing needed, with the City of Petaluma and the Town of Windsor to address an immediate service gap created when those entities transitioned away from their current service provider. The animal control field services and licensing will be provided on an interim basis beginning April 1, 2026 for the Town of Windsor, and April 7, 2026 for the City of Petaluma.
The Department of Health Services (the Department) is requesting delegated authority to finalize and execute agreements.
Labor representatives were provided notice on March 24, 2026, regarding the Department’s intentions to enter into these agreements and no objection has been received.
Discussion:
Animal control services are a core public safety and public health function, including enforcement of animal welfare laws, rabies control, emergency response, and shelter coordination. Cities and towns are responsible for ensuring these services are available within incorporated areas.
Two jurisdictions have identified an urgent need to transition their animal services provider to prevent gaps in service.
Proposed Services
SCAS will provide field services and licensing animal control services, including field response and enforcement, rabies and bite investigations, emergency and after-hours response, licensing, coordination with local law enforcement, and proactive patrol and community engagement. Services are standardized across jurisdictions to ensure efficiency, equity, and consistent service levels.
Field Services and Licensing proposed cost:
• City of Petaluma: $69,646, term April 7, 2026 - June 30, 2026
• Town of Windsor: $49,483, term April 1, 2026 - June 30, 2026
The total estimated revenue from the proposed agreements for the respective terms is $119,129 based on full cost recovery for services provided.
Delegated Authority
Given the compressed timeline and multi-jurisdiction negotiations, returning to the Board for each agreement would risk delays and potential service disruption.
Delegated authority enables the County to:
• Execute agreements retroactively to April 1 based on request of the Town of Windsor and implemented services upon Board approval for the City of Petaluma, to ensure continuity of critical animal control services and avoid any gap in service response.
• Finalize jurisdiction-specific terms
• Establish subcontract relationships where needed
• Ensure uninterrupted public safety services
All agreements will be reviewed and approved by the County Executive’s Officer and County Counsel and executed within available appropriations.
Capacity and Implementation
Service expansion will increase demand across field operations, licensing, and administrative functions. The Department currently provides animal services to the unincorporated County, the City of Santa Rosa, and the City of Healdsburg. As services are expanded to additional jurisdictions, there may be temporary impacts to service distribution across existing service areas.
The Department believes services can be initially supported through existing resources and cost-recovery agreements; however, capacity constraints may emerge as operations stabilize. The Department has proactively engaged with existing partner jurisdictions regarding this transition and will continue to coordinate closely to manage service levels across the system.
The Department will monitor impacts and adjust operations as needed to maintain service levels, returning to the Board if additional resources are required.
Ensuring uninterrupted service is critical. The Department is coordinating closely with participating jurisdictions and partners to support a seamless transition, prioritizing emergency response, rabies control, and public safety functions.
Fiscal Impact
These agreements are structured as short-term, full cost-recovery contracts with no net County cost.
Participating jurisdictions will pay for services based on service levels, fully offsetting personnel, equipment, administration, and overhead costs. SCAS will leverage existing staffing and infrastructure to maximize efficiency and avoid startup costs.
The limited term minimizes financial risk and allows flexibility to evaluate long-term service models. The Department will monitor workload, capacity, and fiscal impacts and return to the Board if additional resources are required.
Next Steps:
Following Board authorization, the Department will:
• Finalize negotiations and execute agreements with participating jurisdictions, subject to County Counsel and County Executive approval;
• Implement service delivery consistent with the approved scope, ensuring continuity of field services and licensing;
• Coordinate with jurisdictions and partners to support a smooth operational transition;
• Begin invoicing and cost recovery in accordance with executed agreements;
• Monitor service demand, response times, and operational impacts across all service areas;
• Provide updates to the Board as needed and return with a future item to accept and appropriate associated revenues as needed;
• Evaluate longer-term service models in collaboration with participating jurisdictions and return to the Board with recommendations, as appropriate. This may include discussions around contract extensions or modifications to ensure service continuity, as well as convening key stakeholders to assess sustainable, long-term system solutions. Jurisdictions have also expressed interest in exploring a Joint Powers Authority (JPA); however, this would be a longer-term effort given the complexity, coordination, and governance alignment required. In the near term, the focus would remain on maintaining stable service delivery while positioning the system for future transition.
Strategic Plan:
None
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
On December 12, 2024, the Board authorized the Director of the Department of Health Services to execute an agreement with the Humane Society of Sonoma County for the County of Sonoma to provide animal control field services and animal licensing for the City of Healdsburg for the term of January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2027, resulting in revenue to the Department of Health Services in the amount of $342,000.
On July 9, 2019, the Board authorized the Director of Health Services to execute an agreement with the Town of Windsor for the County to continue to provide animal care and control services for the term July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020 resulting in revenue of $300,000.
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY 25-26 Adopted |
FY26-27 Projected |
FY27-28 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
$119,129 |
|
|
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
|
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
$119,129 |
$0 |
$0 |
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
|
State/Federal |
|
|
|
|
Fees/Other |
$119,129 |
|
|
|
Use of Fund Balance |
|
|
|
|
General Fund Contingencies |
|
|
|
|
Total Sources |
$119,129 |
$0 |
$0 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Costs incurred during the three-month contract term will be absorbed within existing appropriations. All service costs will be fully reimbursed through contracts with the town and city, with actual reimbursement levels based on service demand during the contract period.
If the town, city and County elect to continue the partnership beyond the initial term, staff will return with an analysis of staffing requirements necessary to support these services while maintaining existing operations. Any associated costs will be incorporated into recommended future agreements.
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
None
Attachments:
Attachment 1 - Scope of Work and Budget
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None