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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 05-17-2011- 5jORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: May 17, 2011 Action Agenda , Item No.J ~ 1 SUBJECT: Agreement Renewal with City of Durham for Animal Control Services for the Portion of the City in Orange County DEPARTMENT: Animal Services PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No ATTACHMENT(S): Renewal Agreement INFORMATION CONTACT: Bob Marotto, Animal Services Director, 968-2287 PURPOSE: To approve an agreement renewal for FY 2011-12 between the County and the City of Durham to provide Animal Control Services for the very small portion of the City located within Orange County. BACKGROUND: The attached agreement was developed in 2009 to assure that appropriate services are provided to Orange County residents who live within the small portion of the City located within Orange County. The agreement was developed by attorneys for Orange County and the City of Durham based upon prior staff discussion. Previously, service provision to the residents in the geographic area covered by this agreement was problematic. The reason is that Durham City does not have its own animal control ordinance or provide its own animal control services. Instead, the City relies upon Durham County Animal Control, which provides services within Durham County on the basis of that County's animal control ordinances. The geographic area covered by the agreement consists of three land parcels. Only one of these parcels currently contains residential homes (numbering 16). According to the Orange County Board of Elections, 27 registered voters reside in this area. A review of animal control field services show virtually no service requests or responses in this area in recent years. Under the terms of the agreement, animal control services provided by Orange County would b~ the same as the ones provided in the unincorporated portion of the County, and existing O ange County animal control ordinances wauld apply. Normal services would be provided from 2 8:00 am to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and priority services would be provided on an on- call basis outside of these hours during the week and on weekends and holidays. FINANCIAL IMPACT: Given the very small size of the covered area, and the lack of service demand in the past, minor operational change is involved for County Animal Services. An agreement amount of $500 is deemed appropriate for the current fiscal year given past experience. RECOMMENDATION (S): The Manager recommends that the Board approve the agreement renewal and authorize Chair to sign the agreement with the City of Durham for animal control services in the amount of $500 subject to final approval of the County's FY 2011-12 budget. 3 NORTH CAROLINA CITY OF DURHAM ANIMAL PROTECTIVE SERVICES AND EMERGENCY AFTER ANIMAL SERVICES AGREEMENT ORANGE COUNTY This agreement is dated, made, and entered into as of the day of , 2011, between the City of Durham ("City") and Orange County ("County") through its Animal Services Department. WITNESSETH WHEREAS, the City desires that the County provide animal control and emergency after hour calls services within the City during the 2011-2012 fiscal year; and WHEREAS, the County desires to provide animal control and emergency animal calls services within the City during the 2011-2012 fiscal year; and WHEREAS, By resolution adopted by the Durham City Council pursuant to N. C. G. S. 153A-122, the Animal Control and Exotic Animal Ordinances are permitted to apply in the Area of the City of Durham located in Orange County; and WHEREAS, the Area of the City of Durham Located in Orange County means the area within the corporate limits of the City of Durham that is located in Orange County and WHEREAS, the City desires that the County enforce the County's Ordinance within the jurisdictional limits of the City located in Orange County. NOW, THEREFORE, for good and valuable consideration the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto mutually agree as follows: Designation of Office of Animal Control. a. The City hereby designates Orange County's Animal Services Center as its "Office of Animal Control" ("Office"). b. The County will designate one (or more than one, in the County's discretion) employees (collectively, the "Animal Control Officer") to respond to emergency and routine animal service calls within the Area of the City of Durham located in Orange County. 2. Scope of Services. a. Animal Control and Protective Services. The Animal Control Officer shall provide animal control and protective services to the City during the hours of 8:00 am through 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. AGREEMENT FOR ANIMAL CONTROL SERVICES, Page 2 of 4 pages During the hours of 8:00 am through 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, the Animal Control Officer will respond to all animal services calls within the Area of the City of Durham Located in Orange County, both emergency and routine. ii. All service calls responded to by the County on behalf of the City under this agreement will be handled in accordance with the Animal Control Ordinance and North Carolina general statutes pertinent to animals and with policies generally applied by Orange County in the unincorporated portions of Orange County. iii. The County will receive incoming complaints and inquiries at the Center during the hours noted in section (i) above. iv. A quarterly report listing the number and types of calls handled within the Area of the City of Durham Located in Orange County shall be prepared by the County and forwarded to the City's Neighborhood Improvement Services Department. v. All County employees responding to service calls under this agreement will receive training by the County pertaining to the Animal Control Ordinance and North Carolina statutes pertinent to animals. vi. The County agrees to provide an animal control vehicle and necessary animal control equipment for the use in the Area of the City of Durham Located in Orange County. b. Emergency After Hour Call Services. The County will provide after hour on-call field services for urgent or emergency situations involving animals (as described below). i. The County will provide after hour on-call services for all holidays observed by County government, every day that is not a holiday from 5:00 pm to 8:00 am and Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. ii. A County Animal Control Officer will respond to service requests within the Area of the City of Durham Located in Orange County by going to the scene when necessary to protect and preserve the health and safety of the public and the life and health of animals. iii. Qualified county personnel shall, when necessary and proper in the judgment of County personnel, provide first aid treatment and/or take animals requiring care to veterinary facilities according to County policy. When immediate veterinary care is not needed in the judgment of County 4 AGREEMENT FOR ANIMAL CONTROL SER DICES, Page 3 of 4 pages personnel, an animal may be taken to the Center. Sick and injured animals will be handled according to departmental operating policies. iv. The County may, in its discretion, bear the cost of emergency care and shelter costs for animals that do not appear to have an owner or keeper, or where the owner or keeper can be identified, charge the owner or keeper with the cost of emergency care and shelter costs of the animals consistent with the departmental operating policies. v. County employees or their designees shall attempt to contact at a time which is reasonable under the circumstances in each situation, the owner or custodian of each animal involved in an emergency requiring assistance. vi. Where law enforcement officers are also on the scene of ananimal-related emergency, the County personnel shall cooperate with them in matters involving safety of persons and enforcement of the .Animal Control Ordinance. 2. Compensation. The City shall pay the County $500.00 for the current fiscal year and each year thereafter this agreement is in effect; however, the amount of the compensation shall be reviewed annually and adjusted based on actual use of service. 3. Term. This agreement shall be in effect at 12:01 AM on the day after the Animal Control Ordinance is permitted to apply in the Area of the City of Durham Located in Orange County by a resolution adopted by the Durham City Council pursuant to N. C. G. S. 153A-122. This agreement shall automatically renew for annual periods thereafter, unless either party gives 30 days notice to cancel this agreement. After this agreement is no longer in effect, all obligations that are still executory on both sides are discharged except that any right based on prior breach or performance survives. The governing body of each party hereto has determined that duration to be reasonable. In this agreement, a "year" is based on such periods and is not a calendar or fiscal year. 4. This agreement shall cease to be in effect at midnight Termination. Either party may terminate this Agreement for any reason by providing the other parry sixty (60) days written notice of intention to terminate. the Agreement on the anniversary of the date the Animal Control ordinance is no longer permitted to apply in the Area of the City of Durham Located in Orange County. 5. Notice. 5 a. All notices and other communications required or permitted by this agreement shall be in writing and shall be given either by personal delivery, fax, or certified United States mail, return receipt requested, addressed as follows: AGREEMENT FOR ANIMAL CONTROL SERVICES, Page 4 of 4 pages To the City: Director Neighborhood Improvement Services Department City of Durham 101 City Hall Plaza Durham, NC 27701 The fax number is (919) 560-1790. To the County: Mr. Robert A. Marotto Director of Animal Services 1601 Eubanks Road Chapel Hill, NC 27516 The fax number is (919) 918-2383. b. Change of Address. Date Notice Deemed Given. A change of address, fax number, or person to receive notice may be made by either party by notice given to the other party. Any notice or other communication under this agreement shall be deemed given at the time of actual delivery, if it is personally delivered or sent by fax. If the notice or other communication is sent by United States mail, it shall be deemed given upon the third calendar day following the day on which such notice or other communication is deposited with the United States Postal Service or upon actual delivery, whichever first occurs. 5. No Third Party Rights Created. This agreement is intended for the benefit of the City and the County and not any other person. 6. Appointment of Personnel. The City Manager shall designate persons to carry out the City's obligations under this agreement. The County Manager shall designate persons to carry out the County's obligations under this agreement. 7. Amendment and Termination. This agreement may be amended or terminated by agreement of the parties. 8. The Town will indemnify and hold the County harmless for any and all claims, demands or actions whatsoever arising from the County's provision of services under this Agreement unless the same results from the intentional or negligent conduct of the County. It is the intent of this Section 6 that the Town indemnify the County to the fullest extent permitted by law. 6 9. Entire Agreement. The County and the Town agree to be bound by the terms of this Agreement, and further agree that it constitutes the complete and exclusive statement of the AGREEMENT FOR ANIMAL CDNTROL SERVICES, Page 5 of 4 pages Agreement between the County and the Town and any modifications to this Agreement shall be in writing and signed by both the parties. 10. Governing Law. The County and the Town agree that this Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of North Carolina. Should either party initiate litigation to settle any dispute involving the terms of this Agreement such litigation shall be initiated in the General Court of Justice of North Carolina in Orange County, North Carolina. In witness whereof, the parties hereunto cause this agreement to be executed in their respective names on this the day of , 20 by: 7 [Executed on the following page] AGREEMENT FOR ANIMAL CONTROL SERVICES, Page 6 of 9 pages FOR AND ON BEHALF OF ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Frank W. Clifton, Orange County Manager Date ATTEST: Donna Baker, Orange County Clerk to the Board of Commissioners Approved as to technical content: Approved as to form and legal sufficiency: Robert A. Marotto, Animal Services Director Annette M. Moore, Staff Attorney FOR DURHAM CITY Thomas J. Bonfield, Durham City Manager ATTEST: Date City Clerk "This instrument has been pre-audited in the manner required by the Local Government Budget and Fiscal Control Act." a