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Item 22 Staff Report Consider the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley's Funding Request• DATE: TO: FROM: SUBJECT: COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT September 16, 1999 MAYOR AND TO TOWN MANAGER UN MEETING DATE: 9/20/99 ITEM NO. 3 CONSIDER THE WILDLIFE CENTER OF SILICON VALLEY'S FUNDING REQUEST RECOMMENDATION: Consider the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley's funding request. BACKGROUND: The Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley submitted a funding request last February. The Center's request for funds did not meet the Town's Community Grant criteria (Community Grant funds are allocated to agencies that provide human services, art programs, or educational programs). The Center's request was presented to Council during the budget public hearing process. The request was not funded. The Center sent a second letter on July 30 stating that it would only serve Los Gatos residents who are or who become Center members; residents can become members for $25.00. DISCUSSION: The Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley has been providing wildlife care services to several parts of the County since 1993. According to Deborah Champion, the Center's Executive Director, the agency's FY 98/99 budget was approximately $60,000, and it assists 4,500 to 5,000 animals annually. To prevent volunteer burnout, the agency would like to hire staff and reimburse volunteers for animal care costs (primarily food and medicine), which the volunteers currently pay. The projected budget for this fiscal year is approximately $131,000. Town staff researched the Town's current wild animal control policy. The Center is one of three organizations in the County providing animal rehabilitation services. The local Game Warden, who represents the State Department of Fish and Game, provides wildlife control services to the Town. If the animal presents an immediate threat to human life, then the Los Gatos/Monte Sereno Police Department will respond. In deciding whether or not to fund the agency, the Council should consider the following: • The Wildlife Center tracks customers by postal address only. About one-half of the Los Gatos addresses are within Town limits. Therefore, the Town's fair share would be about $2,000, or one-half of the amount requested. However, the Center has reviewed its files and reports that approximately 80% of clients are from Los Gatos. PREPARED BY: Regina A. Fal Community Se 'er `'� 'rector N:\csd\kim\wildlife.rpt Reviewed by: Q Attorney ance Revised: 9/16/99 12 : 5 0 PM Reformatted: 7/14/99 • PAGE 2 MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL SUBJECT: CONSIDER ALLOCATING $3,949.50 TO THE WILDLIFE CENTER OF SILICON VALLEY September 16, 1999 • There are many other community agencies which could benefit from Town funding. Agencies who did not apply because of limited funding, or agencies who did not receive full grant amounts could perceive a grant to the agency as a green light to appeal to the Town for (additional) grant funds. Granting funds outside of the regular budget process removes the competitive component. The Center could be asked to re -apply for funds next year, during the regular budget process. The average cost per animal intake is $25.00. The Town could establish a performance based contract with the Center and reimburse it for its services up to a fixed amount. CONCLUSION: By taking no action, residents requesting assistance from the Center would be asked to pay the $25.00 membership fee. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT: This is not a project defined under CEQA, and no further action is required. FISCAL IMPACT: If Council wishes to fund the Wildlife Center, it can allocate $2,870 remaining from cun-ent year revenues. Attachments: 1. Letter from Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley, February 22, 1999 2. Letter from Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley, July 30, 1999 3. Letter from Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley, September 15, 1999 4. Letters of support Distribution: Deborah Champion, President, Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley, 2650B Senter Road, San Jose, CA 95111-1121 Leda Beth Gray, Chapter Manager, Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society, 22221 McClellan Road, Cupertino, CA 95014 Susan Bjorlie-Score, 22166 Hutchinson Road, Los Gatos, CA 95033 Edward C. Larsen, D.D.S., Inc. 320 Dardanelli Lane, Suite 20B, Los Gatos, CA 95030 • Mayor Jan Hutrnips Town of Los Gatos 110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 4 r February 22, 1999 ATTACHMENT 1 Dear Mayor Hutchins: For the past five years, our organization has been providing wildlife care services to your city and many others. Since we are severely underfunded, 1 am writing to request a proportionate money contribution from each of the eight major cities we serve. The Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley (WCSV) is a 501(03 non-profit organization that provides high quality care to local injured, sick and orphaned wildlife and then releases them back into the wild. Our organization was formed when the Humane Society of Santa Clara Valley closed its entire wildlife department in 1993. Since its inception, WCSV has cared for over 20,000 wild creatures, including both common and endangered species. Our center is the only facility of its kind between Palo Alto and Morgan Hill. WCSV rehabilitates twice as many animals as the center in Palo Alto and twenty times as many as the canner in Morgan Hill. We currently handle about 5,000 animals per year. Wildlife taken in includes everything from hawks, falcons and owls to fawns, bobcats, coyotes, foxes, rabbits, opossums, squirrels, waterbirds, songbirds and hummingbirds_ We also offer education programs and advice to members of the public on how to deal with a variety of wildlife problems, from ducks in their swimming pools to owls in their attic. Our volunteers field thousands of these calls from the public each year. Our volunteers have also assisted wildlife victims of oil spills and botulism outbreaks. The San Jose Parks Department has graciously leased us our current site for the past five years for S1.00 per year. With the coming of the new San Jose municipal golf course, we will be moving from our current location. We are currently working with the City of San Jose to fund this relocation effort. The County of Santa Clara is malting a site on Penitencia Creek Road available to us. As an organintion, we must increase our funding_ We have only one paid staff member where other centers treating half the numbers of wildlife we care for have four or five paid staff. Many of our home care volunteers have to pay for the food, medications, and even veterinary costs themselves while they rehabilitate the wildlife. The food and medications alone can cost a volunteer hundreds of dollars a month. Most wildlife centers subsidi a this cost, but we do not have the funds. We are asking each city we service to contribute to funding their proportionate share of our operation. At this time we receive no ongoing financial support. Wildlife Rescue of Palo Alto, which cares for less than 3,000 animals per year, has contracts with the City of Palo Alto and the City of Mountain View to care for their injured and orphaned wildlife. Mountain View pays $12,500 per year for the care of 400 animals. With our projected budget of $131,650, we arc asking the cities to contribute 60% of that budget, or $78,990. Memberships and private donations will fund the other 40% Based on future projections and the number of animals we have received from Los Gatos in the past, we are asking for a minimum yearly contribution of 5% of $78,990, or $3,94950. 2650B SFNTER ROAD - SAN JOSS - CALIFORNIA 95111- 1121 • 408_763.0744 With the transition involving the Humane Society of Santa Clam Valley I believe that our services are more necessary than ever. At present, the Humane Society acts as a twenty-four hour drop off point for many of the wildlife that come into our care. Members of the public drop off these animas and our volunteers transport them the next day to our center. With the potential elimination of this drop off point, it will be incumbent upon our center to set up other drop off and transport locations for the convenience of the public. Our Board of Directors has developed a five year strategic plan as a blueprint for our future course. Phase One involves this move to Penitencia Creek or other site prior to the fall of 1999. In Phase Two, we hope to obtain funding through corporate sponsorships to build a permanent state of the art center. We have spoken with Mr. Norman of the San Jose County Parks, Recreation & Neighborhood Servic s Department about the possibility of obtaining land at one of the planned future San Jose city parks for this new center. I am enclosing copies of our newsletters, some pictures of our "patients,' our brochure, and some copies of news articles about our center. There has been great concern from the public that we might have to cloe our doors_ As a result of the continued oridespread concern, the media have been eontacting us and are planning to do follow-up stories on our fate. To reiterate, the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley is requesting S3,949.50 per year as your contribution to our efforts. I will be happy to provide documentation on animal tallies, budgets or anything else you should require. Very truly yours, Aiee,4 Deborah Champion President, Board of Directors /dlc en: David Knapp, Town Manager Steve Blanton, Town Council Randy Attaway, Town Council Linda Lubeck, Town Council Toe Pirznisld, Town Council U9/14/09 14:34 FAX. 408 270 0777 Champion Law JU1 ee Mayor Jan Hutchins Town of Los Gatos 110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 Dear Mayor Hutchins: July 30, 1999 ATTACHMENT 2 Past -rim Fax Note 7671 On February 22, 1999 our organization sent requests for funding to the eight major cities we serve. We had been providing our services free of charge for the past Rive years but, being underfunded and understaffed, it was necessary to request financial participation from the cities We have now received notification that Saratoga, Cupertino, Campbell, Santa Clara and San Jose will be providing funding for us, and we win continue to provide wildlife services for them. Many of the cities were under the misconception that the Hwnane Society cared for the wildlife. This is not so. The Humane Society acts as a drop off site and holds the animals until our volunteers can transport them to our center. Effective September 1, 1999, our Board has elected to eliminate free services to those cities (Milpitas, Los Gatos and Sunnyvale) who have chosen not to pay for our services. We regret that this step must be taken but without the necessary funding, we will need to reduce the number of wildlife we care for so as not to reduce the quality of care. Our Humane Society transport volunteers will be instructed not to transport wildlife from these c'itiei to our center. You will need to contact the Humane Society to make arrangements for the wildlife that is dropped off at their site. The citizens from Milpitas, Los Gatos and Sunnyvale will be told that our funding request was denied and that, unless they are a member of our organization, they will need to take the animal somewhere else. Unfortunately, the only other two wildlife centers in our area, one in Morgan Bill and one in Palo Alto, do not have the capacity to take the animals from these cities. Again, we regret that this step is necessary but without your financial support for our services, it is a step that must be taken. Deborah Champion President, Board of Directors cc: David Knapp, Town Manager Steve Blanton, Town Council Randy Attaway, Town Council Linda Lubeck, Town Council Joe Pitzniski, Town Council 2650B SENTER ROAD • SAN JOSE - CALIFORNIA 95111- 1121 • 408.283.0744 September 15, 1999 Mayor Jan Hutchins and Los Gatos Town Council ATTACHMENT 3 Dear Mayor Hutchins, Vice -Mayor Blanton, Mr. Attaway, Mr. Pirzniski and Ms. Lubeck: Thank you for agreeing to place our funding request on the agenda for the September 20, 1999 council meeting. I am enclosing a copy of our original February 22, 1999 request for funding, our letter of July 30, 1999, some of our newsletters and brochures, news articles about our center, and the press release for the 1993 closing of the entire wildlife department of the Humane Society of Santa Clara Valley. Captain Tom Belt of the State Department of Fish and Game recently wrote to each of you and I am enclosing a copy of his letter in case you did not receive it. He addresses the issue that there is no state funding for wildlife rehabilitation and the constraints on his staff in dealing with wildlife. There has always been a need for an organization to care for injured and orphaned wildlife, just as there has been a need to care for injured and unwanted domestic animals. Prior to 1993, the Humane Society of Santa Clara Valley was paid for, and provided, all of those services. Unfortunately, they closed their entire wildlife department in 1993 due to budget cuts. Although volunteers formed The Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley and continued to provide services to the cities and their citizens, no ongoing funding was established to pay for these services. Attempting to provide rehabilitation to almost five thousand animals per year through memberships and donations alone resulted in the organization being severely understaffed and underfunded. This was the first year that our organization requested funding for our services from the eight major cities we serve. We now have agreements with seven of the eight cities to provide wildlife services for the fiscal year July 1, 1999 through June 30, 2000. We hope to provide these services to Los Gatos as well but we cannot do so without the nominal funding requested. As explained in my February 22, 1999 letter, approximately 5 % of our animals come from Los Gatos, so the request of $3,949.50 was based on that. A full 80% of those animals come from within the town limits. The others may come from Los Gatos addresses in county pockets, but it would be difficult to determine whether a bird originated in the town and then flew to the county pocket or vice versa. Again, thank you for your consideration of this issue. Encls as noted Very truly yours, g/e4740/ Deborah Champion President, Board of Directors 2650B SENTER ROAD • SAN JOSE • CALIFORNIA 95111- 1121 • 408.283.0744 103 Paseo Laura Los Gatos, CA 95032 408-356-1223 September 10, 1999 Mayor Jan Hutchins Town of Los Gatos 110 E. Main St. Los Gatos, CA 95030 Dear Mayor Hutchins: ATTACHMENT 4 OFFICE OF THE SEP 13 1999 °14vnp TOWN Cn► in/r I am pleased to learn that the Town Council will reconsider the funding for the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley. The abundant wildlife is part of what makes living in Los Gatos so enjoyable. Even where I live, we have racoons, foxes, possum, squirrels and many birds. I have had occasion to call on the Wildlife Center more than once to give me advice and assistance on caring for injured or lost wildlife. I believe the Wildlife Center is very important to the Town residents, and we should pay our fair share to fund it. We should not expect other communities to shoulder the financial burden. I urge you to vote to fund the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley at the next Council Meeting. Very truly yours, Luvonne S. Stewart 103 Paseo Laura Los Gatos, CA 95032 408-356-1223 September 10, 1999 Mayor Jan Hutchins Town of Los Gatos I I 0 E. Main St. Los Gatos, CA 95030 Dear Mayor Hutchins: OFFICE OF THE SEP 151999 wRAVnR R TOWN Cni I want to thank you for allowing the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley to make a second presentation to the Town Council. This is not atypical non-profit organization. This is an organization of volunteers who have taken over a service which was dropped by the Santa Clara County Humane Society and are attempting to spread some of their costs evenly among the communities served. Our Town needs to support their efforts. I encourage the Council to recognize the importance of this endeavor by funding their fair share. Sincerely, David L. Towle SEP-07-1999 15:51 SCU AUDUBON P.02 Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society Los Gatos Town Council 110 E. Main Los Gatos, CA 95030 Dear Honorable Council Members, Sept. 7, 1999 I am writing on behalf of the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society (SCVAS), to request that you revisit the issue of funding for the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley (WCSV) by putting it on your next council meeting agenda. WCSV provides a critical service to the community through their care and rehabilitation of injured and orphaned wildlife. They have a dedicated staff and group of volunteers but they cannot afford to operate without contributions from the cities whose areas they serve. Here at SCVAS, we receive many calls from both our members and the public, who want to know where to take an injured or orphaned bird. Without WCSV, many of these creatures would probably have to be euthanized, and this would be a terrible loss and very upsetting for the individuals involved. 'By law, individuals are not permitted to do wildlife .. rehabilitation without a permit, so concerned citizens could not even attempt it on their own. To my knowledge, there are no other wildlife rescue services in the area of Los Gatos. I understand that all of the other cities in WCSV's service area have already contributed on behalf of their communities. Please find a way to make a contribution on behalf of the City of Los Gatos, and make compassion for wild animals and birds part of your community ethic. It is a small price for the wonderful and essential community service provided by this dedicated group. . Leda Beth ;ray Chapter Manager, Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society 22221 McClellan Road Cupertino, CA 95014 Phone 408 • 252 • 3747 Fax .408.252.2850 TOTAL P.02 State of California - The Resource ,ency DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME http://www.dfg.ca.gov POST OFFICE BOX 47 YOUNTVILLE, CALIFORNIA 94599 (707) 944-5500 September 10, 1999 Mayor Jan Hutchins and Los Gatos Town Council 110 East Main Street Los Gatos, California 95030 Dear Mayor Hutchins and Town Council Members: GRAY DAVIS, Governor OFFICE OF THE SEP 1 3 1999 *4,avnR R. TOWN CnitM,.. It has come to my attention that the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley (WCSV) has requested financial support from the cities in which it provides service. As the California Department of Fish and Game Wildlife Rehabilitation Coordinator in the Central Coast Region of the State, I would urge your support of this request. This is because the Department of Fish and Game does not provide funding for any of the wildlife rehabilitation organizations in California. Since the beginning of this century, the Department of Fish and Game has been a State department which has been funded primarily through hunting and fishing activities. In recent years, State propositions have passed that have provided additional funding for specific purposes but no monies have ever been established for wildlife rehabilitation. While the Department has been given the responsibility from the State legislature to manage wildlife in California, the Department does not have the personnel or budget to respond to the myriad number of calls or requests from the public about sick, injured, or orphaned wildlife. To respond to this ever increasing need, the Department has issued a limited number of permits to organizations which, under strict conditions, provide this service. The conditions are in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding that WCSV has signed. The organizations are largely made up of unpaid volunteers who work out of their homes and rehabilitation centers to provide this service. In the case of WCSV, many of the volunteers not only volunteer their time, they also donate monies to pay for food and wildlife enclosures. You might be interested to know that there are approximately 30 wildlife rehabilitation organizations in the 15 counties that make up the Central Coast Region of the State. Together, these organizations respond to literally thousands of calls a year. I 0,044,e,,,v,;41 14/:LitZte, c4,..ce- 19'10 Mayor Jan Hutchins and Los Gatos Town Council September 10, 1999 Page Two can assure you that this is a valuable service and one the Department could not begin to respond to. In the case of WCSV, they received nearly 5,000 animals in 1998 ranging from opossums to deer. This does not take into consideration the large number of calls from citizens who have concerns or complaints about wildlife. If you have any specific questions about wildlife rehabilitation in California or about WCSV, please feel free to contact me at (707) 944-5544. Sincerely, 40L Tom Belt Captain Central Coast Region OFFICE OF THE SEP 1 5 1999 Vnn) A, T/1wj rn1f` JA- AAA t;:ti �t tom- 761 ,(.61 7L7/1" Zer oA.14-7 /1/2 4-- 1-e4 6L/ /2141-7( -4A a4214, Siic.t;A) AiLy /1/t-A-Li /eaw /&Pat'lL. -/2&1144. . (kif /z) 6t6 61A)J �-- ,14J /.11.1/D