Aurora animal shelter proposes seasonal staff, volunteer restructure and equipment replacements in 2025 budget review

Camille Devore, Aurora’s animal control manager, told the Aurora Finance Committee on Oct. 23 that the department plans a combination of staffing changes, equipment replacements and a retooled volunteer program in the proposed 2025 city budget.

Devore said the shelter is replacing an informal volunteer system with a structured program, implementing a new shelter software called Chameleon, and adding two seasonal staff whose duties will focus on animal enrichment and socialization. “Our goal obviously is to give the best care possible to these animals,” Devore said.

The restructured volunteer program follows a temporary suspension after staff found the previous process lacked structure. Devore said the department has been using overtime and existing staff to cover tasks such as walking and socializing animals while the volunteer program is rebuilt. She told the committee the seasonal hires are intended to prevent dependency on volunteers: “volunteers aren’t staff members, they’re not paid. So there were times where they wouldn’t show up for a full week…those seasonal staff are gonna kinda fill in those gaps,” she said.

The department also proposed several equipment replacements and upgrades to reduce disease risk and improve daily operations. Devore said two industrial washers at the shelter are more than eight years old and require frequent repairs, and that the shelter uses a power washer daily to clean kennels and floors. She told the committee an industrial washer and dryer are needed because the current home-model washer was purchased refurbished and is not sanitizing at the required temperatures.

Staffing proposals include hiring an assistant animal control manager to supervise, train and develop kennel staff; increasing hours for two part‑time kennel maintenance workers (to reduce overtime and provide consistent shift coverage); and increasing hours for three part‑time front-desk animal control clerks to reduce missed phone calls and improve customer service. Devore said two seasonal hires will be limited to about 1,000 hours per year and that age limits for volunteers will be 18, with 16‑ and 17‑year‑olds allowed only when accompanied by an adult.

Devore gave current shelter statistics: roughly 200 animals on hand at the time of the meeting (about 120 cats and about 50 dogs), roughly 1,600 animals cared for so far this year, and an expectation to reach about 2,000 for the full year. She said the shelter is on track to double transfer numbers compared with earlier years and reported the highest number of animals reunited with owners since 2019.

Committee members asked for further details about spay/neuter services and wildlife response. Devore said the shelter currently does free microchipping and some low-cost veterinary services but does not currently run free spay/neuter clinics because past partner clinics had pulled back. Alex Alexander, the city’s chief management officer, clarified the city’s wildlife policy: the city no longer responds to wildlife calls in private attics or garages; the policy and a list of private trappers are on the city website. Alexander said the city will continue to pick up deceased animals on public property.

What happens next: the proposals were presented for committee review as part of the broader 2025 public facilities budget discussion. No formal budget vote occurred during this meeting. The committee adjourned by motion at the end of the session.