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City of Austin presents five‑year Animal Services strategic plan emphasizing humane care, spay/neuter and open intake
Summary
City staff presented the Office of Animal Services’ five‑year strategic plan, approved by Austin City Council, that sets six focus areas including humane care, spay/neuter expansion, open intake policies, live‑release programming and public health and safety initiatives; the county and city said they will continue ILA coordination.
City of Austin staff presented a five‑year strategic plan for the Austin Animal Services Office to the Travis County Commissioners Court on April 29, describing six focus areas designed to guide operations, shelter environment, spay/neuter access, open‑intake practice and efforts to increase live release rates.
Assistant City Manager Susana Carvajal and interim Chief Animal Services Officer Rolando Fernandez summarized the plan approved by Austin City Council on March 27. The plan’s six focus areas are: humane care; spay and neuter access; open intake capacity and intake support; programs and pathways to increase live release; public health and safety; and staff and volunteer support. Fernandez said the plan contains 18 goals and 63 strategies to be prioritized during implementation.
The plan calls for expanded free and subsidized spay/neuter services for owned animals and targeted clinics for stray or unknown animals, with the city citing partnerships (including county support) and contract clinics such as GoodFix for mobile/spay clinics. The city also plans to expand off‑site adoption events, incentives for rescue partners and to improve shelter environments for animal and staff wellbeing. Staff said StarFlight was present in the briefing to show partnership across agencies. (Note: StarFlight presence was for other agenda items; city presenters emphasized cooperation with county services.)
Commissioners raised capacity and access questions for residents in the unincorporated parts of the county, including how the shelter manages intake when kennels are full and how outreach and clinic schedules will be communicated to county residents. City staff said they are expanding finder‑to‑foster programs, microchip scanning access at community sites, off‑site adoption events, and relaunching a larger internship pipeline to build staff and volunteer capacity.
Commissioners thanked staff and affirmed continued interlocal coordination; the session was informational and required no county action.
