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Chino approves renaming and expansion of West End animal services JPA; ARC to welcome Montclair and San Bernardino County areas
Summary
The City Council unanimously approved an amendment to the West End Animal Services Agency joint powers agreement to rename it the Animal Resource Center of the Inland Empire (ARC) and to admit the city of Montclair and specified unincorporated areas of San Bernardino County, changing cost shares and voting proportions among members.
The Chino City Council voted unanimously on Jan. 21 to approve an amendment to the West End Animal Services Agency joint-powers agreement to rename the agency and to admit two additional members: the city of Montclair and certain unincorporated areas of San Bernardino County. The council also authorized the city manager to execute related document changes.
The agency’s new name, selected by the JPA board, is the Animal Resource Center of the Inland Empire (ARC). JPA leadership told the council the name was chosen to be more community-facing than the previous name. The JPA board approved the change on Jan. 16 and asked member agencies to ratify it.
Membership and financial shares: with the new members, the JPA’s fiscal-share and voting percentages will change, staff said. The distribution presented to the council was: City of Ontario 58%, City of Chino 28%, City of Montclair 10% and unincorporated San Bernardino County 4%. Chino’s board representation was not reduced; Mayor Pro Tem Curtis Burton will continue as Chino’s representative and vice chair on the JPA board.
Operations and timing: JPA staff and the agency’s executive director briefed the council on operational steps. The JPA has secured a temporary facility in Ontario, hired an architect and is seeking construction bids for the temporary location. Executive Director Glenn Thacker (introduced during the meeting) said the JPA expects to start construction in February, reach roughly 80% completion at the temporary site by June 1, and be ready to begin trainings and operations there in the summer. He estimated annual intake for the full center at between 4,000 and 7,000 animals.
Staffing and contracts: the JPA reported it has begun hiring leadership and will onboard several positions in February; vehicle orders for animal-services units were reported as in process. The JPA said the city’s current contract with Inland Valley Humane Society (IVHS) for sheltering runs through July 1, giving the new agency until then to become operational and to complete the transition.
Board and next steps: the council approved an item to admit Montclair and the county area, to accept the renamed agency title and to authorize the city manager to execute necessary agreement amendments and related documents. The motion (moved by Mayor Pro Tem Burton, seconded by Councilman Lucio) passed unanimously.
Council and staff noted volunteer and nonprofit work will support the ARC; staff said the JPA plans to create a nonprofit partner to manage volunteers, foster programs and fundraising. Council members asked staff to review service-level metrics after the first year and to verify that cost shares remain aligned with demand.
