Palm Coast staff say expanding animal control countywide would require five more employees; municipalities want separated cost estimates
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Summary
City staff told the joint workshop expanding Palm Coast animal control services countywide would add five personnel and specialized vehicles; commissioners and council members asked staff to separate shelter operating costs from animal-control-only costs and to provide 1-officer/vehicle estimates for budgeting.
City staff presented a separate programmatic proposal at the Jan. 29 joint workshop showing what it would take for Palm Coast to expand animal control services across unincorporated Flagler County and potentially to other municipalities.
Staff said expanding countywide coverage would require adding five full-time positions (three full-time animal control officers and two administrative technicians) to Palm Coast’s current complement of three officers and two technicians. The initial certification for animal control officers is a state requirement and involves a 40-hour training course offered by the Florida Animal Control Association, staff said.
The city’s analysis showed annual intake and field data with a disproportionate number of cats contributing to shelter pressure. Staff used a population-per-capita formula from national humane-society guidance to apportion shelter costs; animal-control costs were proposed to be apportioned by both population and square miles requiring coverage.
Multiple elected officials asked staff to separate the shelter-operating costs from the law-enforcement/animal-control-only cost so municipalities such as Flagler Beach and Bunnell can decide whether to participate in centralized control without taking on shelter operating expense. “I don't know that this is much of a decision for the city of Palm Coast. I think it's more, you know, for the other municipalities in the county, obviously,” one council member said.
Staff agreed to provide refined cost scenarios, including the cost of adding one animal control officer and one vehicle and scenarios for two start dates (Oct. 1 and April 1) to accommodate budget timing. Staff also said the RFI for nonprofit shelter operators will include information about how much private fundraising respondents could bring to operations, which will be a factor in final budgets.
Council and commission members raised implementation questions about vehicle lead times, certification/training lead time, volunteer and inmate-labor models (the Putnam model uses inmate labor in part), and whether the county alone coming on board would produce sufficient revenue to sustain the Flagler Humane Society’s operations if contracts change. Staff said the RFI and follow-up analyses would clarify staffing mixes and operating-cost responsibilities.
The boards directed staff to prepare the requested breakdowns and to return with RFI materials and cost estimates for the next joint meeting and for budget planning.
