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Fountain Valley renews contract with Orange County Animal Care, citing 24/7 services and cost efficiencies
Summary
Council approved a five‑year renewal with Orange County Animal Care after police and OC Animal Care staff outlined 24/7 field response, sheltering, and veterinary services; staff said in‑house animal-control services would be costlier and divert public-safety resources.
Police Lieutenant Robert Cortez presented staff's recommendation to renew a five‑year contract with Orange County Animal Care for field services, sheltering, licensing and related animal-control functions. Cortez emphasized the 24/7 nature of OC Animal Care's response and the agency's capacity to provide coordinated regional services that would be difficult for a small city to replicate in‑house.
Cortez described the operational benefits and cost predictability of contracting regionally and noted that cities participating in the campus invested in the Tustin facility when it was built roughly a decade ago. OC Animal Care Director Monica Schmidt and Operations Manager Jamie Link joined the meeting to answer questions about services, coyote outreach and how the agency handles investigations and quarantines.
Cortez said alternative options—standing up an in‑house animal-control program—would require substantial upfront investments (staffing, vehicles, kennels, training) and could reduce 24/7 coverage and increase liability and administrative burden. Council voted 5–0 to renew the contract.
