HomeMy WebLinkAboutCLD-014-13 Clar-ington REPORT
CLERK'S
Meeting: GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE
Date: April 8, 2013 Resolution#: d-9,2T 1 By-law#:
Report#: CLD-014-13 File#:
Subject: ANIMAL SHELTER MANAGING OPTIONS
RECOMMENDATIONS:
It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee
recommend to Council the following:
1. THAT Report CLD-014-13 be received for information.
Submitted by: Reviewed by:
Pat L.-B,ar, ie Franklin Wu,
Municipal Clerk Chief Administrative Officer
PLB/CAG
CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON
40 TEMPERANCE STREET, BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO L1C 3A6 T 905-623-3379
REPORT NO.: CLD-014-13 PAGE 2
1. BACKGROUND
On February 11, 2013 Council approved the allocation of funds for the proposed
new Animal Services Manager and requested a report from the CAO regarding
supervision options.
Organizationally, the Clarington Animal Shelter has been transferred several times
over the years. In 1988 Animal Services was transferred from the Clerk's
Department to Planning Services and in 1993 it was transferred to Community
Services. In January of 1996 it was then transferred back to the Clerk's Department
where it has remained. The Animal Shelter staff is responsible for providing the
following services: fostering, impounding of animals at large, picking up carcasses,
reuniting animals with families and routine neighbourhood patrol, sheltering and
caring for impounded/surrendered animals, public education and enforcement of
animal related by-laws. Although many of the sheltering services are unique from
the other services provided by Municipal Clerk's Department staff, the enforcement
activities are very consistent with those services provided by our Municipal Law
Enforcement Division. Staff believes that the current reporting relationship of Animal
Services within the Municipal Clerk's Department is appropriate.
Currently the Deputy Clerk is charged with the responsibility of managing the Animal
Shelter. The scope of these duties and on-going daily demands has grown over the
years concurrently with the increased daily demands in the other areas of the
Deputy's duties and responsibilities. These conflicting demands result in the Deputy
Clerk having to be in two places at once in order to fulfil her duties. This is simply
proving to be an extremely challenging prospective given the significant demands on
the Deputy Clerk.
2. CHALLENGES
To effectively assess the options for managing the Animal Shelter activities, it is
prudent to fully understand the current challenges of the work unit. The core
business functions of the Animal Shelter have not necessarily changed, however the
service level demands, legislative demands, and operational challenges have all
increased. The Municipal Clerk had included the position of Animal Shelter Manager
in the Municipal Clerk's Department Budget forecast for more than five years and as
such it is important to recognize that this need is not a knee-jerk reaction to the
staffing shortage issues that were experienced in 2011 and throughout 2012.
a) Health and Safety - The focus of health and safety on the job has always been a
concern, but over the past number of years the focus on health and safety for our
workers, the community and the visitors to the Shelter has become very much
proactive rather than reactive. The shelter environment is very unique and
presents a greater opportunity for risk of worker injury as staff are constantly
working with and handling animals of unknown behaviour. Policies and standard
operating procedures have been implemented with no reasonable means by
REPORT NO.: CLD-014-13 PAGE 3
which to monitor, modify and improve behaviours and ensure consistent and on-
going compliance by staff.
b) Service Levels and Job Expectations — Over the past 10 years the face of
Clarington has changed. Our population has increased by approximately 60%,
and our housing developments are typically on smaller lots with neighbours being
closer. Complaint statistics suggest that people are generally becoming less
tolerant of those issues that bother them and are more persistent for immediate
remedies. As well, staff find that often people who have moved from large urban
centres expect equal service levels from our smaller municipal organization.
With these increased demands and staffing levels remaining status quo, realizing
efficiencies to meet the increased demands is paramount.
Our volume of animal licences has increased by approximately 40% over the past
10 years. This increase in licences indicates the increase in animal population
which transcends throughout all of our animal related services — more animals
means more calls, more dispatches, and more time investigating and following
up. These animal enforcement activities should be managed consistently,
efficiently, thoroughly and in a timely manner to ensure quality customer service
while minimizing risk to the municipality and our residents.
c) Human Resource Issues — Dividing the management duties of the Deputy Clerk
between the work unit at the Municipal Administrative Centre and the Animal
Shelter work unit results in more of a reactive style of management rather than
proactive for the Animal Shelter work unit. There have been a number of long-
term staffing related issues, which have significantly increased in the last few
years. Addressing these issues in a timely manner is difficult as the Deputy
Clerk is not on-site. Quite often, these issues could have been avoided had the
Deputy Clerk been on site to immediately work with the unit in moving forward as
a team. These matters prove to be very time consuming and result in the work
unit struggling to stay status quo rather than moving ahead as an organization.
The shelter has experienced a number of human resource issues and due to lack
of proximity and time constraints, the Deputy Clerk is challenged to effectively
manage the staff to ensure that the work unit is adjusting appropriately to issues
they face to make sure that the work continues to be performed properly, that the
customers are being treated according to expected standards, while facilitating a
harmonious work environment. Instead, the Deputy Clerk can only react to
situations as they arise.
d) Lack of On-Site Management, Leadership and Realization of Vision —
Change for every work unit can be difficult to accept. Our Animal Services staff
is very skilled and knowledgeable in the animal care field. They are animal-
centric, but they are not business- or administrative-centric; a required skill for
higher level decision making which affects the overall operation of the Animal
Shelter. Without on-site management and leadership, the benefits of policy
REPORT NO.: CLD-014-13 PAGE 4
changes, service level changes, or procedural changes are not realized to the
degree they should be.
Our shelter staff has worked very hard over the years to build a positive
reputation in our community. It is a struggle to maintain this reputation given
recent staffing issues, lack of on-site leadership, increased job expectations and
increased workload. To have a manager at the shelter will enable administration
to fully address all concerns expressed above (ie. human resources issues,
health and safety risks, inefficiencies, policies and practices) and, through
dedicated leadership, realize the vision for the Shelter. On-site management will
allow the Shelter to move forward to investigate and implement programs such
as:
• Public education programs in the schools
• Marketing campaigns
• Participation in adoption events
• Implementing volunteer programs
• Extended or modified hours of operation to better serve our clients
None of these programs can be implemented without a manager dedicated to the
development, planning, scheduling, staffing, participation and execution of such
programs, without compromising the other work of the Deputy Clerk.
3. OPTIONS FOR SUPERVISION
The challenges outlined above underscore the necessity for a dedicated staff person
to lead the Animal Services Division team. Additionally, the Municipality's Pay
Equity process identifies effective supervision as providing guidance in directly
helping others in the performance of their work or skill development, including
scheduling/assigning work, providing advice and directions, establishing work
standards, approving the work of others, monitoring work quality and quality
standards, finding, securing and/or reallocating resources, and providing disciplinary
action if necessary. Also, the Manager would be expected to advise and consult
with staff on difficult and/or regulatory cases and undertake the necessary research
to anticipate trends in the animal care and enforcement field to ensure the Division is
meeting the needs of the public now and into the future.
To perform the required duties, the incumbent would require a thorough working
knowledge and understanding of relevant by-laws and provincial legislation (eg.
Animals for Research Act, Health Protection and Promotion Act, Dog Owners
Liability Act, Occupational Health and Safety Act, Responsible Pet Owners By-law,
and Kennel Licensing By-law), training and experience in managing a similar facility,
demonstrated exceptional management and leadership abilities, and above-average
organizational and administrative skills, excellent report writing skills, research and
analytical skills, excellent customer service experience, communication and
REPORT NO.: CLD-014-13 PAGE 5
interpersonal skills to deal effectively with staff, external agencies and the general
public on very sensitive matters, and the ability to climb, lift and move heavy items.
The following outlines are our options for filling this role.
a) Status Quo
As demonstrated above, the growth of the Municipality and increased
demand for service from our residents has placed a strain on the current
operation of the Shelter and the existing reporting structure is not providing
optimal service to our residents, to the staff or to the animals under our care.
The Deputy Clerk has worked diligently with the Division to facilitate
improvements to the operations of the Animal Shelter, including: the
automation of administrative record keeping and enforcement call
dispatching; development and implementation of several operating policies
and procedures; on-going training opportunities; and facility modifications.
Despite these efforts, the challenges continue, and in some areas continue to
escalate.
b) Post and Fill New Position
The option to post, interview and hire into a new position enables the
Municipality to ensure that the candidate who best meets the qualifications
and who is the best fit is hired. Animal Services is an area of expertise quite
distinct from all other business units in our organization. To best serve our
Animal Services staff, our clients and the animals that come into our care, we
must ensure that the manager is skilled not only in managing people but also
is skilled in working with animals and is dedicated to their welfare.
As stated earlier, many of the issues and challenges the Animal Services
Division faces today are not new. Dedicating the necessary management
resources will assist the Division to overcome these issues and move forward
as a unit and as a service outlet.
Dedicating an on-site manager at the Animal Shelter will enable the Deputy
Clerk to focus more on her activities in the Council Services Division including
GPA, Corporate Records Management, Cemeteries, Elections, Lotteries and
Vital Statistics. As with Animal Services, these programs require time to plan,
develop and implement.
REPORT NO.: CLD-014-13 PAGE 6
c) Transfer Supervisor/Manager from Another Work Unit
The staff complement of the Municipality is and has traditionally been very
lean. The administrative complement has been reviewed and it has been
determined that there simply are no other managers or supervisors within the
organization who have the specialized training and knowledge required for
the position, nor are there managers or supervisors who could be relieved of
their current duties to be transferred to the Animal Shelter. To implement
such an option would result in simply transferring the Animal Shelter's
challenges to the work unit being left without a manager/supervisor.
4. CONCURRENCE - Not Applicable
5. CONCLUSION
The Clarington Animal Shelter has proven to be a valuable service to our
community, whether it be the animals that have been reunited with their families, the
lives saved through the sheltering of strays, the families who have found comfort
with their adopted animal, or the complaints resolved to provide for a safe and
harmonious community. As demonstrated throughout this report, achieving these
successes is proving to be extremely difficult without appropriate on-site
management, therefore the hiring of a manager for the unit is essential for the vision
of the Municipality to be realized. Staff appreciate Council's support in moving the
Animal Services Division forward by having approved the necessary funds for this
Manager position in the 2013 budget.
CONFORMITY WITH STRATEGIC PLAN —
The recommendations contained in this report conform to the general intent of the
following priorities of the Strategic Plan:
Promoting economic development
X Maintaining financial stability
X Connecting Clarington
Promoting green initiatives
Investing in infrastructure
Showcasing our community
Not in conformity with Strategic Plan
Staff Contact: Patti L. Barrie, Municipal Clerk
List of Interested Parties: None