City staff presented a draft 2025–2030 strategic plan for the City of Austin Animal Services Office at the Travis County Austin Animal Advisory Commission meeting on Jan. 13, 2025, and commissioners and members of the public urged clearer performance measures, dedicated budget discussions and protections for the city's 95% live-release target.

The staff presentation was led by Susana Carvajal, Assistant City Manager, with Don Bland, Chief Animal Services Officer, and Audrey Munz, Budget and Performance Manager. Carvajal said community input shaped the plan: “Their valuable input has shaped the creation of ASO's draft strategic plan.” Munz told the commission that 2,041 people responded to the public survey used during the assessment phase and described the plan framework, which contains six focus areas: humane care, spay and neuter, open intake, live release, public health and safety, and staff and volunteers.

Why it matters: commissioners and advocates said the plan's goals are substantial but will require funding, clearer metrics, and next-step guidance to become actionable. Several public speakers asked the commission to schedule regular budget briefings tied to the plan and to add or clarify measures for intake and live release so the public can track progress.

The plan is intended as a five-year, living document that staff will finalize for design but not change in content before the commission's February discussion. Staff said they expect to bring the plan to City Council in March for consideration and adoption; implementation would begin after council action.

Key details

- Scope and process: Munz said the planning process began in spring 2024, used seven workshops facilitated by external consultant Dr. Larry Schueller and included working-group and planning-team members drawn from staff, volunteers and partner organizations. The working-group and planning-team lists were read at the meeting and include representatives from Austin Pets Alive, Austin Humane Society, volunteers and Animal Services staff.

- Measures and tracking: Munz and staff emphasized that each goal in the plan has measures, targets and strategies. Commissioners asked that percentage measures be accompanied by raw counts. Commissioner Herrera requested that measures include the numeric base behind any percentage so the public can judge scale and significance. Staff confirmed that data used in prior reports include base numbers and that staff will work to ensure clarity on measures and targets.

- Open intake and budget concerns: Multiple speakers pressed staff to clarify how open intake would be measured and funded. Public participant Pat Vas Reyes (introduced herself as a community advocate) requested that the commission add recurring agenda items to examine budget implications and timelines for reopening full intake without increasing euthanasia. At least one member of the working group and other public speakers asked for monthly budget briefings tied to the plan.

- Live-release requirement: Public speaker Susie Chase, identifying herself as a District 10 constituent and an employee at Austin Pets Alive, urged that the plan explicitly preserve the City Council–mandated 95% minimum live-release rate adopted in 2019. Chase said, “You will never build community trust if you do not include this language in the strategic plan.” Staff did not propose changing council policy in the presentation; they said any recommendations that would alter policy would be brought to the commission and the council for consideration.

- Implementation and scope: Don Bland summarized focus-area strategies including additional training on animal behavior, expanding low-cost spay/neuter services, collaborating with partners to divert animals from shelter intake, pursuing a new data-management system and conducting staffing and equipment analyses. Staff said the plan calls for reviewing policies, processes and regulations as part of implementation, but that any policy changes would go through the commission and council.

Public feedback and next steps

Speakers asked for improved customer service and clearer intake metrics. Kayla Murray described a December VIP adoption that she said was made difficult by shelter procedures and the shelter’s online sign-in process, AddAPet, and recited a staff remark in the intake area: “you know this dog was just returned for behavior. Right? And he cannot be around cats or small dogs because of his prey drive.” Murray urged additional customer-service training and a usability review of the AddAPet process.

Pat Vas Reyes and others asked the commission to host focused budget discussions in future meetings so the commission and community can understand how the plan's goals will be funded. Staff responded that assistant city managers will work on bringing budget presentations to future commission meetings. Staff also said the city maintains a continuity-of-operations plan for disasters and that Animal Services has an existing disaster plan.

The commission will formally discuss the draft plan at its February meeting and may forward recommendations to City Council. Staff said they will not alter plan content prior to the February discussion but will finalize the plan’s visual design. Upon commission recommendation, the plan is tentatively scheduled for City Council consideration in March.

Ending

Commissioners praised the breadth of stakeholder engagement but reiterated that turning the plan into measurable outcomes will require added clarity on metrics, monthly budget discussions and explicit language if the commission or council wants to preserve or change city policy such as the 95% live-release target.