21-19 Ordinance Amending Chapter 5 Various Articles: Responsible Animal and Pet Ownership Care and Control Regulations

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Filed in Clerk's Office Bill NO JUL 0 2 2019 KAREEMAH FOWLER CITY CLERK,SOUTH BEND,IN ORDINANCE NO. AN ORDINANCE OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA,AMENDING VARIOUS ARTICLES AND SECTIONS OF CHAPTER FIVE OF THE SOUTH BEND MUNICIPAL CODE, GENERALLY KNOWN AS THE RESPONSIBLE ANIMAL AND PET OWNERSHIP CARE AND CONTROL REGULATIONS, BY UPDATING ENTITY NAME DEFINITIONS,LICENSE REQUIREMENTS AND FEE REGULATIONS STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND INTENT Since 2016, the Animal Care and Control Division of the Department of Code Enforcement has continued to excel in services that save and enhance the lives of animals in our community. Animal adoption has soared from 261 placements in 2016 to 652 in 2018. Pet licensing has grown to 1,671 licenses issued in 2018, an increase of almost 1,000 more than were sold in 2016. The staff has embraced a culture of community care that has driven up to these indicators of success. The City wishes to rename and rebrand this Division to signal its continued positive direction. To best reflect the mission and vision of animal services on behalf of the City of South Bend, this ordinance updates various Articles and Sections of Chapter 5 of the South Bend Municipal Code: Responsible Animal and Pet Ownership Care and Control Regulations. These amendments are appropriate to reflect this change in mission, vision, and name, as follows: • The mission of the South Bend Animal Resource Center("SBARC") is to prevent animal cruelty and abandonment by promoting responsible, caring and compassionate attitudes towards animals. • SBARC's vision is to serve the South Bend community with programs and services that improve the welfare of animals. With the motto "Open Door— Open Heart", SBARC offers resources for animal care, supplies, education, leisure, and training. Additional amendments to the ordinance incorporate best practices for customer service, budgeting, and animal welfare personnel management.The proposed changes to Chapter 5,Article 4 improve the service delivery of licensing to further grow the number of licensed pets and increase the reunification of lost pets with owners. Updates to Article 8, Sec. 5-110 will allow the Department to better prepare an annual budget that is responsive to City spending, community needs, and innovations in animal welfare. The changes allow for a regular and routine review of fees through the various touchpoints of the budget process including Division, Department, Mayoral, Financial, and Council accountability, as well as review by the public Animal Welfare Advisory Commission. Finally,revising the job description for the SBARC Manager will provide