Palo Alto Animal Shelter To Stay Open, Despite Budget Troubles
PALO ALTO (KCBS) – Palo Alto leaders have decided against a staff recommendation to close the city's animal shelter over budget issues, instead backing a plan to keep the facility open by raising revenue and cutting costs.
The city of Palo Alto was faced with the prospect of closing its Animal Services Center on East Bayshore Road after a decision last year by Mountain View to opt out of its partnership.
KCBS' Anna Duckworth Reports:
Palo Alto Chief Financial Officer Lalo Perez said it put a huge hole in the general fund.
"We provide services to a couple of surrounding communities. One of them decided that they needed to move on to a different agency," said Perez. "That is going to cost us about a $470,000 loss in revenue."
Alternate proposals brought forward include eliminating four positions, using volunteers to staff the center's shop, forming partnerships with other cities and extending spay and neuter clinic hours to raise revenue.
"It looks like we can accomplish some of the services that we have for about half of the cost," said Perez.
The city council's Policy and Services Committee has called to implement the changes needed to save the shelter by the fiscal year 2013, which starts on July 1.
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