Memorandum
City of Lawrence
City Manager’s Office
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TO: |
Diane Stoddard, Interim City Manager |
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FROM: |
Brandon McGuire, Assistant to the City Manager |
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CC: |
Mark Bradford, James King, Casey Toomay |
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DATE: |
May 29, 2015 |
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RE: |
Update on Recommended Code Changes for Animal Housing Facilities and Commercial Boarding Kennel Licensing |
Background
This memorandum provides background on the City’s efforts over the previous months to develop changes to the City Code related to fire safety at animal housing facilities and business licensing requirements for commercial boarding kennels. Accompanying this memorandum are two reports: a report on boarding kennel business licensing and the regulatory system for boarding kennel operators, and a report on the City Fire Code pertaining to animal housing facilities.
Following the incident at the Christal K-9 boarding kennel on November 29, 2014, the City Commission expressed two primary concerns regarding the City’s role in regulating boarding kennels. First, the City Code requires a commercial boarding kennel license, but that requirement is not currently enforced. Second, the requirements for fire prevention systems at animal housing facilities set forth in the Fire Code may not result in the level of fire protection that the community desires. The Commission instructed city staff to research local and State regulations of animal boarding kennels for problems, gaps, and any other changes that the City may need to make in order to improve the safety of animals in animal housing facilities. The Fire Medical Department, Animal Control and the City Clerk’s Office conducted the research and reported back to the City Commission on the December 16, 2014 City Manager Report. After receiving that update, the Commission directed staff to develop specific revisions to the City Code, engage the relevant business stakeholders to develop buy-in for those changes, and present the changes to the Commission for consideration and adoption if appropriate.
The reports on boarding kennel business licensing and Fire Code requirements for animal housing facilities were presented to stakeholders. The reports include recommended changes to the City Code.
Ø The first recommended change is to adopt a local amendment to the Fire Code that would establish additional fire monitoring and prevention system requirements for animal housing facilities. Animal housing facilities is an all-encompassing term that includes animal hospitals, kennels, pounds, and mercantile or business occupancies with animals.
Ø The second recommended change is to eliminate the commercial boarding kennel licensing requirement from the City Code. While this may seem counterintuitive in light of recent emergency incidents, the accompanying report explains the background on this issue and details the State’s regulatory system for the animal services industry.
A stakeholder meeting was conducted on March 6, 2015 and city staff attempted to invite every business that appeared to board animals in Lawrence, particularly boarding kennels and veterinarians. The meeting was well attended and productive in educating the business operators on the recommended code changes and gaining their buy-in for the recommendations. The attached follow-up communication, sent on March 16, 2015, was provided to respond to questions staff received from the stakeholders.
City staff was approached by the Douglas County Veterinary Medical Association (DCVMA) and invited to attend its April 25, 2015 symposium on emergency preparedness and response planning. City staff presented the recommended code changes to this group, addressed the members’ questions, and received the group’s buy-in for the code changes.
Action
Staff is presenting these reports and recommended code changes to the City Commission as an update and to receive direction on the appropriate next steps.
Addendum: Update on Public-Private Efforts
Successfully preventing emergencies involving animals, and effectively responding to emergencies when they do occur, requires public, nonprofit and private participation. The DCVMA symposium included local veterinarians, local and regional animal response teams, a fire/smoke monitoring systems expert, Douglas County Emergency Management, and City staff from the City Manager’s Office and Fire Prevention Division. The group’s goal was to identify and address gaps in the community’s ability to respond to emergencies involving pet animals. Despite the tragic nature of the May 25th Pet World incident, improvements in the community’s ability to respond to animal needs during emergencies was demonstrated. The DCVMA network was activated and members of that group arrived at the incident and successfully aided Fire personnel by coordinating animal care at the scene. This level of coordination and response was not available just a few months ago, and it is the result of the efforts of Lawrence Douglas County Fire Medical and the DCVMA.