HomeMy WebLinkAbout02. Additional Information to Aug 21 Media Advisory 08.29.13_______________________________________________________________
City of Bakersfield ● City Manager’s Office ● 1600 Truxtun Avenue
Bakersfield ● California ● 93301
(661) 326-3751 ● Fax (661) 324-1850
Alan Tandy ● City Manager
Additional Information Related to
City of Bakersfield Media Advisory dated 8/21/13
The City of Bakersfield recently announced that we will be implementing an
independent animal sheltering operation, separate from the County of Kern.
Since that time, we have received a number of communications protesting our
decision, most of which pertain to a petition that was placed on
www.change.org.
It is unfortunate that the author of the petition started such an effort without
properly researching or objectively checking the facts and the actual
circumstances. The current lease between the City and the County is simply
expiring on its termination date; the County is not being evicted.
After careful consideration of all the circumstances, the City has determined
that our best course of action is to separate our operations from the County and
provide our own enhanced care for the animals in our charge. Improvement of
the animals’ care was one of the primary reasons for our decision, contrary to
many of the statements that are circulating.
The facts are as follows:
On April 24, 2013, Kern County unilaterally terminated a free 40-year land
lease with the City of Bakersfield, with the full intention of starting their own
shelter in a warehouse, separate from the City.
The City of Bakersfield, after a period of time and negotiation, voluntarily
agreed to a one-year lease term that included a provision to increase its
payments to the County by 119% in order to provide time to negotiate a
permanent “one stop shop” for citizens in the metropolitan areas.
A concept was agreed upon to construct side-by-side facilities, with a
joint reception area for the public. That plan required a two-year
extension of the one-year lease agreement to provide time for
constructing the facility.
_______________________________________________________________
City of Bakersfield ● City Manager’s Office ● 1600 Truxtun Avenue
Bakersfield ● California ● 93301
(661) 326-3751 ● Fax (661) 324-1850
The City sent the County a draft, with suggested revisions, of the proposed
extension agreement on May 3rd. Three and a half (3½) months passed
without a meaningful response from the County on the draft contract.
Many attempts were made by the City towards various County officials to
elicit a response from them.
The 12-month lease expired on June 30, 2013; it included a three-month
extension provision, with an expiration date of September 30, 2013. After
3½ months of attempting to obtain clarity from the County as to their
intentions, the City notified them to vacate the current shelter, giving
them six weeks notice from the expiration date.
The petition referred to above inaccurately states, “Without warning or
consultation with its citizens, the City of Bakersfield, California, has ordered
the Kern County Animal Control Shelter to relocate from City property by
October 1st.”
The facts are that the County was aware of the term of the lease,
including the expiration date, when they signed it 14 months ago. It was
the County’s inaction that allowed it to expire by going 3½ months
without a single counter proposal. The City’s notice provides the County
an option for an additional extension to December 1, 2013.
Our plan is to contract with the SPCA for the operation of the City Shelter
to assure the best possible care for the animals. We are also contracting
with the Bakersfield Homeless Center to provide much of the labor for the
facility. This plan is a socially conscious effort that will provide meaningful
work to those in need, while assisting our goal of providing improved care
for the animals we are responsible for sheltering.
The City of Bakersfield does not intend to be unreasonable during this transition,
and that is why we have offered the County of Kern additional time, through
December 1, 2013.
We view this situation as an opportunity to make a positive change that will
allow us to develop new and meaningful partnerships in our community, and,
most importantly, to begin providing a higher level of care for the animals under
the City’s care.
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