The City of Hastings will soon be issuing a Request for Proposals for Animal Housing Services for the City.
Members of Hastings City Council discussed and received updates during their Monday business session on the negotiation process with Heartland Pet Connection, which has provided animal shelter services to the city since the shelter was established in 2004.
The existing agreement, for which the city pays Heartland Pet Connection $52,000 per year, was last renewed on January 28, 2013.
The RFP search came after city staffers first negotiated contract terms with an attorney representing Heartland Pet Connection.
Board members would approve the RFP process at a future meeting.
Police Chief Adam Story had been leading the negotiations for the city since the spring of 2021.
City Attorney Clint Schukei said the RFP process is not an indictment of services provided by Heartland Pet Connection. He also said council’s ability to make the decision was not circumvented by city staff.
“I don’t really think there was a problem with the services that were provided,” Schukei said. “It’s just that it’s a service that other people have expressed a desire to provide. After 20 years, it’s hard to say it’s not appropriate to find out what else is out there.
Kevin Johnson, director of public services and acting city administrator, said going out to tender doesn’t rule out Heartland Pet Connection. It just gives the possibility for other refuges to be included.
He said that in his five years with the city, he had heard multiple requests from council members to seek more deals on a variety of items.
Board members expressed a desire to be kept informed during the negotiation process.
“My whole question about it was that we hadn’t heard anything about it and all of a sudden we’re going to be bidding on it,” Councilor Ginny Skutnik said.
Johnson said it was an operational services agreement. Operational service agreements can be negotiated by department heads and presented to the board.
Story said all of the city’s department heads have gone through the request for proposals process in which nomination proposals are submitted to the council for approval.
He brought the contract negotiation and RFP process to the board business meeting because of the context involved and thought it was important to talk about it.
According to a draft RFP presented during the working session, the duration of the agreement will extend from January 1, 2023 to September 30, 2028.
The City of Hastings delivers an average of 480 animals per year to the current animal service.
There are four criteria that the successful contractor must be able to meet:
- Provide a copy of the current animal shelter license application and license issued by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture.
- Provide a copy of the current Veterinary Care Plan required by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture inspector.
- Maintain an accurate log of all animals, their current and past status (impounded, claimed, adopted, or euthanized) and make the logs available to city staff during normal business hours.
- Each October, provide an annual report that includes the number of animals cared for by species and the costs (revenues) associated with housing those animals.
Penny Pratt, founding member of Heartland Pet Connection, Tara McDaneld, board member, and Jenny Theesen, director of the shelter, attended the working session.
Pratt provided a history of Heartland Pet Connection’s relationship with the city.
There were discussions on Monday about responsibility for fees Heartland Pet Connection collected from individual pet owners for boarding services.
Pratt said the previous city administration allowed Heartland Pet Connection to keep that fee instead of increasing the amount the city paid to the shelter.
“They provided services to us for years and there were never any qualms about the services they provided,” Story said.
Also during the meeting, LeAnne Doose, public information officer for the town of Hastings, presented a plan for a regularly updated document on major town projects. The frequency and content of the document are still being adjusted.
Johnson also provided an update on employee job openings and operational reviews. He said the status of the Director of Development Services, Deputy City Administrator and Citywide Director of Security will be suspended until new City Administrator Shawn Metcalf begins work in Hastings. .
Christ Yoder
