City Got Little Service from PAWS Veterinary Contract

The City of San Angelo contracted with Concho Valley PAWS for veterinary services in early 2018.  The February 20, 2018 City Council background packet stated:

Due to the City's need of veterinary services to spay, neuter and rabies vaccinate adoptable pets, we desire a contract with Concho Valley PAWS to facilitate these services. Before you today is such an agreement which will expedite the delivery of spay/neuter procedures as well as rabies vaccinations. 

We currently contract with PAWS to provide adoption services which includes coordinating off-site rabies vaccinations, spaying and neutering of adoptable animals. Such services are coordinated based on availability of local veterinarians at varying rates for those services.

Concho Valley PAWS recently contracted with one or more veterinarians to render these services on-site at the animal shelter at a consistent rate. PAWS will provide a veterinarian licensed by the Texas State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners on-site at the shelter as needed to provide services to include 1-2 weekly visits as well as Saturdays for surgeries. 

Council approved the arrangement by a 6-1 vote.  How has PAWS performed under the veterinary services contract?  Not as promised.

The PAWS veterinarian conducted spay/neuter surgeries for three months in 2018.  PAWS altered 87 pets, which is 29 spay/neuters per month on average.  They billed the city in May, June and July of 2018 for spay/neuter surgeries.  No invoices have been submitted under the contract since last summer. 

Twenty months after approving the arrangement the city received services for only three months.  That's PAWS performance under its existing contract with the City of San Angelo for veterinary services.

Update 12-12-19:  City staff recommended donating Animal Shelter equipment to "an organization that can utilize them and further serve this community."  The equipment is an adoption trailer and veterinary surgical equipment purchased for spay/neuter surgeries.  The proposal does not mention PAWS contract with the city for spay/neuter surgeries and why the equipment remains unused 22 months after Council approval.   It also does not state why it chose PAWS over other area animal organizations, some who offer low cost spay/neuter clinics for the public.

Update 12-21-19:  City Councilwoman Billie DeWitt asked about the PAWS veterinary contract in regard to a spay/neuter budget amendment for community cats.  Staff said the PAWS vet contract did not cover community cats.  The city's PAWS contract was for spay/neuter services for shelter animals.  Community cats are shelter animals.  There is only one reason for the PAWS vet not to be doing these surgeries.  There is no PAWS vet performing the contracted service.

Update 4-29-20:  The new Adoption Services RFP has been posted on the city's website.  It fails to address spay/neuter surgeries for shelter animals.