http://www.mrtimes.com/issues04/024104/news/024104nn3.html

District toughens SPCA contract

By Tom Barnes

It appears the District of Maple Ridge is going to stick with the SPCA to handle its animal control services.

Late last year the district put out the call for parties interested in capturing the expired animal control contract. But following a review of proposals submitted by two other applicants (one individual and one from a private security firm) the SPCA was again tapped to carry on.

"It was a matter based on the assessment of who could deliver the service and their track record," explained Paul Gill, general manager of corporate and financial services for the district, on why the SPCA was awarded the three-year contract.

Under the new fee-for-service agreement the district will pay the SPCA $19,845 a month to perform a range of animal control services, which include shelter operation, bylaw enforcement, and animal-related complaints from the public.

On top of the monthly disbursements from the district, the SPCA will also collect 75 per cent of the proceeds from animal licenses which is expected to net the SPCA around $75,000 while the district will deposit the other 25 per cent into its own bank account.

Gill says essentially the new contract mirrors the previous agreement the district had with the SPCA. However, he said, this time around the district wanted to ensure taxpayers were getting the maximum bang for their buck.

"The main difference from the previous contract is it didn't talk about service levels and (the district's) expectations," Gill said. "The (previous) contract was quite silent in a lot of areas. This contract has language around that. We're trying to treat this as a fee for service and I underline the service."

To make sure the SPCA is held more accountable, the contract - which is expected to be ratified next week - has two new sections dedicated solely to the role of volunteers and shelter operations.

For example, the district wants to ensure shelter employees are providing "excellent customer service" and has asked the SPCA to provide customer feedback forms that will be reviewed by the district every four months.

What we tried to do is build in solid performance measures. We tried to make it clear what the community expectations are," said Brock McDonald.