The City of Austin Animal Services Office (ASO) and the Financial Services Department (FSD) have joined forces to launch a community survey aimed at gathering valuable feedback on animal services priorities. This initiative is a crucial step in shaping ASO’s upcoming strategic plan and ensuring that animal services align with the needs and expectations of the community.
In 2023, the City Auditor’s Office and the National Center for Animal Shelter Evaluations conducted reviews of ASO, identifying misaligned departmental goals and issues with stakeholder engagement and alignment. One of the City Auditor’s recommendations was for the Chief Animal Services Officer to work with stakeholders to develop, implement, and monitor a strategic plan.
To address these recommendations, ASO, FSD, and third-party facilitator Dr. Larry Schooler have launched the assessment phase of the strategic planning process. This phase includes external partners and stakeholder interviews, staff and volunteer listening sessions, reviewing previous audits, documents, surveys, and reports, analyzing and reviewing data, and identifying best practices from similar animal services organizations.
„We are excited to work with the community, key stakeholders, and the Animal Advisory Commission to create a strategic plan that best serves the community of Austin. This collaborative effort will produce a working plan,“ said Stephanie Hayden-Howard, Assistant City Manager.
The community survey and additional information about the planning process are available at publicinput.com/asoplan2024. The survey will be active from July 17 to August 14, 2024.
Austin Animal Center serves as the municipal shelter for the City of Austin and unincorporated Travis County. In 2011, the Austin City Council passed a resolution to increase the shelter’s live outcome rate to the national no-kill standard of 90%, which was later increased to 95% in 2019. The shelter has consistently met or exceeded this rate but has faced challenges in recent years, such as restricting intake due to declining adoptions.
The Financial Services Department provides a range of services to support the financial management of the city. The Budget and Performance Team within FSD plays a key role in providing the annual budget, supporting the creation of the citywide strategic plan, and offering process improvement and consulting services to City departments.
Dr. Larry Schooler, a former manager of the City of Austin’s public engagement division and current assistant professor at the University of Texas Moody School of Communication, will serve as the facilitator for the strategic planning process. His expertise in public engagement and strategic planning will be invaluable in guiding ASO and FSD towards developing a comprehensive and effective strategic plan for animal services in Austin.
