CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A comprehensive assessment of the city's Animal Care Services that was scheduled to be delivered to city leaders last November has been delayed. The contract has been extended for another year, and costs have risen by more than $80,000.
The assessment, which is the first of its kind for the department, was commissioned nearly a year and a half ago to protect the community and find solutions to improve animal care operations.
"We know that the Animal Care building and facility was really built for, kind of an impound death chamber as well. So this is for the community as well," said City Manager, Peter Zanoni.
According to city officials, the $145,000 report examines several aspects of the department, including adoption rates, length of stay for animals, response times, and a potential overhaul of its business model.
Citygate Associates, a California-based consulting firm, are conducting the assessment. District 5 Councilman, Gil Hernandez, supports the evaluation.
"We have had issues with Animal Control now for many years now. Sometimes, if doing the same thing over and over again doesn't work, then let's maybe try to look at doing something different," Hernandez said.
While the final report was originally expected in November 2024, the City of Corpus Christi has extended its contract with Citygate Associates for another year. This extension increases the total cost to more than $226,000 and pushes the completion date to December 2025.
City officials noted that this contract extension did not require city council approval because it did not meet the monetary threshold necessary for a vote.
"We'll get the assessment, how it looks, compared to other opportunities there are," Hernandez said.
Citygate consultants are currently meeting individually with city leaders to discuss further recommendations. The plan is to brief council members on the report's status at the end of this month.
KRIS 6 News reached out to Citygate Associates for comment. The firm indicated they would respond, but no statement had been received at the time of publication.
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