Kansas City pays KC Pet Project more than $2M per year for animal control — for now
Four years after taking over Kansas City’s animal control services, KC Pet Project might lose its contract with the city.
The organization’s agreement for animal control with the city is set to expire at the end of April.
The city council is revisiting the contract after a man was mauled to death by a pack of dogs in south Kansas City in November. For months prior, KC Pet Project had known of dangerous dogs in the area where the attack occurred, documents show.
Amid the uncertainty, KC Pet Project’s CEO, Teresa Johnson, stepped down from the role Friday, Dec. 13, after 13 years on the job.
KC Pet Project took over animal services for the city in 2020, after applying in 2018 along with one other organization. The nonprofit has run the city’s animal shelter since 2012.
Kansas City Manager Brian Platt has until mid-January to investigate bringing animal control under city control again and present his findings to the city council.
To understand the details of the current agreement, The Star obtained the 2020 contract and 2024 extension through open records requests.
How much is KC Pet Project paid?
KC Pet Project receives approximately $6,000 a day to run the animal services division, according to the city’s 2020 estimations. The breakdown of costs is as follows.
First contract extension: $2,186,370 for services from May 2022 through April 2023
Second contract extension: $2,230,097 for services May 2023 through April 2024
Third contract extension: $2,274,699 for services from May 2024 through April 2025
When animal control was city-run, it cost slightly more per year: $2,301,814, according to a 2019 presentation.
What are the requirements for KC Pet Project as a city animal control contractor?
The organization has to abide by a number of performance metrics for emergency response times, customer satisfaction, animal cases filed and media requests, according to KC Pet Project’s 2020 contract with the city.
Those requirements include that 90% of top priority calls should receive a response in 20 minutes, and all of them in 30 minutes. Examples of top priority calls include:
Persons in danger
Animal in immediate danger
Urgent medical care needed
Animal in a secured vehicle, which the city called “Hot Dog”
Animal fighting or intentional cruelty in-progress
Assist Public Safety agency in commission of their assigned duties
Bite to person (animal not contained)
Exigent circumstances: gunshot wounds, stabbings, broken bones, serious open wounds, visibly injured/trapped animal
In addition, KC Pet Project is required to follow industry standards from the National Animal Care and Control Association.
What did the initial transition process look like?
Until 2020, animal control was operated as a city department with 23 employees, according to a 2019 presentation. This included 13 animal service officers with four vacancies.
In 2020, the city and KC Pet Project began a three-month transition process to move animal services operations from the city to KC Pet Project.
KC Pet Project staff shadowed city animal services employees, moved equipment, met with community stakeholders and government departments, and completed a trial run operating the department.
What services and equipment does KC Pet Project use as a contractor?
KC Pet Project’s animal services division employs at least 21 people, according to the organization’s website. The staff includes 15 animal services officers, a manager of animal cruelty investigations and compliance, a chief of animal services, and an unknown number of dispatchers and animal services supervisors.
KC Pet Project took over 18 vehicles as part of the organization’s contract with the city.
Do you have more questions about municipal services in Kansas City? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
