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Animal Care Services June 2, 2026 Page 3 • Implement a public information campaign on how to use the Animal Shelter. For example, concerned citizens should observe a litter of outdoor kittens before immediately taking them to the shelter, as the mother cat may be temporarily away hunting. • Adopt an Ordinance prohibiting cat-colony feeding to reduce the unintended impacts of attracting other wildlife to the food source, such as coyotes. • Adopt a Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) program for cats with no-cost spay and neuter services. • Consider additional veterinarian staff at the Zoo to be available for both no-cost and low-cost spay and neuter services. Staff is currently assessing each of these options to develop specific plans and recommendations to control costs over time. City staff evaluated several options to provide animal shelter care services. It was determined that continuing to contract with Orange County Animal Care is the most cost-effective way to provide this legislatively required service to the City. As part of our due diligence, Police Department staff contacted surrounding shelters and organizations. The Police Department determined that no other shelter has the capacity to address Santa Ana's animal care needs. The shelters/organizations that were contacted include: • City of Irvine, CA • City of Long Beach, CA • City of Seal Beach, CA • Orange County Humane Society • Priceless Pet Rescue • Mission Viejo Animal Services Additionally, and by way of comparison, the City of Anaheim's City Council approved their agreement for animal care services with the County for 26-27 fiscal year with a cost of$5,788,082, plus 10% contingency. The City of Irvine, provides their own animal care services, titled Irvine Animal Care Center, which has an allocated FY 26-27 budget of $5,934,335. The City of Santa Ana's total projected cost for the FY 26-27 budget cycle including City staff cost, vehicles, expenses, and agreement with the County is $4,735,659. Animal Shelter Services Agreement The proposed five-year animal care services agreement will begin on or about May 31, 2026, with an estimated cost of $21,193,695. The agreement shall not exceed five years, with no provision for extension, and shall terminate May 30, 2031. The estimated total cost does not include potential inflation adjustments and is solely based on the projected cost of$4,238,739 for the 2026-2027 fiscal year (Exhibit 3). The County may