REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
December 16, 2025
FROM
LUTHER SNOKE, Chief Executive Officer, County Administrative Office
JOSHUA DUGAS, Director, Department of Public Health
SUBJECT
Title
Waiver of Animal Care Pet Adoption Fees
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Find that waiving the Animal Care pet adoption fees to $0, where fees are $10 for cats/kittens and $20 for dogs/puppies, as shown in Attachment A, through June 30, 2027, or until the allocation in the amount of $30,000 is exhausted, whichever comes first, serves a public purpose by promoting the adoption of animals and providing for the social service needs of county residents by helping remove barriers to adoptions.
2. Direct the Director of the Department of Public Health to waive the Animal Care pet adoption fees in relation to Recommendation No. 1.
3. Authorize the Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector to post the necessary budget adjustments to the Department of Public Health’s 2025-26 budget, as detailed in the Financial Impact Section (Four votes required).
(Presenter: Joshua Dugas, Director, 387-9146)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Promote the Countywide Vision.
Operate in a Fiscally-Responsible and Business-Like Manner.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The cost of waiving the Department of Public Health’s (DPH) Animal Care pet adopted fees ($10 for cats/kittens and $20 for dogs/puppies) will be covered by a $30,000 allocation from the Community Concerns Reserve, effective through June 30, 2027, or until the allocation is exhausted, whichever occurs first.
This item authorizes the Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector to post the following adjustments to the Department of Public Health’s budget for 2025-26:
|
Cost Center |
Commitment Item / GL |
Description |
Action |
Amount |
|
9300001000 |
40758305 |
Fee Ordinance - Animal Licenses |
Decrease |
$30,000 |
|
1000 |
37008312 |
Fund Balance-Committed-Community Concerns Reserve |
Decrease |
$30,000 |
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Since 2020, DPH has seen a steady increase in the intake of stray, surrendered, and abandoned animals. Possible reasons for the increase in animal intake include the continually rising cost of pet food and medical care. Although private adoptions have increased, the intake of animals has exceeded these adoptions, emphasizing the need to find homes for them as quickly as possible.
DPH continues to hold events to encourage the adoption of cats and dogs, and partner rescue groups remain a substantial resource for animals, as well. However, the significant increase in animals entering the shelter calls for additional measures to be taken.
On September 12, 2023 (Item No. 17), the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved DPH to waive the combined private adoption, spay/neuter and vaccination fees associated with cats and dogs which reduced the fees to $10 for cats/kittens and $20 for dogs/puppies, through June 30, 2024. The services covered by the fee waiver were funded by an allocation of $150,000 from the Community Concerns Reserve. The success of this program was evident, with DPH completing over 1,200 adoptions within the first nine months.
On June 25, 2024 (Item No. 52), the Board extended the previous combined private adoption, spay/neuter and vaccination fees associated with cats and dogs through June 30, 2026, or until the previously approved allocation of $150,000 from the Community Concerns Reserve was exhausted, whichever came first. As of November 2025, $74,970 of the $150,000 allocation is available and is anticipated to be exhausted by June 30, 2026.
On April 8, 2025 (Item No. 64), as part of the fiscal year 2025-26 County Fee Ordinance, the Board approved the reduced combined private adoption, spay and neuter, and vaccination fees funded with Discretionary General Fund. Specifically, the Board adopted the following reductions: (1) reduced cat/kitten adoption fees from $15 to $10; (2) reduced spay and neuter fees for cats/kittens and dogs/puppies from $40 and $55, respectively, to $0; and (3) reduced cat and dog vaccination fees from $10 to $0.
Approval of this item will further waive the private adoption fees to $0, currently at $10 for cats/kittens and $20 for dogs/puppies, resulting in no costs for residents throughout the county through June 30, 2027, or until an allocation of $30,000 Community Concerns Reserve is exhausted, whichever comes first. This investment is intended to promote the adoption of animals, provide for the social service needs of county residents by helping remove barriers to adoptions, and help approximately 1,700 animals find a new home.
This item must be approved by the Board under County Code section 16.0231(a).
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Julie Surber, Principal Assistant County Counsel, and Daniel Pasek, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on November 19, 2025; Public Health (Shannon Bailey, Division Chief, and Jennifer Mulhall-Daudel, Strategy and Business Development Officer, 387-9146) on November 18, 2025; Auditor-Controller/Treasurer/Tax Collector (Charlene Huang, Auditor-Controller Manager, 382-7022) on November 21, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Iliana Rodriguez, Administrative Analyst, 387-4205) on November 26, 2025.