OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Eloy City Council Work Session on Animal Shelter and Control Study - March 23, 2026

Meeting Portal — Monday, March 23, 2026
BodyEloy, Arizona
SessionMeeting Portal
DateMonday, March 23, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:11:26

Transcript — Verbatim
0:17

If everybody's gonna talk, can you please talk into the mic so we can hear you back there at home?

0:24

Thank you.

0:28

Yes, teacher.

0:31

Michelle, we couldn't hear you.

0:33

You couldn't hear me.

0:34

Oh, I know you heard my people.

0:36

Let me go in that back room so I can hear you.

0:39

I think all that the out.

1:12

I'm not gonna answer.

1:22

I play the thing.

1:23

I don't know what you're talking about, but I please.

1:36

I know you talk about Gracie.

1:46

Nobody can talk to you, so I'm very used by the I'm just going through all the messages.

2:02

Check your text messages about a week ago.

2:16

Okay.

2:36

I'm not sure.

2:37

Uh mayor.

2:39

It's five o'clock.

2:51

I mean I wrote for the code.

3:51

Yeah.

4:30

Good evening.

4:31

Welcome to the Eloy City Council.

4:34

Work session for this evening.

4:36

Today is Monday, March twenty-third, and the time is approximately five PM.

4:41

Madam Clerk, may I have a roll call, please?

4:44

Councilmember of Aldraska.

4:46

Here.

4:47

Councilmember Curtis.

4:48

Here.

4:49

Vice Mayor Twingo?

4:51

Here.

4:52

Councilmember Schneider.

4:54

Here.

4:55

Councilmember Garcia.

4:56

Present.

4:57

Councilmember Golindo.

4:59

Here.

5:00

Mayor Sutton.

5:01

Here.

5:02

Okay, can we all please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance?

5:27

Thank you, everybody.

5:30

Okay, tonight's work session is about animal control and options that we're going to explore here in the city.

5:37

So I'm gonna put off the unscheduled public appearances till the end.

5:42

We want to be sure we get all the information as much as possible so we can try to craft what we're gonna do here.

5:50

So with that, we'll go to section number five, discussion items.

5:54

Presentation and discussions on the city of Eloy Animal Shelter Needs Assessment and Animal Control Study.

6:03

Who is presenting?

6:08

Thank you, Mark.

6:08

Uh yeah, I can kick it off.

6:10

So I believe first up, we are going to have the consultant from the shelter planners of America.

6:15

They're going to come up, they coordinated with our police department uh over the last several months to conduct a study of what it would look like to integrate uh animal control shelter back into the city of Eloy, what those costs would be and the necessary uh positions as well.

6:29

So thank you.

6:30

Uh my name is Michael Barnard, uh principal at Shelter Planners of America.

6:36

Um mayor, uh Vice Mayor, City Council members, uh city staff, thank you for uh entrusting us to do your needs assessment, and thank you for having us come out and explain it.

6:49

So we appreciate your time this evening.

6:53

Uh we have a relatively short agenda.

6:56

Hopefully, this is uh not more than maybe 15 or 20 minutes of formal presentation.

7:02

Just gonna introduce the firm, uh, speak a little bit about what we consider modern animal shelter design goals, then the findings of the needs assessment study, and then open it up for questions.

7:15

Shelter Planners of America is the most experienced animal shelter design firm in the nation.

7:20

We've worked with over 750 different animal shelter groups.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Animal Welfare█████████████████████████████████████████████74%
Procedural█████9%
Personnel Matters█████8%
Capital Improvement Planning██3%
Engineering And Infrastructure█2%
Budget Equity Analysis█2%
Public Safety█2%
Summary of Proceedings

Eloy City Council Work Session: Animal Shelter Needs Assessment and Animal Control Study

On March 23, 2026, the Eloy City Council held a work session to discuss the results of a needs assessment and animal control study conducted by Shelter Planners of America. The presentation highlighted the current conditions, projected costs, and operational options for a new or renovated animal shelter. Council members and staff debated the adequacy of the current contract with Pinal County, the need for improved response times, and potential hybrid solutions. The council directed staff to initiate renegotiations with Pinal County and explore a range of options, with a target date of July 30, 2026, for presenting recommendations.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were taken; the mayor postponed unscheduled public appearances to the end of the meeting, but the meeting adjourned before that could occur.

Discussion Items

  • Presentation by Michael Barnard (Shelter Planners of America): Barnard presented the firm's findings, including a 10,000-square-foot facility costing between $4.1 and $5.3 million, annual operating costs of $650,000–$700,000, and staffing needs of six positions. The current contract with Pinal County costs $75,000 annually but provides limited service (one part-time officer, unmet demand). The study used a 2.58% animal intake-to-human-population ratio and projected future growth.
  • Council and Staff Discussion: Councilmember Galindo expressed that the current service is inadequate, especially for after-hours and weekend animal control calls. Councilmember Curtis supported a hybrid approach: renegotiating with the county while exploring a smaller shelter remodel and city-employed animal control officers. Chief of Police noted operational challenges, including limited officer availability and the need for dedicated staff. Councilmember Golindo emphasized the importance of building relationships with the community through city-employed officers.
  • Historical Context: Councilmember Galindo noted that the city previously operated a shelter but closed it due to high euthanasia rates. The current contract with Pinal County was originally intended to provide a full-time officer, but that has not been delivered.

Key Outcomes

  • Council Direction: The council directed staff to renegotiate with Pinal County to explore options for enhanced services, including the possibility of a dedicated animal control officer and expanded shelter capacity. Staff will also develop a hybrid model that could include a remodeled city shelter and city-employed officers.
  • Timeline: Staff will report back to the council with a set of options by July 30, 2026.
  • Next Steps: The city manager, in coordination with the police chief and Captain Jerome, will form a working group including Pinal County and local rescue groups to evaluate solutions.

Meeting Transcript

If everybody's gonna talk, can you please talk into the mic so we can hear you back there at home? Thank you. Yes, teacher. Michelle, we couldn't hear you. You couldn't hear me. Oh, I know you heard my people. Let me go in that back room so I can hear you. I think all that the out. I'm not gonna answer. I play the thing. I don't know what you're talking about, but I please. I know you talk about Gracie. Nobody can talk to you, so I'm very used by the I'm just going through all the messages. Check your text messages about a week ago. Okay. I'm not sure. Uh mayor. It's five o'clock. I mean I wrote for the code. Yeah. Good evening. Welcome to the Eloy City Council. Work session for this evening. Today is Monday, March twenty-third, and the time is approximately five PM. Madam Clerk, may I have a roll call, please? Councilmember of Aldraska. Here. Councilmember Curtis. Here. Vice Mayor Twingo? Here. Councilmember Schneider. Here. Councilmember Garcia. Present. Councilmember Golindo. Here. Mayor Sutton. Here. Okay, can we all please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance? Thank you, everybody. Okay, tonight's work session is about animal control and options that we're going to explore here in the city. So I'm gonna put off the unscheduled public appearances till the end. We want to be sure we get all the information as much as possible so we can try to craft what we're gonna do here. So with that, we'll go to section number five, discussion items. Presentation and discussions on the city of Eloy Animal Shelter Needs Assessment and Animal Control Study. Who is presenting? Thank you, Mark. Uh yeah, I can kick it off. So I believe first up, we are going to have the consultant from the shelter planners of America.

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