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Record of Proceedings

Animal Care Services Meeting: Budget Presentation and Veterinary Resolutions - September 23, 2025

Other Meetings (A-H) — Tuesday, September 23, 2025
BodyIndianapolis, Indiana
SessionOther Meetings (A-H)
DateTuesday, September 23, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 16:07

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Don't know how to pronounce your last name.

0:02

Finn Layson.

0:03

Finn Layson.

0:13

All right.

0:14

Thank you for having me this morning.

0:17

Introducing resolution oh two twenty-five for licensed veterinary services for face for seventy-five thousand dollars.

0:38

I don't have any questions.

0:41

No questions.

0:42

We'll make a motion to vote.

0:44

Yeah, motion motion to approve.

0:47

Second?

0:48

Second.

0:48

Okay.

0:50

All in favor say aye.

0:51

Aye.

0:52

Any opposed, same sign?

0:54

Motion is approved.

0:56

All right.

0:57

Next on the agenda is resolution zero three-25.

1:01

And it's for contracted veterinary services for $75,000.

1:05

And we are very excited to about this one as this is another individual vet coming on staff at least once a week.

1:15

So Dr.

1:16

Tracy Birchfield.

1:19

Is there any discussion?

1:22

I don't have anything.

1:24

No.

1:24

Okay.

1:25

We'll proceed to vote.

1:28

Motion to approve.

1:29

Seconded.

1:30

All in favor say aye.

1:32

Aye.

1:32

Opposed, same sign.

1:35

Motion carries.

1:37

And lastly, is James again with the budget presentation.

1:42

Correct.

1:45

And we will have to do papers since can't seem to connect to the internet.

1:50

So all right, so we'll we'll get started.

1:58

Um do you want to No, I mean, do you want to try my laptop?

2:04

It's on the internet.

2:06

Sure.

2:34

It doesn't want to connect to the share drive is the problem.

2:38

So I can use the PowerPoint or the uh PDF version.

3:38

All right, good morning.

3:40

Again.

3:41

My name is James Finn Layson, the CFO for Animal Care Services.

3:47

And this is the 2026 budget presentation.

3:52

Amanda, feel free to hop in if you'd like to do any part of it, but uh we'll start with the first slide, which you know, is our agency overview.

4:02

We're made up of four different divisions, including shelter placement, medical and operations, which includes our Kennel and Enforcement staff.

4:13

So the agency staffing, this is a little bit out of date, but is pretty accurate.

4:20

Um but we have sixteen open vacancies with seven and a half correct filled.

4:32

We've been very good at hiring this year and keeping people.

4:38

Um so next slide is some of our general demographics, which was as of August first, um, so it won't exactly perfectly match what is current.

5:00

But as you can see, a lot more female managers than male, and I'm you know the salaries are pretty pretty similar in the uh just disbursement is pretty interesting.

5:16

Um next, we are going to our programmatic and fiscal successes for the year.

5:22

Um 2,000 high-risk transfers.

5:26

Um we've been increasing adoptions and moving more animals quickly into homes.

5:32

Our foster program's seen a 27 and a half percent increase as well as our workplace injuries have continued to decline in severity and frequency.

5:46

And then our average 91% live release rate from the previous years, 84%.

5:55

And we're super excited about the new shelter under construction.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Animal Care█████████████████████████████████████████████64%
Budget███████████████████27%
Procedural██████9%
Summary of Proceedings

Animal Care Services Meeting: Budget Presentation and Veterinary Resolutions - September 23, 2025

This meeting of the Indianapolis Animal Care Services board included approval of two resolutions for contracted veterinary services and a detailed presentation of the 2026 budget by CFO James Finn Layson. The agency reported progress on operations, community engagement, and the construction of a new shelter.

Consent Calendar

  • Resolution 022-25: Approved $75,000 for licensed veterinary services with Finn Layson. Unanimous vote (all ayes).
  • Resolution 03-25: Approved $75,000 for contracted veterinary services with Dr. Tracy Birchfield, who will be on staff at least once a week. Unanimous vote (motion carried).

Discussion Items

  • 2026 Budget Presentation: James Finn Layson, CFO of Animal Care Services, presented the agency's budget. He highlighted four divisions (shelter, placement, medical/operations including kennel and enforcement). Staffing: 16 open vacancies with 7.5 filled (as of slight out-of-date info).
  • Programmatic Successes: 2,000 high-risk transfers; adoptions increasing; foster program up 27.5%; workplace injuries declining; average 91% live release rate (up from 84%); new shelter under construction.
  • Community Engagement: New volunteer coordinator; focus on adoption events; field services adopted community-focused model including microchipping; average response time reduced from four days to one day.
  • Future Priorities: Moving into new shelter, expanding volunteer programming, improving data and reporting.
  • New Shelter Details: 234 total dog kennels (182 indoor/outdoor), 80 cat cages, indoor play areas, medical suite, isolation areas, 10 public visitation rooms, puppy kennels, outdoor runs, two-acre barn and pasture, walking path, dog park (managed by parks department). Construction on track for March 2026 completion; aiming for May 2026 move-in.
  • Budget Breakdown: Overall budget decreased by $114,000 (part of citywide cuts). First year as independent agency with reallocation of funds to actual spending areas. Revenue slide noted but no aggressive pursuit. Personnel budget saw small increase (2.6% COLA for all except director, plus health insurance and workers' comp increases). Usable supplies (Character 2) reduced by $100,000; agency seeking grants and efficiencies. Professional services (Character 3) increased by $131,000 (primarily building authority rent). Capital (Character 4) includes vehicle purchases; two funds: consolidated county (95% of budget, tax-funded) and city cumulative (for capital equipment). Character 5 (chargebacks) increased due to OCC charges.

Key Outcomes

  • Both veterinary services resolutions approved unanimously.
  • Budget presentation received; no questions from board. Board moved to adjourn after review.
  • Agency will continue to pursue grant opportunities and efficiencies to offset supply budget cuts.
  • New shelter construction remains on schedule, with move-in expected by May 2026.

Meeting Transcript

Don't know how to pronounce your last name. Finn Layson. Finn Layson. All right. Thank you for having me this morning. Introducing resolution oh two twenty-five for licensed veterinary services for face for seventy-five thousand dollars. I don't have any questions. No questions. We'll make a motion to vote. Yeah, motion motion to approve. Second? Second. Okay. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed, same sign? Motion is approved. All right. Next on the agenda is resolution zero three-25. And it's for contracted veterinary services for $75,000. And we are very excited to about this one as this is another individual vet coming on staff at least once a week. So Dr. Tracy Birchfield. Is there any discussion? I don't have anything. No. Okay. We'll proceed to vote. Motion to approve. Seconded. All in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed, same sign. Motion carries. And lastly, is James again with the budget presentation. Correct. And we will have to do papers since can't seem to connect to the internet. So all right, so we'll we'll get started. Um do you want to No, I mean, do you want to try my laptop? It's on the internet. Sure. It doesn't want to connect to the share drive is the problem. So I can use the PowerPoint or the uh PDF version. All right, good morning. Again. My name is James Finn Layson, the CFO for Animal Care Services. And this is the 2026 budget presentation. Amanda, feel free to hop in if you'd like to do any part of it, but uh we'll start with the first slide, which you know, is our agency overview. We're made up of four different divisions, including shelter placement, medical and operations, which includes our Kennel and Enforcement staff. So the agency staffing, this is a little bit out of date, but is pretty accurate.

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