It is recommended that the City Council:

1. Ratify the application for and acceptance of a grant from Better Cities for Pets National Grant Program
    in the amount of $50,000.00;

2. Waive the impostion of any indirect costs in lieu of the City of Fort Worth's in-kind match to this grant;
     and

3. Adopt the attached appropriation ordinance increasing estimated receipts and appropriations in the
    Grants Operating Other fund in the amount of $50,000.00.

The City of Fort Worth has implemented a Neighborhood Improvement Strategy that identifies:

- Neighborhood assets and deficits,

- Strategies that lead towards improving community vitality and assesses their impacts on residents,

- Opportunities for targeted public investment that will improve safety, aesthetics and quality of life for
   neighborhoods

The City has already undertaken initiatives in the Cavile Place/Stop Six and Ash Crescent neighborhoods.  The Animal Welfare Division of Code Compliance wants to do their part by emulating a Pets for Life program to provide pet wellness resources to residents in past and future targeted neighborhoods around the City. The program focuses on one-to-one contact, neighborhood events, and door-to-door outreach. The approach is about having conversations with people about their pets in a helpful, friendly, and non-judgmental way. Its about getting the resources to them. This approach will be quite different from how these citizens have been approached in the past by animal welfare workers, and will require training for participants both in the classroom and on the street.

This is a new initiative for the Animal Welfare Division. The goal of the program is to target residents who, along with their pets, live in neighborhoods that are recipients of improvement strategies.  Many of the pets in these neighborhoods have gone without mainstream veterinary care. In order to minimize time and costs associated with handling stray pickups, dog bites, treatment for diseases, owner and non-owner surrenders, the Animal Welfare Division of Code Compliance will provide free services (vaccinations, spay/neuter surgeries, micro-chipping, responsible pet ownership information and other services) up front in order to reduce the need for City animal services in the targeted neighborhoods where citizens cannot afford proper animal care.

The Animal Welfare Division will be working with community partners that will assist with low cost spay/neuter and vaccines, and provide advice for pet care to pet owner in this neighborhood.

While this grant does not cover indirect costs, it also requires no cash match. Therefore, waiving the indirect costs (in the estimated amount of $2,543.00) serves as the City's contribution to the initiative.

This contract will be with a governmental entity, state agency or public institution of higher education: The United States Conference of Mayors.