Title
[Contract Amendment] Professional Services Contract Amendments: Emergency and After-Hours Veterinary Services [Two-Thirds Vote Required]
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FileID
File ID: 2026-01215
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Location
Location: Citywide
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Recommendation
Recommendation: Pass a Motion by two-thirds vote per City Code Section 3.56.230 (E) authorizing the City Manager or designee to: 1) suspend competitive bidding, in the best interests of the City, for off-site and after-hours emergency veterinary services; 2) execute Contract Amendment No. 1 to City Agreement PRC003386 with VCA Mueller Pet Medical Center in an amount not-to-exceed $34,479.59, bringing the total not-to-exceed amount to $259,479.59 for contracted after-hours and emergency veterinary services through August 31, 2026; and 3) execute Contract Amendment No. 1 to City Agreement PRC003981 with VCA Mueller Pet Medical Center in an amount not-to-exceed $250,000, bringing the total not-to-exceed amount to $450,000 for off-site and after-hours emergency veterinary services and extend the contract term through January 31, 2027.
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Contact
Contact: Ryan Hinderman, Interim Animal Care Services Manager, (916) 808-8333, rhinderman@cityofsacramento.org; Jennifer Chikasawa, Program Manager, (916) 808-5851, jchikasawa@cityofsacramento.org; Community Development Department
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Presenter
Presenter: None
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Attachments
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-PRC003386 Contract Amendment with VCA Mueller Pet Medical Center
3-PRC003981 Contract Amendment with VCA Mueller Pet Medical Center
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Description/Analysis
IssueDetail
Issue Detail: Staff is requesting authorization to execute the proposed contract amendments with VCA Mueller Pet Medical Center. Contract Amendment No. 1 to City Agreement PRC003386 with VCA Mueller Pet Medical Center is needed to pay invoices that were submitted by the vendor after the contract term expired. The contract amendment amount of $34,479.59 will bring the total not-to-exceed amount to $259,479.59 for contracted after-hours and emergency veterinary services through August 31, 2026, to pay invoices. Contract Agreement No. 1 to City Agreement PRC003981 with VCA Mueller Pet Medical Center needs to be increased by $250,000, bringing the total not-to-exceed amount to $450,000 for off-site and after-hours emergency veterinary services and will extend the contract term through January 31, 2027.
California Civil Code § 1834 states: “A depositary of living animals shall provide the animals with necessary and prompt veterinary care, nutrition, and shelter, and treat them kindly. Any depositary that fails to perform these duties may be liable for civil damages as provided by law”. If an animal enters The Front Street Animal Shelter (Shelter) and is sick or injured, it must be treated promptly. To comply with this Civil Code, Council approval is required for contract amendments to the existing professional services agreements with VCA Mueller Pet Medical Center to provide, respectively, on-call relief veterinary services and after-hours and holiday emergency veterinary services. The Shelter is classified as a depositary for living animals and therefore bound by California Civil Code.
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PolicyConsiderations
Policy Considerations: City Code Section 3.56.090 requires Council approval to authorize the City Manager to bind the City by contract for purchases that are $250,000 or more. Additionally, a two-thirds vote by Council is required to suspend competitive bidding in the best interest of the city per City Code Section 3.56.230. The recommendations in this report are consistent with Sacramento City Code Section 3.56.
The contract amendments with VCA Mueller Pet Medical Center exceed the City Manager’s approval authority and require approval by City Council per City Code 3.04.020.
Continuing to contract with VCA Mueller Pet Medical Center ensures that the Community Development Department’s Animal Care division continues to comply with California Civil Code § 1834 to provide necessary and prompt veterinary care.
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EconomicImpacts
Economic Impacts: None.
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EnvironmentalConsiderations
Environmental Considerations: Not applicable. This is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it does not have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. (CEQA Guidelines §15061(b)(3).)
Sustainability
Sustainability: Not applicable.
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Commission/Committee Action
Commission/Committee Action: Not applicable.
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RationaleforRecommendation
Rationale for Recommendation: To remain compliant with California Civil Code § 1834, it is imperative that the Shelter has emergency daytime and after-hours veterinarian services when the Shelter veterinarian is not on duty. Although the City currently has 3.0 FTE (full-time equivalent) veterinarian positions, one of the three positions remains vacant due to a nationwide veterinarian shortage. As a result of the shortage, private practices have increased their fees to cover the rising salaries of veterinarians. Subsequently, there is a need to increase the contract amounts of both agreements with VCA Mueller Pet Medical Center to pay outstanding invoices, continue services and pay for the additional costs that the City will incur.
There is only one 24-hour emergency veterinary hospital located within the city limits. The City has had previous successful contracts with VCA Mueller Pet Medical Center dating back to 2013. Ideally, the City would like to contract with at least one additional emergency hospital. Several attempts were made by phone and e-mail to contact other 24-hour veterinary hospitals located in unincorporated Sacramento County and neighboring cities to request contracted veterinary services without success. As a result, staff is requesting a suspension of competitive bidding in the best interest of the City.
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FinancialConsiderations
Financial Considerations: The current contract amounts are not sufficient to meet the operational needs for the current year. Due to the rise in veterinary service costs and the department's inability to fill one vacant veterinarian position, the demand for contract services to provide life-saving and after-hours care to sick and injured animals has increased significantly. The existing budget in the Animal Care division contains limited available funding for ongoing veterinary services. However, the department anticipates generating additional revenue and operational savings during the current fiscal year that are expected to offset the costs associated with both contract amendments. Additionally, there are funds in the F.O.C.A.S (Friends of the City Animal Shelter) account (I13000400) designated to partially fund some applicable veterinary costs and alleviate the impact on the operating budget.
Any future contract amendments will undergo review by department staff and will be contingent upon future fiscal year budget appropriations and savings within the department's operating budget.
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LocalBusinessEnterprise
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): VCA Mueller Pet Medical Center is a qualified LBE.
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