MISSION VIEJO : City Severs County Animal Control Pact

Severing its ties with the county’s Animal Control office, the City Council last week voted not to renew its contract with the agency.

Instead, as the city prepares its own animal shelter, stray pets will be taken to the Irvine Animal Care Center after the county pact expires on June 30.

In the interim, the city will hire an animal control officer and outfit a truck to patrol Mission Viejo streets by July 1.

About a dozen supporters of the Mission Viejo shelter project attended the council meeting last Monday. They applauded the council’s decision to become independent of the county.

“This is a real emotional issue for people,” said Malora Stockwell, secretary of the Friends of Mission Viejo Animals, a group she said has more than 100 members. A city shelter “can give better costs and better service to Mission Viejo.”

However, some members of the audience questioned whether the city can afford to construct and staff a shelter. Land acquisition costs alone are estimated at $1 million.

“I’m concerned with the big numbers that were thrown out” at a previous council meeting, said Gary Manley, chairman of the Citizens Action Committee, a local political group.

Resident Ted Olsen told the council that it would be “foolhardy to cancel (the county contract) if we don’t have somewhere to go.”

City officials said that housing the city’s stray animals in Irvine will be expensive, but they hoped to have the Mission Viejo shelter built by the end of the year.

Mayor Sharon Cody said the city’s program will be patterned after the San Clemente shelter, which is mainly staffed by volunteers.

She noted that a recent meeting to gauge community interest drew about 70 residents.

“I don’t think there will ever be a shortage of volunteers in this community,” Cody said.