After months of speculation and limited public information regarding a potential Contra Costa County takeover of Antioch Animal Services, county officials say discussions never advanced beyond an initial exploratory conversation.
According to Contra Costa County Animal Services Director Ben Winkleblack, Antioch approached the county late last year to explore the possibility of contracting with the county. However, no formal proposal has been presented, and significant analysis remains necessary before any decision can be considered.
The discussions began under former Antioch City Manager Bessie Marie Scott and former consultant Brian Addington.
“Antioch approached Animal Services last year to explore options for Antioch to contract with Contra Costa County Animal Services,” said Winkleblack. “There was a single meeting where we toured the shelter and met some of the staff to better understand what they were requesting.”
Following that meeting, the county requested operational statistics and budget information to evaluate whether such an arrangement would be feasible.
“We requested that they send over statistics and budget information so we could evaluate their operation to establish if the operation would scale and be a viable option for all parties,” Winkleblack explained. “Much of that information was sent to us while we were working on our own budget development, and we have needed to focus on that and closing out the fiscal year.”
The possibility of a county takeover became public during Antioch’s April budget discussions when city staff identified contracting out Animal Services as one option to help reduce the city’s budget deficit. Budget documents projected a potential savings of approximately $2.84 million by Fiscal Year 2027.
Since then, little information has been publicly shared regarding the status of those discussions.
At the May 13 Antioch City Council meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Don Freitas acknowledged the lack of information, stating that the council did not know where discussions stood and had little knowledge of what was occurring between city staff and the county.
Complicating matters further, an email sent May 20 by Antioch Finance Director Dawn Merchant informed county officials of Antioch’s city manager transition and that Addington was no longer with the city.
According to Winkleblack, no additional action has been taken since.
Before any proposal could move forward, county officials say they must first determine whether a takeover would make financial, operational, and animal welfare sense. Key questions still needing evaluation include:
- Service levels and community needs
- The true cost of operations under full staffing
- Differences in local ordinances
- Intake capacity and shelter processes
- Antioch Police Department calls versus Animal Services Officer calls
- The role and impact of nonprofit organizations assisting Animal Services
- Other operational variables affecting service delivery
Winkleblack said much of the available information still requires further analysis.
“Based on the data received, we never had a chance to fully make sense of it,” said Winkleblack. “Antioch often has to restrict intake.”
He added that county staff are still trying to determine the actual level of need within the community, noting that significant information gaps remain.
“We are still trying to understand the true need for the community because the data isn’t fully available, and we’re filling in a lot of blind spots,” he said.
Winkleblack emphasized that no proposal has been provided to the Antioch City Council because no proposal currently exists.
“Anything like this has to make sense, both financially and from an animal welfare standpoint,” he said. “We are in this to benefit the lives of animals, and overextending ourselves doesn’t benefit the animals.”
He also cautioned against assumptions that the county could automatically provide the same services for less money.
“It’s unfair to say the county could do the same job for less money—or even the same money—because there are many different variables at play,” Winkleblack said. “We don’t yet know whether a takeover would benefit the county, the City of Antioch, or the animals being served.”
Addressing rumors circulating online, Winkleblack stressed that both agencies share the same goal.
“There is a lot of misinformation on social media and online, but both agencies are trying to do right by the animals,” he said. “If something doesn’t make sense, we can’t move forward.”
Editors Note:
Given the county contract costs with the City of Concord ($1.5 million) and City of Richmond ($1.4 million), it appears Antioch was looking to determine if a similar contract would save the city more than a million dollars in its budget by going to a contract.
Via the Contra Costa County budget, as approved by the County Board of Supervisors, here is service costs by County Animal Service for each city.
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