Providing animal control services to councils

Andrew Katers

Abstract

The provision of animal services to councils does not significantly differ to that of providing any other service to a potential or existing customer. The supplying of any service is dependent upon the consumer's needs and wants and the ability of the service provider to satisfy those needs and wants. However, the supply of animal control services to councils within Victoria does take on a consequential challenge as opposed to the supply of most other services. This is predominantly due to animal control being one of the few services that has legislative controls placed upon it by the State Government.

Therefore, not only do service providers need to ensure that the service is of satisfactory quality and appropriate, but also they need to carefully design the service to fit the framework provided by the legislators. This in itself seems to go against the State Government wishes of providing the best possible service at a competitive price to the consumer - the general public. The legislation in its current form tends to support the current monopolistic market rather than the laissezfaire system required to fully reform these services within Local Government.

This is not to say that animal control services cannot be provided to council by the private contractor, but merely to illustrate the environment in which the service must exist.

This paper will examine the difficulties associated in the supply of animal control services, what is necessary in the successful supply of services to councils, why councils may want to keep the service 'in-house', and why councils should consider a private contractor.

About the author

Mr Andrew Katers,

Director,

Municipal Services Pty Ltd,

185 Waverley Rd,

East Malvern, Vic. 3145

Andrew is a director of Municipal Services Pty Ltd, telephone 0 18 366 494, a specialist service provider to Local Government in the fields of regulatory service provision, business planning, strategic planning, management advice, secretarial services, establishment of profit centres (business units), systems analysis (both IT and non IT), specialist temporary staff, and accounting services and advice. Municipal Services is also Australia's leading supplier of specialist animal capture equipment.

Andrew is a Local Government specialist with over 11 years experience working and managing areas within various councils. He also consults to both private enterprise and Local Government on a variety of matters.

Andrew holds a Bachelor of Business in Management and is a member of the Australian Institute of Management and of the Australian Human Resources Institute. He was responsible for the successful introduction and management of a regional pound facility located at the former City of Moorabbin and is author of the Southern Regional Pound Feasibility Study (1991), funded under the Local Government Initiatives Program.

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