Animal Center gets interim leaders to help with five-year improvement plan

The city is moving forward with new leadership at Austin Animal Center, following a memo from city manager T.C. Broadnax announcing the appointment of an interim leadership team. As of last week, Rolando Fernandez took over as interim chief animal services officer, bringing nearly two decades of city government experience to the role.

Melissa Pool was named interim chief administrative officer, and Juany Torres is serving as strategic plan project manager. Jason Garza, who had been serving as acting chief, returned to his position as deputy chief animal services officer.

These leadership changes follow the retirement of former chief animal services officer Don Bland, who officially stepped down from the position effective May 9. Bland had been placed on paid administrative leave in early March, and while city officials did not publicly share the reason, his departure marked the culmination of years of controversy surrounding his leadership.

During his tenure, Bland faced criticism from community advocates and the Animal Advisory Commission, which in 2022 issued a vote of no confidence. Commissioners cited ongoing concerns about overcrowding, misreporting of shelter data, and deviations from the city’s no-kill policy. Bland also faced scrutiny over management of the stray hold ordinance and communication with the public and partner organizations.

The leadership team is working to implement improvements tied to a strategic plan that was adopted by City Council in March. The five-year plan aims to address longstanding challenges and enhance animal welfare services in the city.

It focused on six key areas: humane care, spay and neuter services, open intake, live release, public health and safety, and staff and volunteer support. The plan outlines specific goals and strategies within each area to improve the quality of care for animals, increase the availability of spay and neuter services, ensure timely intake processes, enhance adoption and rescue rates, promote public education on animal-related issues, and strengthen the support system for staff and volunteers
In the near term, the Animal Services Office is also preparing for the rollout of a new shelter management software system that is scheduled to go live May 5. The new system will replace outdated software first implemented in 2007, with improvements aimed at streamlining data management, fostering operations transparency, and improving tracking of animal care costs.

To support staff training and data migration, Austin Animal Center will limit services on April 23, April 30, and May 5. Urgent intake and reclaim services will remain available on those dates, though adoption services will be temporarily suspended.

Separately, at Thursday’s meeting City Council is scheduled to vote on an amendment extending the city’s interlocal agreement with Travis County for the provision of animal services in unincorporated areas. The revised agreement would run through September 30, 2025, and include an increase in funding for spay and neuter services. It would also update several exhibits tied to billing, performance reporting, and equipment inventory which continues a longstanding partnership that has existed in some form since 1985.

Photo by SteelMaster Buildings made available through a Creative Commons license.

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