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City gets zero bids for animal control

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By LAURA KINSLER

lkinsler@tampatrib.com

Published: November 14, 2009

ZEPHYRHILLS - City leaders spent months debating whether to cut ties with Pasco County Animal Services, but all the hand-wringing and split votes turned out to be for naught.

The city council voted 3-2 to privatize animal control services. But when the deadline passed Friday afternoon, not a single bid had been submitted.

Local trapper Tim Wilcox, who openly campaigned for the job, opted not to bid.

City Manager Steve Spina said Wilcox came to City Hall on Thursday and told officials he was reconsidering because of the extensive job description spelled out in the request for proposals.

"I guess this puts an end to it - unless the council wants to put it out for bid again," Spina said. "I would advise them that if they want to post it again, the RFP needs to be tweaked."

Council members began exploring options for animal control services at the urging of Councilman Manny Funes, who complained about the poor level of service from Pasco County.

Although Funes wanted to hire Wilcox as a city employee, the council voted instead to consider privatizing animal control services and put the job out for public bid. The request for proposals was posted on the city's Web site since Oct. 23.

Neither Wilcox nor Funes could be reached for comment.

Wilcox earns about $1,200 a year trapping wild chickens and feral cats for the city. He attended council meetings and gave interviews pledging to provide comprehensive animal control for $38,000. He said his figure included the cost of running a shelter and adoption program, veterinary services, euthanizing animals and disposing of their remains.

Pasco County is charging the city about $42,000 this year.

Spina had expressed reservations about the council's direction. "I wasn't opposed to the idea of putting it out to bid," he said. "But I was leery of a single person getting the bid."

Councilman Lance Smith doesn't consider animal control a dead issue. "We still need to work on it, for sure," he said. "The service we're getting from the county is not satisfactory. We need to work with the county to do something to get better response."

Reporter Laura Kinsler can be reached at (813) 259-8109.

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