Houston PetSet is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to ending the homelessness and suffering of companion animals and elevating their status in society. Houston PetSet works to achieve its mission by focusing its efforts in six key impact areas including spay & neuter, transport & rescue, community service & education, cruelty prevention, research, and advocacy. In addition, Houston PetSet provides annual grants to animal welfare-related organizations in the Greater Houston area. By providing critical funds and collaborating with strategic partners, Houston PetSet seeks to end the crisis of animal homelessness in our community.

On behalf of Houston PetSet, our partners, and those in the animal welfare community, we thank you in advance for taking the time to provide your responses to this questionnaire. It is important to note that Houston PetSet will NOT be endorsing any candidate in any municipal race and will be using this completed document as a resource for groups and individuals that are interested in learning more about your candidacy. Your responses will be posted to our website and will be accessible for all.

The current animal homelessness population presents a public health and public safety issue that affects the quality of life of many Houstonians. The Houston PetSet questionnaire includes questions covering general animal welfare, city services, and partnerships. We ask that you complete this questionnaire (by filling in your answers via Microsoft Word) and return it to marketing@houstonpetset.org no later than July 1st, 2019.

Sincerely,

Tena Lundquist Faust Tama Lundquist Co-President Co-President

Animal Welfare

1. To what extent have you been involved with any animal welfare issues, including rescue, spay & neuter, foster, transport programming, legislation, and anti-cruelty?

Answer:As City Controller, I’ve worked to be an advocate for animal welfare issues by supporting programs aimed at increasing awareness throughout the community, as well as identifying areas for improvement in the entities working to address the challenges of serving the city’s homeless and stray animal population. In my four years as Controller, I’ve been a public advocate of programs that are increasing awareness of the services offered by the city’s animal shelter, especially those aimed to build that awareness in the city’s traditionally underserved communities. Additionally, my office has conducted several performance audits of BARC to ensure it is operating efficiently. These audits have also helped identify potential savings that could be redirected to providing the services that are aimed at addressing the aforementioned challenges.

2. Do you have a plan to address underserved areas that need low cost spay & neuter programming and other veterinary services?

Answer:From my perspective as the City Controller, any plan must begin with adequate funding. Entities like BARC must be financially supported in a manner that allows it to provide this vital service across our city but, more specifically, in underserved areas across our city. The city must work toward adopting a structurally balanced budget in order to free up funds that will go toward supporting programs and entities that are offering vital services that will improve the lives of our residents and the animal population. Similarly, I believe my responsibility as the city Chief Financial Officer is to help identify and advocate for budget priorities; and encourage the administration, City Council, and city leaders to better define financial priorities. One of those priorities must be to address the high rates of stray animals and animal homelessness in certain communities in our city, in addition to building awareness around low-cost services that are provided by the city and its partners.

3. Do you have, or have you ever had in the past, a companion animal? If so, was it a rescue animal?

Answer:Yes! Growing up, my family found and rescued two cats in the Briargrove neighborhood where I grew up. We (creatively) named them Tiger Lily and Frisky Kitty Cotton Ball. I also grew up with a Siberian Husky named Nina, which my family got when I was in middle school.

Quality of Life/Public Safety/Public Health

4. What impact, and how will reducing the stray animal population improve the quality of life of all Houstonians, if any?

Answer:Reducing the stray animal population will give Houstonians comfort and safety in their neighborhoods. Stray animals, through no fault of their own, can pose a number of health and safety risks to the community. It is in the best interest of both these animals and Houstonians to get stray animals off the streets and into a shelter or a caring home.

5. How do you plan to work with communities that have historically reported high rates of stray animals? Please describe below.

Yes X No___ Additional Comment:Every city official must be present in these communities, building awareness and identifying solutions with residents. There is no substitute for being physically present in the community, and I’m committed to continuing to be there for residents as City Controller. We must also continue to work to build awareness across the City of

Houston. For a lot of these communities, the high rates of stray animals may seem fairly common place. It’s important that we do a better job of clearly identifying this as an issue affecting our city and working with the community to develop the necessary solutions to this issue. Building awareness can be achieved through events like town halls, or community-wide spay and neuter events; or through initiatives like the one being led by Council Member Cisneros and Clear Channel. There is no shortage of options when it comes to better engaging the community, and I will continue that work in my second term as City Controller.

6. How do you plan to address animal homelessness and the stray population citywide?

Answer:As Controller, my foremost priority is to advocate for and find new ways to free up resources that could go toward addressing animal homelessness and the city’s stray population. Without adequate funding, these organizations are hamstrung in their ability to provide a comprehensive solution to citywide challenges. Additionally, all city leaders can do more to build awareness around this issue across all of Houston’s communities. I support outreach efforts like the billboard program led by Council Member Karla Cisneros and Clear Channel, which aims to educate Houstonians on the services available at the city’s shelter. As Controller, I will continue to advocate for the funding to increase and improve the service offerings provided by the city, as well as the goal of increasing program awareness amongst as many Houstonians as possible.

City of Houston Services

7. Do you have a strategy to address overcrowding in the city animal shelter? If so, please describe below.

Yes X No___

Additional Comment:BARC should partner with private shelters and other groups that are working to efficiently tackle homelessness and reduce overcrowding in the city’s animal shelter. By partnering with private shelters and adoption services, the city can broaden the reach and exposure of the BARC adoption options. Oftentimes awareness is the biggest hurdle to addressing some of the city’s

core challenges, and I believe this is one of those issues. Additionally, BARC should continue its work of finding forever homes for animals in its shelter. Programs like $1 adoptions and other adoption incentives have been proven to be effective in reducing overcrowding in the city’s shelter.

8. Should BARC (City of Houston animal shelter) receive additional funding based on budget comparisons to national standards and peer cities? If so, how much and how would you increase the department’s overall budget?

Yes X No___

Additional Comment:BARC plays an invaluable role in our city, and it should be given the financial support it needs to achieve its mission. That said, dollars are scarce at City Hall, so it’s incumbent on our leaders to make the financial choices necessary to free up additional resources that could go toward supporting the mission of this organization. I’d look to BARC leadership to specifically define how much more financial support it needs, but I believe the city should – and ultimately can – allocate more funding to BARC based on its needs. Achieving a structurally balanced budget is an issue I’ve advocated for as City Controller and is the key to freeing up resources for programs like BARC.

9. Will you commit to expanding intake hours for animal surrenders at the city shelter?

Yes X No___

Additional Comment:

10.Will you commit to funding additional Animal Control Officers to respond to 311 and BARC calls?

Yes X No___

Additional Comment:

11.What is your plan to address animal abuse, including dog fighting (and cock fighting) in the City of Houston and how would you involve the community to assist in this effort?

Answer:Any instances of animal abuse and/or illegal activity involving animals should be prosecuted and punished to the full extent of the law. The city and HPD must send a clear message that this activity won’t be tolerated within our boundaries. Just in the way the city encourages the community to “see something, say something” relating to any crime that negatively impacts the community, so to should we include the community in identifying animal abuse and other related illegal activities. The community is our strongest tool in the fight against crime, and it should be leveraged for this purpose, as well.

12.There are a number of duplicative services (ex. animal control services, investigative/enforcement, wellness services, etc.) that are offered between the City and County. Do you believe in the existing model, based on geography OR would you explore other options? If you would explore other options, what specific options do you have in mind?

Yes X No___ Additional Comment:I believe that the county and city must work together to address most of the challenges we face today: that is especially true for dealing with the region’s stray and homeless animal challenges.That said, my job as the City Controller is to find efficiencies across city government, and I do believe there is an opportunity to streamline the decision-making process related to services that could better serve both the residents and animals of our region. Rather than utilizing geographical considerations, I believe the city and county can make service decisions based on capacity, capability, and overall effectiveness. That is, the city and county should continue to work together to identify areas where maybe the city is more effective at providing a particular service, and vice versa. It may be the case that geography still plays a factor in that decision-making process, but I do not believe it should be the foremost criterion in that process in every instance.

Partnerships

13.Would you support a partnership with local animal welfare organizations to address the growing issues relating to animal welfare? What specifically would you propose?

Yes X No___

Additional Comment:

14.Are you familiar with the six key impact areas of Houston PetSet? How would your administration support Houston PetSet’s impact areas?

Yes X No___

Additional Comment:Yes. The six key impact areas of Houston PetSet are: spay and neuter, transport and rescue, community service and education, cruelty prevent, research and advocacy.

As City Controller, my role in advancing these impact areas is encouraging the city to find new ways to fund the services and education encompassed by PetSet’s impact areas. This responsibility is inclusive of both my work as the city’s Chief Financial Officer and as a representative and advocate for the City of Houston.

Funding is vital to increasing the access, exposure, and impact of the work geared toward PetSet’s impact areas, and my goal is to ensure that the city is in position to provide the financial support necessary to achieve the goals laid out by your group.

City of Houston Ordinance/Advocacy

15.Would you support a local ordinance that prohibits apartments or home owners’ associations from banning specific dog breeds?

Yes X No___

Additional Comment:

16.Will you support the creation of a local ordinance that better defines and creates a higher standard of shelter for animals?

Yes X No___

Additional Comment:The city should set a minimum standard that will guarantee humane housing and treatment of animals that are staying in a shelter.

17.Will you support a local ordinance that bans the sale of dogs from breeders and puppy mills in retail locations within the City of Houston?

Yes X No___

Additional Comment:

18.Would you support mandatory microchipping for dogs and cats in the City of Houston?

Yes X No___

Additional Comment:

In future, please contact Houston PetSet if you would like information or educational materials relating to the subjects above.

We ask that you complete this questionnaire (by filling in your answers via Microsoft Word) and return it to marketing@houstonpetset.org no later than July 1st, 2019.