Animal control isn’t usually the first department that comes to mind when local governments think of process improvement, innovation, and best practices but it should be! A well-run animal control department costs about $4 per citizen annually but many local governments strip down the budget and hope that the costs can be covered by fees like pet registration alone. This usually leads to an ineffective animal control department that cannot cover its operating costs. There is also room for innovation in the message that animal control departments send about euthanizing and spaying and neutering

The Better Government Competition is an annual idea contest that attracts the interest of experts and citizens across the United States.