Frisco's Pet Project: First Pet Advocacy Group in Frisco!
For years, Mayor Jeff Cheney has talked about how Frisco, one of the largest and wealthiest cities in the State offers world-class commercial developments. Cheney has also said, Frisco has the best amenities of any city in the entire Metroplex for residents and tourists. In fact, the term "World-Class Amenities" can be heard in every one of Cheney's campaign videos, public speeches and news articles.
Since 2015, Frisco's Pet Project which was led by Marla Fields has asked "If we can have all these amazing facilities and things to do...why can't we have our own animal shelter?" FPP has meet with and tried to reason with 10 different city council members, 3 police chiefs, 2 city managers, and 1 mayor to advocate for Frisco to have it's own Animal Shelter.
Mayor Jeff Cheney & The Regional Partnership
In Mayor Cheney’s first podcast of his re-election campaign in 2023, he chose, of all subjects, pets, saying, “In Frisco we all love our pets. I want to directly address historically how the City of Frisco has served our pet advocates . . .” He continues to explain how he feels a regional partnership with CCAS is the best approach. He adds, “As we get to buildout, that may be where the opportunity may arise where we can have a private partner and come in and run a facility . . . that would be interesting to look at.”
Does he know we realize that “buildout” is in 10 years when the projected population will be 325K people?
Collin County Animal Services (CCAS)
In 2017, Frisco Pet Advocates noticed the steadily increasing number of Code Red postings and urgent pleas for adoption from CCAS. It was no wonder with Collin County experiencing the highest sustained growth rate in the Nation, ranking Frisco the fastest-growing large city in Texas between 2010-2019, with McKinney not far down the list in fourth place. (Census Bureau 2020)
​
CCAS, with its 10K square feet, was put into operation back in 2006, and was only meant to be a temporary-holding facility. Some 17 years later, the building is the same size and services 13+ cities including the County’s unincorporated areas. With approximately 40 installed cat kennels and 60 installed dog kennels with another 43 kennels (13 installed in intake and other mobile units), it can house up to 80 cats at a time and some 120 dogs if they are smaller and able to be housed in multiples per enclosure.
​
Recently, Collin County proposed a $5.7 million dollar bond item for a 10,000 square foot expansion of Collin County Animal Services. Voters approved a long over due expansion.
The Irony
Ironically, Frisco City Council members pulled a Frisco Citizen Bond Committee’s recommendation of a $5 million Animal Services Facility on its May 2023 general election ballot, suggesting that a 10k square foot shelter couldn’t be built for this amount.
Police Chief David Shilson projected that the price per square footage for 2023 would be $700 and in 2024, $770. Yet, in all of the other capital bond projects presented to the Committee for consideration, the price per square foot was listed at $550 plus a 20% escalation.​
Public-Private Partnership Discussions
The city committed to begin conversations and search for a public-private partner for a local animal services options. Enter Mazie's Mission! Mazie's is a well respected Veterinary Hospital specifically for local animal shelters, first responders and non-profit animal welfare groups. They would have been an amazing partner! So what happened?
​
Every Public Information Request filed by animal advocates to learn more about the discussions and the potential project and partners has been fought or delayed by the city all the way to the Attorney General's office. They have turned over very little and even today current city council members are not privy to the discussions and happenings.
​
According to the city, Mazie's Mission was not interested in moving forward! However pet advocates were told that Mazie's Mission gave up when the city stopped responding to them. At a turning point in the road Mazie's had to make a decision and moved forward with their own facility in Plano. Why did the city stop responding? Why has the city not turn over all the email communications with Mazie's that were the subject of PIR requests?
​
Now with out a partner in 2024, the city had to go back to the drawing board and found this "AMAZING IMAGINARY PARTNER" that no one is allowed to know about. It is so top secret and one must wonder why? Why are residents not allowed to ask questions about the qualifications of this partner? Why has the city not held public meet and greets like they did for the Performing Arts Center so residents could come and learn more and be heard?
Secrets
Frisco pet advocates and pet owners have been asking the city for years for a full service animal shelter (aka community pet hub) and were under the impression that is what all the "public-private partnership" conversations were surrounding. Turns out the city never had any intention of having an animal shelter and Shilson states that in his email to Mazie's Mission in 2024 (first bullet point).
That means the city DID NOT do their due diligence when it comes to research and looking into the option having an animal shelter in Frisco!
​
In another email, an architect who has experience building animal facilities replies to Mazie's Mission questioning Frisco Leadership and the intake numbers they provided. The email states compared to other cities of it's size there is no way the number provided are correct. PET ADVOCATES HAVE BEEN SAYING THAT FOR YEARS!
QUESTIONS
1. Why so much secrecy around the public-private partner discussions?
​
2. Why mislead animal lovers that discussions would include an animal shelter when clearly that was never the plan?
​
3. What does this public-private partner bring to the table?
​
4. Is the partner have any political affiliations with anyone on council or the Pet Advisory Board?
​
5. Why has the Pet Advisory Board (that the city is relying on for input on this project) never visited a full functioning animal shelter in official capacity as a Board?
​
6. Of the Board Members - how many actively give more than 5 hours a week volunteering at a local animal shelter?
​
7. What animal rescue or organization do they belong to or have affiliations with?
​
WHY SO MANY SECRETS?