The Mayor’s Animal Care Visioning Task Force will hold its first meeting on Tuesday, and plans to discuss a pair of audits that covered everything from euthanization rates to limited use of volunteers at the city’s shelters.

The meeting, open to the public, is scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday at Bixby Park Community Center, 130 Cherry Ave.

Mayor Robert Garcia created the task force out of a recommendation from the review that specified community engagement. Animal advocates had been hoping for such a committee to be put together. The recently formed group comprises animal-welfare proponents, rescuers, pet-focused organizations, and people who simply love animals and care passionately about their well-being.

(See “Meet the New Members of the Long Beach Animal Care Vision Task Force,” July 19, 2018.)

There will likely be comment either from the task force or the public about the replacement for ACS Manager Ted Stevens, who will be leaving his position for a new one. During the Sept. 18, the City Council meeting, a number of outspoken animal advocates pleaded for, among other changes, a manager who would adopt no-kill strategies and practices for shelter animals. (No-kill, depending on the organization, has similar definitions; according to Best Friends, the benchmark is 90 percent save rate for healthy or treatable shelter pets.)

Visit the Mayor’s Animal Care Visioning Task Force page for the full meeting agenda.