The Jim Wells County Commissioners Court on Aug. 22 certified a petition and voted to place a ballot measure before voters that would prohibit specified livestock and exotic animals from running at large.

County staff reported they had certified the petition with the required number of signatures, allowing the matter to proceed to the ballot. Sheriff Joseph Guy Baker told the court the proposed change updates a decades‑old law to include animals that were not common when the original ordinance was enacted, citing goats, sheep, hogs, alpacas and exotic deer and noting issues with animals escaping fences and posing roadway hazards. Sheriff Baker said the earlier statute excluded certain animals when it was drafted in the early 20th century and the proposed change would add additional domestic and exotic livestock categories to the enforceable list.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about exemptions and whether pets such as dogs and cats would be affected; the sheriff said the proposal addresses livestock and exotic deer and does not change rules for household pets. Commissioners confirmed the petition had the required signatures and voted to place the measure on the November general‑election ballot.

Ending: The county certified the petition and will place the measure on the Nov. ballot; enforcement and any ordinance text will follow post-election depending on the voters’ decision.