Residents urge Liberty County commissioners to act on animal-control complaints

A group of residents and animal advocates told the Liberty County Commissioners Court on Tuesday that the county must move beyond planning and enforce existing animal-control laws while budgeting money and a timeline for longer-term work.

The speakers — including Lydia Martinez, who described herself as a longtime resident, and Rhonda Watson of Liberty County Animal Advocates — pressed the court for three near-term steps: put the issue on a formal agenda, schedule a workshop before August 2025 and include funding in next year’s budget.

"While we are sitting down and waiting for you to finally take actions, these dogs are still dying, being abused, cold and alone, and put down," Lydia Martinez said. "The short term current laws in place need to be enforced. Yes. We need consequences for people who abuse and neglect their dogs."

Watson, who identified herself as representing Liberty County Animal Advocates, told the court the group asked the judge to place the topic on an agenda, to confirm a workshop before August 2025 and to allocate funds in the next budget cycle. "Money is available from various sources," she said, citing the Cambridge Fund as one example and saying that fund could pay for a dedicated animal-control officer.

Other commenters urged stepped-up enforcement of leash and anti-dumping rules, frequent spay-and-neuter events and faster use of nonprofit spay-and-neuter capacity. "We could get someone in here to help spay and neuter large amounts of dogs and cats all at one time," said Kim Hilton, an animal advocate who asked the court to pursue county-organized events.

Several speakers described attacks or repeated nuisance behavior by roaming dogs and said current practice does not deter repeat offenders. Amanda Jordan referenced past comments and emails to court staff and urged commissioners to place a workshop and budget item before the county’s upcoming budget adoption.

The public-comment period that carried these remarks had multiple speakers and more than an hour of testimony. Court members did not take formal action on any of the requests during the meeting; several commissioners said they would consult with staff and that the item could be scheduled for a future agenda.

The residents' requests focused on three distinct tracks: short-term enforcement of existing statutes and local ordinances; medium-term services such as regular spay/neuter clinics and a dedicated animal-control officer; and a long-term plan to site and build a county-run animal shelter. Public speakers repeatedly urged that short-term enforcement and budget commitments should not be delayed until a shelter is built.

Court members did not announce a date for a workshop during the meeting. Public comments mentioning prior outreach included references to Shelby Bubowski of the Texas Humane Legislation Network, who speakers said had offered planning help in prior years.