Residents urge action on stray animals; commissioners set workshop to study county shelter

Scores of residents urged Liberty County Commissioners Court to act on an escalating stray-animal problem in and around Cleveland and Colony Ridge on public comment Wednesday, describing dogs and cats found injured, shot, abandoned or left in litters and pressing the court to place the issue on a formal agenda.

The speakers pressed the court to consider building a county-run shelter, adopt stronger animal-control laws, allow mobile spay/neuter clinics and fund enforcement. “I have trapped, spayed, and neutered at least 2,000 cats, in Cleveland, and I have rescued, fostered, adopted out at least 500 more cats,” said Alexis Allred, who described eight years of volunteer rescue work. Amanda Jordan, who has attended multiple meetings on the issue, told the court, “In 2024, there were 214 animal bites. Over half of them were EMS calls.”

Why it matters: Residents said the animal problem creates public-safety and public-health risks and strains volunteer rescuers. Multiple speakers said county law enforcement and animal-control resources are overstretched and urged the commissioners to use available funds and to require owner accountability.

Commissioners responded by agreeing to move the matter into a formal study. The court voted to direct county staff and the county attorney’s office to gather information and to set a date for a public workshop on operating an animal shelter and related legal and financial questions. Court members emphasized the need to clarify statutory obligations and the county’s authority before proposing a facility or program.

Details and next steps: County staff said the legal question of whether the county must operate a shelter is not automatic even for larger counties and that the county attorney would research legal constraints and costs. Commissioners asked staff to propose a plan and suggested holding at least one workshop location in the northern part of the county and one in the southern part to maximize attendance.

The court’s motion directs the county attorney to coordinate with the judge’s office and county staff to assemble materials, propose dates and estimate expected attendance; a specific workshop date was not set at the meeting. Commissioners characterized the workshop as an opportunity to hear from residents, law enforcement and rescue groups and to identify funding options and legal limits before drafting formal policy or budget proposals.

Community context: Speakers repeatedly cited Colony Ridge and surrounding rural areas as locations with concentrated reports of dumped, neglected or feral animals. Multiple volunteer rescuers said they are exhausted and financially strained; others asked the court to allow mobile clinics and low-cost spay/neuter events to operate in the county.

What was not decided: The court did not approve funding or select a site for a shelter, nor did it adopt any ordinance or formal enforcement change. Commissioners said the workshop is intended to produce options and clarifications that could be brought back for formal action.

Ending: Citizens said they will return to future meetings until the county shows progress. The county attorney’s office will collect legal research and options and coordinate scheduling for the public workshop.