Bastrop council approves multiple budget, planning and policy items; tables pet microchip ordinance for public input

The Bastrop City Council at its Feb. 25 regular meeting approved multiple ordinances and resolutions affecting city infrastructure funding, boards and commissions, and internal council policies, and postponed a proposed pet microchip registration ordinance to allow a town‑hall and community outreach.

The council approved a series of consent and action items, including: a reallocation of previously authorized borrowing to help fund the Blakey Lane extension; first‑reading and related resolutions for the Valverde Public Improvement District (PID) and issuance of special assessment revenue bonds; adoption of an ordinance setting short‑term rental registration rules with an amendment about hotel occupancy tax verification for the current year; an ordinance changing the membership terms for appointed boards and commissions to remove elected officials once their council term ends (passed 3–1); and direction to staff to return with a process for council training allotments after review of recent line‑item spending.

Council also approved the staff recommendation to set the updated wastewater impact fee based on a 6 million‑gallons‑per‑day (MGD) expansion plan (first reading) and approved a number of routine and budget items on consent, including cemetery fee updates and the master fee schedule (as listed in the meeting packet).

The only item the council postponed for community input was the proposed animal microchip/registration ordinance (item 10.I). Councilmember Kerrie Foster moved, and the council voted unanimously, to table the item for 60 days and to direct staff to host a public town‑hall before returning the ordinance for further consideration.

Quotes recorded at the meeting include: “We want to get pets returned in the field without them ever going to the shelter,” said Jeremy Parks, executive director of Save an Angel, in support of microchipping (public comment). City staff and council debated how to balance impact fees and ratepayer burden and whether to adopt the larger wastewater expansion now or later.

Votes at a glance (items and outcomes from the Feb. 25 meeting): - Ordinance 2025‑08 (impact fees—wastewater): first reading approved (6 MGD option used in fee calculation); motion passed unanimously. - Ordinance 2025‑14 (Valverde PID—first reading apportioning costs): motion approved; item to return for public hearing per statutory schedule. - Resolution R2025‑22 (preliminary limited offering memorandum for Valverde PID bonds): approved. - Resolution reallocating bond/borrowed funds to Blakey Lane extension: approved unanimously. - Short‑term rental ordinance (second reading): approved with amendment to limit hotel‑occupancy‑tax review to the current year; motion passed unanimously. - Ordinance amending Chapter 1 (boards/commissions members after election): passed 3–1 (Councilmember Lee opposed); change removes automatically any sitting elected official from appointed board seats when their council term ends. - Motion to table Ordinance 2025‑17 (pet microchip/registration): tabled to 60 days and a town‑hall; motion passed unanimously. - Council training allotment: council directed city manager to return with a clarified process and breakdown of training spending (motion passed unanimously). - Consent agenda ordinances and resolutions (multiple items including cemetery fees, master fee schedule, and HOT fund items): approved (see meeting packet for full list).

Why it matters: The votes advance several large, multiyear projects—most notably the Valverde PID infrastructure financing and an updated wastewater impact fee structure tied to a 6 MGD plant—that will shape where and how new housing and utilities are built and who pays for them. The microchip ordinance delay signals council’s preference for wider community discussion before imposing new pet‑registration requirements.

What’s next: Items that received first readings or were referred for public hearings will return on the council calendar per the city’s public notice schedule; staff will hold a town‑hall on the microchip proposal and will bring back a training allotment proposal with clearer line‑item history and recommended policy language.