Guthrie Council adopts TNR ordinance with caregiver consent form after hours of debate

The Guthrie City Council on Sept. 16 adopted Ordinance No. 34-25 to establish a city trap–neuter–return (TNR) policy for community cat management and approved an accompanying consent form and caregiver-responsibility language carried over from a second draft.

The ordinance, which was presented and moved by Mayor Adam Roth Mayer, formalizes TNR activity in the Guthrie municipal code (article 10 of chapter 3) and requires a written consent form for property owners who agree to have sterilized and vaccinated cats returned to a location. The council amended the motion to attach caregiver responsibilities from draft 2 and remove a clause that would have allowed the city manager to unilaterally revise the form.

Supporters including a longtime volunteer described TNR as effective at reducing feral-cat populations and said the city would coordinate with local nonprofits and mobile veterinary services to provide low-cost spay/neuter and vaccination events. Mayor Adam Roth Mayer cited statewide examples and a letter he read from the Oklahoma Humane Society showing thousands of feral-cat surgeries performed statewide. "This is the effectiveness of the TNR program," Mayor Mayer said, noting communities that report population reductions of 90% or more.

Opponents and at‑least two council members pressed for clear rules on what happens when property owners object to cats being returned. Council discussion focused on a narrow set of changes: adding a signed consent form (to be kept on file at city offices), spelling out caregiver responsibilities (sterilization and vaccination records, feeding schedule and maintaining clean feeding areas), and confirming that when a property owner declines return the city will follow established animal-shelter procedures and pursue available relocation or rescue options. The language added from draft 2 allows transfer to rescue partners or shelter intake when return to a property is not possible; it also preserves euthanasia as a last-resort option in line with shelter capacity and policies described in the discussion.

Residents described varied experiences. One resident said traps set in his fenced yard on May 15 were released on his property without his permission and credited subsequent trapping with stopping repeat nuisance behavior. Another resident, who identified herself as a volunteer who operates multiple colonies and arranges mobile clinic visits, described keeping detailed vaccination and surgery records and offered to coordinate with the city’s shelter and animal-control staff.

Council members asked staff to schedule a short workshop before full program implementation to clarify roles, staffing and how the city will track caregiver records. Several council members said the consent form and the caregiver language were sufficient to proceed; the council both approved the ordinance and directed staff to meet with volunteer organizations and animal-control officers to refine operational details.

The ordinance as amended requires the consent form to be signed before return-to-field activity at a private residence and attaches caregiver responsibilities (sterilization and rabies vaccination records, regular feeding windows and site maintenance) as operational requirements. The council also struck a clause in the draft form that would have let the city manager change the form without council review.

Next steps discussed included (1) filing and storing signed consent forms at city offices, (2) working through a memorandum of understanding or operational procedures with volunteer groups that provide TNR services, and (3) scheduling a council workshop to finalize how city staff and volunteers will coordinate trapping, veterinary appointments and recordkeeping.

The action on Sept. 16 added the consent form and caregiver-responsibility text to draft 1 and approved the ordinance as amended. The council indicated it will follow up with staff and volunteer partners on implementation details and grant opportunities to support monthly or periodic mobile clinics.