Helotes — The City Council on Dec. 12 voted to approve an animal ordinance with language requiring microchipping removed after public comment and a contentious debate over enforcement.

Cynthia Massey urged the council to reject mandatory microchipping, saying it would be ineffective for strays that are dumped by residents of neighboring jurisdictions and raised privacy and enforcement concerns. Justin from public works, who oversees animal control, told council that staff already scans animals for microchips and that increased microchipping would improve the odds of reuniting pets with owners.

Council members split on whether to mandate the practice. Councilmember Merchant offered an amendment to approve the ordinance but remove all mandatory microchipping provisions; Councilmember Sanders seconded. The council voted to adopt the ordinance as amended, removing the microchipping requirement. Council also amended the city’s fee schedule to eliminate the penalty related to lack of microchipping, reflecting the ordinance change.

The council and staff agreed on promoting voluntary microchipping through public education and social-media outreach rather than a mandate. Staff said current animal-control practice is to photograph unclaimed animals, post them on social channels, scan for microchips and hold animals for a defined period before they become the city’s property or are adopted.

Next steps: The amended ordinance and the revised fee schedule will be reflected in final ordinance language and administrative updates; staff said they will return any additional housekeeping items as needed.