Pecos staff outline overhaul of code enforcement and animal control after backlog and tracking issues emerge

City staff told the Pecos City Council they have uncovered inconsistent processes, four separate tracking systems and staffing shortfalls that together produce an unclear picture of outstanding code enforcement matters.

Assistant City Manager Nicole Farini said intake comes by many channels and that the city currently lacks a codified prioritization system. She reported four different tracking systems in use: two legacy software packages, the municipal court database, and field handwritten logs. Those systems produced disparate reports; one software showed roughly 1,500 violations tracked from before September 2025, another showed 350 violations in the last six months, and field logs showed about 150 issued violations in the same period, making county‑wide reconciliation difficult.

Chief Lisa Tarango described animal‑control operations: 488 animal complaints in the past six months, 242 animals at large and only 32 claimed animals during that period. She said the department is pursuing mandatory microchipping and has expanded partnerships with rescue organizations and spay/neuter clinics to reduce shelter intake; staff obtained a $20,000 grant for operations and are arranging transfers and adoptions with regional and national partners.

Farini said staff will convene a cross‑functional improvement team led by the city manager’s office that includes police, permits and inspections, municipal court and legal to standardize workflow, select a single software platform and develop meaningful quarterly metrics. She committed to return within 120 days with a tactical action plan and targeted metrics for enforcement and follow up.