Council tables animal-control ordinance after heated public comment

Gun Barrel City council postponed action on a proposed animal-control ordinance after an extended public-comment period and council discussion.

Residents offered sharply different views on the draft ordinance at the meeting. Gary Damiano, who described microchipping his two rescue dogs as an "insurance policy," urged council to adopt the ordinance because it would help reunite lost pets with owners. "It's an additional insurance policy that helps your dog get back to you and helps you get back to your dog," Damiano said. Rochelle Hammer, who works on trap-neuter-return efforts, stressed recurring public-safety and animal-welfare harms and said she "spent roughly 30,000" on cat rescue in 2024, urging enforceable standards such as registration, microchipping and spay/neuter requirements.

Opponents earlier raised privacy and cost concerns. During public comment, Amaris Faith warned that the ordinance retained mandatory registration and data-collection elements and argued that "Pets are family, not a revenue source and shouldn't be entered into a government registry." The council discussed both the need to reduce animal-related incidents and the public uproar the draft had generated.

After debate, a councilmember moved to table Ordinance O-2026-003 amending Chapter 90 (animal control); the motion was seconded and passed, and the item was scheduled to reappear at the April meeting.

The action was procedural rather than final: tabling keeps the ordinance under council consideration while staff and council members work on revisions and further public outreach. The council did not adopt new regulatory language at the meeting.