San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones was the only member of the dais at Thursday’s City Council meeting to vote against a new pet-dumping amendment, which will enable the city to fine people up to $2,000 for the offense.
“There’s strong opposition to this ordinance as written,” Jones said moments before council voted on the measure.
The mayor, who bumped the proposal off the agenda of a prior council meeting, also complained about a lack of clarity in the language. She said it wouldn’t take long to hash out improved wording that would make the amendment more enforceable and “more easily understandable by the public.”
Indeed, a handful of animal welfare activists who spoke during the meeting’s public comment session raised concerns that the amendment, as written, could be used to penalize good Samaritans who trap, neuter, and release stray animals — a process also known as “TNR.”
Other speakers said they worried that children who trap and release small animals such as frogs could face fines.
However, City Attorney Andy Segovia tried to ease those concerns, saying the amendment wouldn’t sweep up children as an unintended consequence.
“This does not apply to a 12-year-old releasing a frog from a jar,” Segovia said.
Assistant City Attorney Jose Niño also affirmed that individuals and nonprofits doing TNR work are safe under the proposal, as written.
“It’s clear in the ordinance that if they are trapping and releasing legally — which Chapter 5 does make it legal to release cats — then that would not fall under this ordinance,” he said.
Council was originally scheduled to vote last week on the proposed amendment to an existing city ordinance. However, Jones instructed city staff to pull the measure from the agenda because it passed through the council’s Governance Committee before she took office.
Jones said that the amendment couldn’t be added because it had “expired.”
Even so, long-time San Antonio political consultant Laura Barberena told the Current last week that policy proposals have traditionally carried over between mayoral administrations.
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This article appears in Sep 3-17, 2025.