Austin City Council makes decision on rules around spaying pregnant animals

AUSTIN (KXAN) — There are several major items on Austin City Council’s agenda Thursday. Here’s some of what we’re watching.

Spaying pregnant animals at AAC

Austin leaders once again discussed whether or not to undo a city code that prohibits Austin’s city shelter from spaying a visibly pregnant animal (unless medically necessary) until rescue groups have had the chance to step in.

After the budget elements of that proposal were approved by city council earlier this year, the actual code change was taken up Thursday — and it got pushback from animal advocacy groups like Austin Pets Alive!.

We told you previously the resolution would amend city code to “allow for veterinarians employed by the City to spay and neuter all animals owned by the City without delay or notification,” according to the agenda item. It would also “restore veterinary decision-making regarding spaying and neutering animals owned by the City.”

Mayor Kirk Watson brought forward an amendment to the item, which would require the city manager to notify APA! of animals that are lactating so that APA! has the opportunity to pick them up within three hours of that notice.

Animal advocates who spoke during the public comment period on Thursday were mostly in support of Watson’s amendment.

Council members approved the item as amended by Watson in a vote with six in favor, four opposing, and one abstaining.

“This leaves the ordinance largely intact and consistent with the vote the overall council took by super majority back when we were talking about budget items,” Watson said during the council’s discussion on the item. “It allows for some animals to be sent to a rescue partner late in the pregnancy, and the truth of the matter is, I firmly believe that regardless of how you feel about the main motion, we need partners, we need collaboration in order to protect the animals that we all feel so strongly about and we love, and this motion does that. It allows for the continued partnership, allows for greater collaboration in some instances.”

Under the previous code, which comes from a 2019 ordinance, organizations such as Austin Pets Alive! were notified before an animal at AAC that has reached full-term pregnancy is spayed, which would terminate the pregnancy and “abort” the fetuses.

APA! could then take in the pregnant animal, rather than AAC keeping the animal and spaying it and terminating the pregnancy. APA! would then be responsible for caring for and adopting out the animal and the puppies/kittens born from that pregnancy.

You can read more details in KXAN’s previous coverage of this topic here.

Purple pipes pilot program

Council members will also vote on whether they want to continue the ‘Go Purple’ pilot incentive program next year. It encourages new developments to tap into the city’s water re-use system by helping pay for that connection.

What does all that mean? Simply — there are a series of pipes underground that connect some homes and businesses to wastewater treatment facilities. Once there, what you flush and rinse with can be purified and sent back into the system for non-drinking purposes. Think watering lawns and flushing toilets.

But connecting to that system is expensive and the incentive program helps new developments pay to do so.

“Right now, we’re in that application stage of figuring out if the project meets the requirements but there are a number of entities and projects that have tried to get these dollars and enroll in this program, so I do think it is going to work,” Austin City Council Member Ryan Alter said.

City documents show Austin Water would dedicate $4 million to that pilot next year, if approved. Of that, projects would be capped at $500,000 — unless they are affordable housing developments, which will instead be capped at $1.5 million.

That money comes from Austin Water’s budget — through your water bill fees.