Overview

• At a Tuesday meeting, residents from the Star Ranch and Wildcat Ranch subdivisions urged city leaders to act after months of sightings and close calls with large groups of stray dogs.
• Councilman Michael Matos proposed funding to trap the animals and pursuing partnerships with Johnson County and game wardens, but no formal action was taken.
• Police Chief Darrell Vinson told the council there is no available shelter space and the city has no place to take trapped dogs, noting his department has tracked the issue for years.
• Johnson County Commissioner Rick Bailey says the county lacks authority to round up the dogs and that regional shelters are at capacity, though talks with neighboring cities are underway.
• Godley does not employ a full-time animal control officer, and officials are preparing to consider penalties for animal abandonment as part of a broader response.