City adopts ordinances for pet limits and microchipping

City of Lockhart

Two ordinances proposed by the Animal Shelter Advisory Board were approved at last week’s meeting of the Lockhart City Council. The first ordinance establishes a maximum number of dogs and cats allowed in residences. Lockhart residents may now only own up to 5 pets (cats and/or dogs.)

Residents who already own more than 5 pets may keep them but may not replace them until that number reaches 5 or fewer. The ordinance includes exemptions for shelters, licensed breeders, and fosters.

Council also approved an ordinance that would require dogs and cats living within the City of Lockhart to be microchipped. Should a pet ever become lost, veterinarians and animal shelters can scan the pet for a microchip and locate its owner.

Animals adopted from the Lockhart Animal Shelter will be microchipped before they go home with their new owner. Animals who are already adopted but are not microchipped may receive a chip from the Lockhart Animal Shelter for a fee of $15.

Railroad 

Quiet Zones

The City Engineer updated City Council on the feasibility of creating a railroad quiet zone in Lockhart. To date, the City has completed the necessary traffic counts, established quiet zone limits for all crossings in Lockhart, and has received conceptual approval for its Quiet Zone Risk Index methodology from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). Based on this methodology, 3 crossings are required to meet quiet zone requirements per FRA. The crossings are at FM 2720, Stueve Lane, and N. Pecos St.

The City’s next step is to meet with the FRA, Union Pacific Railroad, and TxDOT. After the appropriate meetings take place, the final project cost should be determined by March 2025.

Wildlife fencing 

improvements at 

Municipal Airport

Council authorized the City to enter into an agreement with TxDOT for wildlife fencing improvements at the Lockhart Municipal Airport.

The agreement allows the City to request most of the funding from TxDOT for the project. This project entails constructing approximately 15,000 linear feet of 8-foot tall wildlife safety fencing and entry/access gates as security measures at the airport. The improvement will replace all the aging fence that encircles the airport, protecting the runway from wildlife.

Crime Prevention Meeting

First Baptist Church hosted a crime prevention meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 12 and invited Lockhart Police to present crime prevention tips.

Ziegenfelder update

Ziegenfelder plans to begin hiring employees for its Lockhart plant in December, going into January. The company expects to hire for 100 jobs. Ziegenfelder is still making progress on construction of its facility and expects to open by March 1, 2025.