Pflugerville officials seek new path to improve animal shelter

Fifty-three percent of voters, 2,190 people, voted against Proposition 1.

Pflugerville officials will have to look for other ways to address the city’s aging and overcrowded animal shelter after voters rejected a $10.7 million bond proposal Nov. 3 to build a new facility.

Fifty-three percent of voters, or 2,190 people, voted against Proposition 1, which would have earmarked dollars for a shelter near Lake Pflugerville to house 110 dogs and 78 cats and double the capacity of the current shelter. The referendum would have added $31.72 to the average homeowner’s property tax bill. The average home value in Pflugerville is $187,672.

Shelter proponents said they believe the sticker shock of the building was too much for voters, who instead approved another bond — $9.5 million — to expand Weiss Lane into a four-lane urban road.

Following Election Day, Mayor Jeff Coleman said the animal shelter situation will be addressed during the Dec. 8 City Council meeting.

“I think (the outcome) showed us that a significant portion of our community thinks there’s issues at the shelter that need to be dealt with,

but a slightly larger portion felt like the option that was presented was not fiscally responsible,” Coleman said.

The city is in the midst of an expansion at the shelter to hold an additional 32 dogs, city spokesperson Terri Toledo said.

City staff are preparing a recommendation to bring to the council Dec. 8 that will include a rehabilitation strategy and master plan for the current shelter, officials said.

“We have a plan outlined if a new facility went out at the lake which was part of the bond, but I’m now directing staff to look further into options to make similar improvements into the existing shelter,” said City Manager Brandon Wade in a news release. “Just because the bond for a new shelter did not pass does not mean the city is going to be idle.”

State law prohibits the city from issuing debt on a project that voters rejected for three years after the election, but the council can use certificates of obligation to make improvements to the existing facility, city officials said.

In the release, city officials outlined several needs including larger, shaded outdoor play yards, improved visibility and better access.

City staff are looking at existing conditions and outlining steps to “further transform” what was a former water treatment facility.

Victor Gonzales, a departing council member and a proponent of both bonds, said that eventually the community will have to build a new animal shelter because there’s only so much room available to expand in the area where the facility currently sits.

He said the current shelter is located on the floodplain and when it rains, the building floods.

“That’s part of the problem,” Gonzales said. “You can’t fix it.”

Gonzales estimated that improvements to the existing animal shelter would cost anywhere from $1 million to $2 million.