Granite Shoals Wildlife Advisory Committee chair resigns
Granite Shoals Wildlife Advisory Committee Chairman Todd Holland resigned during the committee’s regular meeting on Jan. 8, stating he was moving out of the city. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
Granite Shoals Wildlife Advisory Committee Chairman Todd Holland resigned at the end of the committee’s regular meeting on Monday, Jan. 8, saying he was moving out of the city limits. During the meeting, he addressed the public backlash after a recording of the committee’s Nov. 6 meeting was released to the public. In it, committee members and City Manager Peggy Smith discussed trapping, shooting, or poisoning feral cats within city limits.
The committee’s future is in limbo. The Granite Shoals City Council plans to discuss whether to disband or reorganize it at the council’s regular meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 9.
The controversy also resulted in a public call for City Manager Smith’s resignation, which is expected to be talked about on Tuesday. The council plans to meet with an attorney and discuss “personnel” during executive session.
Also as a result of the discussion on lethal means to manage feral cats, the Hill Country Humane Society publicly severed ties with the city of Granite Shoals. City officials have been in negotiations with the local Humane Society to mend that relationship, which has proven difficult. The animal welfare organization is typically contracted to take in 100 stray dogs and cats a year for $20,000 to $30,000. Without a contract in place, the city has nowhere to keep those animals.
“As the chair of this committee, we have kind of sat back quietly and watched this,” Holland said at the Monday meeting. “I believe we deserve an opportunity to share some information about how, why we even got here.”
The Wildlife Advisory Committee was originally formed to tackle the city’s white-tailed deer problem. Its responsibilities were expanded in 2023 to include coyotes, invasive geese, and feral cats. According to Holland, feral cats were added due to complaints from residents about the animals damaging outdoor furniture. Granite Shoals city administration asked the committee to tackle the issue.
Committee member Peter Hutnick was tasked with researching the trap-neuter-release method of feral cat management, which consists of trapping the animals, spaying or neutering them, then releasing them back into their territory. This method is favored and supported by animal welfare advocates, but other organizations, such as the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, question its efficacy.
“The research that I did said that (trap-neuter-release) was pretty ineffective,” Hutnick told DailyTrib.com. “I’m absolutely happy that the City Council appointed a feral cat committee. I wish we had the expertise that showed up at the last council meeting while we were discussing this.”
Hutnick said that while the committee talked about trapping and euthanizing the cats, it was just a discussion. Its final decision was recommending an ordinance that banned the feeding of feral cats within city limits.
Another committee member, Billy Kelly, echoed Hutnick’s statement and added his own perspective to the issue. Kelly received some of the heaviest criticism, based on the audio recording of the Nov. 6 committee meeting, as he discussed at length how the cats could be trapped and killed most effectively.
“We were talking about dealing with wild animals, not pets,” he said. “I’m 62 years old, I own a ranch, and I have to deal with nuisance animals all the time. It’s the way of the country. You deal with nuisance animals the way you deal with them, and it’s not pretty. That’s why I said the things I said, because it was practical.”
Holland listed the credentials of the seven members of the Wildlife Advisory Committee: Three are honorably discharged military veterans, two are certified Texas Parks and Wildlife Department bowhunter education instructors, two are Habitat for Humanity volunteers, four are retirees, and three are business owners. The committee is composed of seven Granite Shoals residents who advise city officials on how to handle wildlife concerns within city limits. With Holland’s resignation, six members remain.
At the end of the meeting, the former chairman left Granite Shoals City Hall with these parting words.
“I wish this committee the best of luck,” Holland said. “If they need some help or advice or history, I’ll be more than glad to help.”