McKinney's animal services division wants residents back at the table, and it is asking the City Council on Tuesday to create a new volunteer board to make that happen.
Code Services Director Phillip Hubbard and Animal Services Manager Hannah Golden are scheduled to brief the council at its Nov. 17 work session, which starts at 4 p.m., on how the division performed in the 2026 fiscal year, what it plans to change in 2027 and a proposed resident Animal Advisory Committee. The item is listed for discussion only, with no vote.
Why a new committee
The city used to have a resident voice on animal issues through the state-required Animal Services Facility Advisory Committee. In April, the council agreed to dissolve that committee after responsibility for it shifted to Collin County, which owns and runs the shelter, according to the staff memo.
The presentation notes McKinney has no operating authority over the county shelter and that, with the old committee gone, there is "no remaining formal structure for resident involvement."
At that April meeting, council members asked staff to come back with other ways for residents to get involved. The answer is a seven-member committee appointed by the mayor and council: four McKinney residents and three people who work in animal-related fields in the city, such as veterinarians, wildlife rehabilitators or trainers.
Staff describe the group as ambassadors for the division. Members would hear community concerns, weigh in on possible ordinance changes and service improvements when the council asks, and help at city events such as Krewe of Barkus and Oktoberfest. The presentation asks two questions: whether the council supports the idea, and whether it is ready to name members.
A year of calls
The division logged 2,368 calls for service and 138 on-call responses in the 2026 fiscal year. The most common call types were dead animals (533), strays (465), wildlife (336), animals running at large (299) and bites (295).
