Are City Fees for Animal Registration Going Away with Microchipping?

At the last City Council meeting Animal Shelter Director James Flores said the City tag will be replaced with a microchip.   ConchoValleyHomepage reported:

After much debate the city voted initially approving mandatory spay or neuter and micro-chipping of pets. the micro-chips will replace city tags.

Many citizens assumed the fee associated with the tag would disappear as well.  The draft City Ordinance makes clear that this is not the case.  Staff, without the advice and consultation of the Animal Shelter Advisory Committee, made no changes from current ordinance in the following sections:

Sec. 3.02.001 Registration required
Sec. 3.02.002 Expiration of registration
Sec. 3.02.003 Deadline for registration
Sec. 3.02.004 Registration fee
Sec. 3.02.005 Issuance of tag
Sec. 3.02.006 Duty of veterinarian issuing tags
Sec. 3.02.007 Annual or lifetime registration
Sec. 3.02.008 Records retention
Sec. 3.02.009 Failure to pay annual registration fee; proof of ownership
Sec. 3.02.010 Exemptions

Based on City Council feedback staff updated language in Sec. 3.02.011 which deals with "Selling or giving away animals."

Clarification of registration and the tag requirement would help the public understand exactly what is being proposed.  It would help if ordinances clearly spoke to those changes before Council approves anything.  We'll see if that happens on Tuesday.