Austin City Council Thursday approved a plan that will begin to turn the Town Lake Animal Center (TLAC) into a no-kill shelter.
The vote was months in the making. In November, the council agreed to create a city animal advisory committee. Thursday morning, council members met again to approve the plan that committee developed.
Dozens of people showed up at Austin City Hall to support the plan. It gives the Town Lake Animal Center two years to ensure that 90 percent of the animals at the shelter leave the shelter alive.
It's a process advocates say is long overdue.
“We should not be so behind in the nation we should be leading the nation in no-kill. We have so many animals that can get homes and we have the homes available -- there absolutely are,” said Idette Quintana.
Last year, shelter officials say they euthanized 32 percent of the more than 2,200 animals at TLAC. Twenty-two percent of the animals were adopted.
The proposed plan the council approved Thursday morning does not include budget details. The committee will meet again to determine the exact costs and savings that the program will provide.
Mayor Pro-Tem Mike Martinez also requested a regular update from the shelter in the implementation process.
