The City of Waco will begin enforcing the intact animal ordinance come Jan. 1, in an effort to reduce the amount of animals coming into the Humane Society of Central Texas.

The ordinance, passed by city council Wednesday, requires citizens to pay for a permit if pets aren't spayed or neutered.

"The fee has not been set, nor part of the enforcement — the actual hands on, day-to-day enforcement policy," volunteer coordinator Gina Ford said.

As such, a group of citizens met with animal control Tuesday for a chance to voice their concerns before those decisions are made.

Some dog breeders argue the permit is unfair.

"We're not the problem here. The other problem is the commercial breeders. They're the ones that breed and make a livelihood off selling cats, dogs, ferrets, whatever," Cieris said.

The city has yet to decide if there will be any exemptions to the ordinance. Cieris, however, also raised concerns about the cost of spaying and neutering pets for low-income families.

"We need low-cost spay and neuter for them, so they won't have to buy that permit," he said.

Ford said her organization is in the process of trying to get grants to make that possible. She said while some may disagree about the logistics, few disagree about the main objective of the ordinance.

"We do have a known common goal of reducing pet over-population in Central Texas," Ford said.

It's all information animal control officers will keep in mind as they are left with one of the final decisions

The Waco Police Department will now recommend an appropriate fee amount for the ordinance to city council members. The code goes into effect Jan. 1.

Animal control officers will be the authority enforcing the ordinance. Animal control will also work closely with the Humane Society of Central Texas which will issue the permits.