Grease problems are continuing to cost money and cause headaches for city workers in Runge, the town’s mayor said at their September 11 council meeting.

Too many residents are pouring cooking grease down their kitchen sinks, according to discussion. The city has had to use an expensive acid to dissolve the grease buildup on city sewer equipment.

"This is really hard on the lift stations. We’re consuming a lot of chemicals to dissolve it," Mayor Homer Lott said.

The problem is caused entirely by some residents that are not disposing of their cooking grease properly, he added.

Lott and council member Irma Ortiz also voted to update the city’s animal control policy at the request of Animal Control Officer Karen Hale.

(Council member Tony Casillas was absent from the meeting.)

Lott and Ortiz heard from Hale and another concerned resident on how the stray dog problem in town has been a problem lately around the school. Dogs are following children to and from school and some are walking around on campus.

The new policy will help county animal control officials to handle the problem, Hale said. The policy is identical to Runge’s old policy for the most part. However, it contains a few new changes in laws regarding how many dogs a property owner in town can have.

With the new policy, residents are allowed up to three dogs. Any more than that and they’re obligated to pay the city a licensing fee each year that varies depending on how many dogs the owner wishes to keep.