$57K to Fund Winter Deer Management in Town and Country

A vote did not come Monday night on a proposed solar panel ordinance for the City of Town and Country. The city is considering an ordinance that would put guidelines in place for residents who want to install solar energy systems. The matter was continued to the next meeting.

Town and Country aldermen could also vote at the Nov. 12 board of aldermen meeting to authorize the agreement and funding for the city's 2012-2013 deer management plan. 

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As previously reported by Patch,  As in years past, the culling will begin in December.

The city's plan was to reduce the population of deer from 660 to 300, or 30 per square mile. When the plan was approved in 2011, the two year projected cost was $161,500, for sharpshooting by White Buffalo and Share the Harvest processing of the deer meat.

In October 2011, aldermen appropriated $133,000 of the city's budget for this past winter's deer management. Captain Gary Hoelzer, who researched and helped develop the city's deer management plan, said the city expected to spend $127,000 for the cost of White Buffalo sharpshooting and Share the Harvest meat processing. However, the city actually only spent $114,704 on those two services. A total of $119,761.81 was spent on the entire culling process, which includes meat processing, White Buffalo sharpshooting, bait and distance sampling.  

The $57,250 in front of aldermen for approval is to fund those same services this winter: meat processing, White Buffalo sharpshooting, bait and distance sampling. 

Last winter 288 deer were shot. This winter, to maintain the population of 300 deer, the number of of deer to be taken was initially estimated to be approximately 50. However, Hoelzer said the actual number of deer to be killed this year will be determined after analysis of the current deer situation, including the number of suspected deer versus car accidents this year in Town and Country.

During Monday night's board of aldermen meeting, former alderman Al Gerber spoke out against the sharpshooting method of deer management. Gerber was an outspoken proponent of using sterilization as a method of deer management in Town and Country during the process of adopting the city's plan last year.

Former alderman Barbara Hughes also once again spoke out against the sharpshooting. She referred to the city's deer versus car data that shows 50 collisions last year and 48 this year and said she doesn't see sharpshooting as making Town and Country safer for drivers.

"It comes across as a waste of public money," Hughes said. "When do you plan to tell residents the result of this report and that it really did not reduce deer/car collisions?"

This information and other deer management updates are posted on the right hand side of the Town and Country city website. Click to read the reports.

See agenda and supporting documents in the PDF portion of this article for complete details. 

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