CC_Minutes_2011_0523 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Regular City Council Meeting Monday, May 23,2011 Page 22 Councilmember Willmus thanked staff and the Public Works, Environment and Transportation Commission for their work on this issue and their recommendation to the City Council. Mayor Roe clarified that there was no formal action being taken tonight; and that the ordinance would return to the City Council on June 13, 2011. e. Discuss Wildlife Management Parks and Recreation Director Lonnie Brokke briefly reviewed deer spotting sta- tistics from 2004—2011 as detailed in the RCA dated May 23, 2011; and summa- rized apparent consistent deer populations in the northeast section of Roseville by Lake Owasso and Little Lake Josephine; Midland Hills, and Reservoir Woods. Discussion among Councilmembers and staff included the number spotted and as- sumptions on others in the area, with no specific formula in place; recent staff level conversations with Ramsey County and adjacent cities for controlling, not eliminating, the deer population through bow hunting or sharp shooting; other wildlife issues or public concerns beyond deer (coyote sightings); and varying with planting seasons and times of the year. Further discussion included steps taken by other cities, including Little Canada authorizing hunts on private property; Ramsey County and Shoreview steps; pro- gram costs for deer removal and/or processing; services provided for hunts by the Minnesota Bow Hunters Association and Area Sharpshooters Association; processes for sectioning off those areas to secure them, with sharp shooting being the preferred method; DNR authorization for any hunts; movement of the wildlife through the area, across jurisdictions; and how to address those on private versus public property. Councilmember McGehee opined that she didn't' see this issue rising to a signifi- cant level to be a major problem, if small clusters of deer were moving through; and further opined that there were many deer deterrents available for residents to use. Given the potential expense to the City, Councilmember McGehee opined that this didn't' seem like a critical issue at this time. Councilmember Johnson noted that another issue was that residents were unable to use typical types of deterrents, such as electric fences, based on staff's interpre- tation of City Code; and questioned why since they had a very low charge. Mayor Roe suggested that the issue may be the height of the fence required to keep deer out. Councilmember Johnson noted that an electric fence required a shorter height re- quirement to work; and noted that there were probably an equal number of resi- dents feeding the deer to keep them in the area.