Deer Sterilization Not Happening in 2011

The Town and Country Board of Aldermen voted not to include sterilization of deer as part of the city's 2011-12 deer management plan.

The current plan, approved by the board of aldermen Oct. 10 and set to take effect in December, includes sharpshooting as the only method of deer management. That plan remains unchanged after Monday night's vote.

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Ward 2 Alderman Al Gerber, who chairs the city's conservation commission, sponsored the bill Monday night, which proposed amendments to the city's current plan, including adding sterilization as a method of deer control, along with sharpshooting.

"It's to bring the community back together again. It's to represent everybody," Gerber told board members prior to Monday's vote.

Although both aldermen Gerber and Ward 3 Alderman Steve Fons voted for the proposed amendments, the bill was voted down 5-2. 

Aldermen said they'd be willing to revisit the issue of sterilization next year.

(Patch readers can see the entire proposal in the inlcuded agenda in the PDF portion of this article.)

Once again, residents spoke out against lethal methods to reduce the city's deer population. They told aldermen and the mayor that the board is not representing the wishes of the people who elected them into office. They also reminded aldermen that they should be listening to their constituents.

Residents also spoke out against the sterilization method of control, saying it was not effective enough. Previously, those who created the deer management proposal adopted by the city said sharpshooting is the most cost-effective manner in which to decrease and manage the deer.

Gerber said he did not expect his amendments to be approved d by the board, because he proposed the same amendments at the Oct. 10 meeting and they were not approved.

Although disappointed, Gerber said he is not discouraged by Monday night's vote.

"I'll still be trying to get it in next year. There are a lot of citizens in our town who feel strongly about this and I will continue to represent them," Gerber told Patch.

See agenda and supporting documents above for complete details on the amendments and other agenda items set for Monday's meeting.

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