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City Council takes time with new deer deal
(by Sue Reid - November 18, 2009)
City Council takes time with new deer deal
By SUE REID
Solon City Council's safety and public properties committee tabled a request from the public works department last week to award a contract for deer- management and meat-processing services. The committee will revisit the issue at its next meeting in December.
Councilman and committee member Edward H. Kraus, who suggested tabling the issue, said he did so, because it never was his intention to support a deer-culling program in the city forever. He said, "I'm not closing the door to support it, but it was always my intention to not support it forever."
Council had given authority to go out to bid for the deer-culling program following a recommendation from the public works department that the city continue it. The safety committee authorized the preparation of legislation to seek proposals for deer-management services for an additional three years with an option of two more. The committee also authorized the preparation of legislation to seek proposals for deer meat processing, which is also part of the program.
A proposal from White Buffalo Inc. was before the committee for a three-year contract with the possibility of a two-year extension in the amount of about $90,000 a year. White Buffalo was the only bid received for the program. The company has performed the deer-management service in the city for the last five years.
"We were looking for someone with experience in urban or suburban settings for doing this type of work," Assistant Public Works Director David Hromco said.
"Clearly, this is council's decision, both to do the project and who is going to do it," Mr. Hromco said following the safety meeting.
The current contract for services with White Buffalo, of Connecticut, to operate the city's deer-management program has expired with the 2009 program. The final contract amount for the three years was $235,651.
The normal period for the deer culling is from late November and the end of March.
The safety committee meets again Dec. 9 and council meets Dec. 21. Mr. Hromco told the committee that while he was not pressing the issue, White Buffalo is in the process of setting its schedule.
"The sooner we enter into a contract, the more likelihood we have of getting the dates we need to do the program," Mr. Hromco said. However, waiting until next month will not be a "significant drawback," he said.
The original deer-culling program in Solon began in early 2005 and is one of the larger programs in Cuyahoga and Summit counties. In its first season in 2005, 602 deer were taken, 400 in 2006, 150 in 2007 and 175 in 2008.
As part of the program, the deer are removed and the meat is brought to hunger shelters.
Mr. Kraus said the city took a lot of heat initially when it went forward with the program, "and it was a correct decision.
"The facts have beared that out because of the decrease in our deer-car collisions," Mr. Kraus said.
But he said he is not just going to support spending $90,000 a year if the goals and the purposes have been achieved.
"What we attempted to do from an overall city safety perspective was that we wanted to reduce the collisions and reduce the near collisions and make it less likely people will hit deer in the community," Mr. Kraus said.
"We have achieved those results. There are much less deer in the city than there were years ago. You can't eliminate all the deer. It's not practical."
He said that initially, there was an "unmanageable" deer population in the city. "We had upwards of 700, 800 confirmed deer in the community," he said.
Now, Mr. Kraus said, he wants to do his own analysis of the issue and look at it from an overall city perspective. He said he initially supported the issue because of safety and that is why he continued to support it through the years.
"For me it has always been strictly a safety issue," Mr. Kraus said.
He said he will look at the figures of the deer-car collisions. "We are drastically reduced from the peak" of years ago, he said.
Assistant Police Chief Raymond Tittl said that, in 2003, there were 175 deer-motor-vehicle accidents; in 2004, there were 161; in 2005, there were 119; in 2006, there were 85; in 2007, there were 90; and in 2008, there were 72.
"The highest we've had in the last eight years was 2003, which is 175, and lowest we've had in last eight years was in 2008, which was 72," Mr. Tittl said. "It does appear the deer culling is having an effect on reducing deer-vehicle crashes."
"When we first started the program, I had residents calling, discussing the issue and complaining all the time about the safety issue all over our community, and I don't hear that issue as much anymore," Mr. Kraus said. "What that is telling me is we have done a good job, and it's much safer."
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