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Council agrees to refine language in proposed wildlife ordinance after residents raise safety concerns
Summary
Council members and the police chief discussed language in an ordinance addressing harvesting wildlife within city limits, focusing on unintended consequences for target practice and legal trapping, and asked staff to rework the draft.
Council members and police officials discussed an ordinance on harvesting wildlife in city limits and asked staff to refine the wording to avoid unintended consequences for target practice, archery training and legal animal control methods.
Price's police chief warned council members that broad language could unintentionally criminalize lawful target practice or restrict trapping methods used to remove nuisance animals. "Hunting in city limits would be one thing. But the trapping thing ... is one of the only ways we can legally get rid of cats, skunks," the chief said, cautioning the council to pick wording carefully.
Several council members described emotional community reactions to recent incidents — including a locally known buck that had been habituated to people — and urged careful drafting. Mayor Terry and others agreed to circulate revised ordinance language to avoid creating new enforcement problems and to solicit feedback before bringing the measure back to council.
No vote was taken. Council members instructed staff and the chief to prepare a revised draft that clarifies differences among hunting, target practice, archery training and trapping and to circulate that draft to council prior to a future meeting.
