Johnston officials outline plan to allow DNR-certified trappers after residents report coyote attacks

A Johnston resident told the City Council on Feb. 18 that coyotes have been increasingly visible in neighborhoods and that a small dog was recently taken. City staff and the police chief said they are working with Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) partners and plan to bring ordinance changes that would allow property owners to hire DNR-certified nuisance wildlife trappers.

Kevin Murray, who gave his address as 9433 Wickham Drive in the Ashton Point neighborhood, said his backyard backs to an older farmstead and that he has recorded video and audio showing coyotes on his property. “We had a small dog that was taken by a coyote,” Murray said, describing sightings near the high school and other public areas.

Chief McDaniel told the council the city and parks department met with the DNR and with other metro communities in recent weeks. He said staff are developing a two-pronged approach: public education and management on public lands through parks programming, and a private-property pathway that would allow DNR-certified nuisance wildlife control operators to trap on private property. “Right now there’s a prohibition for trapping in our city ordinances,” Chief McDaniel said. “We need to make an adjustment to that. We need to make room for the designation of nuisance wildlife and a nuisance wildlife control operator.”

Chief McDaniel said staff are working with the city attorney on the code language — definitions, process and procedure — and that the DNR has volunteered assistance. He said the intent is to avoid ongoing police involvement in private-property nuisance complaints by giving homeowners a permitted option. “I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to bring that to the council probably early spring,” he said, adding that any ordinance change will require the council’s three readings.

Members of the council and the mayor described personal experiences with lost pets and stressed the issue affects multiple neighborhoods. Chief McDaniel noted seasonal behavior: with mating season underway, pups will be born soon and activity typically rises in spring.

Council did not take formal action at the meeting. Staff described next steps: finalize code revisions with the city attorney, coordinate with the DNR on a certified-trapper list, prepare public education materials through parks, and return to council for ordinance readings. No specific adoption date was set; staff estimated the first reading could come in April or May 2025.

The council’s discussion emphasized homeowner options for private-property solutions while reserving DNR intervention for animals posing immediate public danger on public lands.