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Peachtree City resident urges council to adopt feeding-wildlife ordinance to address deer overpopulation
Summary
Resident Stephanie Roman told the council she supports a feeding-wildlife ordinance to reduce deer overpopulation, citing wildlife biologists and examples of other Georgia cities that have passed similar rules. Roman asked the council to combine education with a ban to reduce accidents, disease spread and unsafe removal methods near homes.
Stephanie Roman, a Braelin Village resident, urged the Peachtree City Council to pass a feeding-wildlife ordinance during the meeting's public-comment period.
Roman said the ordinance under consideration at the Oct. 2 meeting was “very well researched” and argued that feeding deer increases public-safety risks and animal disease. “Feeding concentrates deer near our homes, increasing car accidents,” she said, and warned that feeding can spread diseases such as tuberculosis and chronic wasting disease and cause harmful diet changes.
Roman told the council that multiple Georgia municipalities — including Dunwoody, Berkeley Lake, Jefferson and Fort Oglethorpe — have passed similar restrictions. She said enforcement challenges could be addressed by pairing code enforcement with a community education campaign and that a combined education-and-ban approach would be “the most humane and effective solution to addressing deer overpopulation in our city.”
Roman also said council members had indicated possible support for a revised ordinance during an Oct. 2 discussion but that the idea had not advanced. She urged the council to lead on the issue, saying, “As residents and elected leaders of Peachtree City, we are stewards of this land and obligated to not only protect its people but also its wildlife.”
No formal action on an ordinance was recorded during this meeting. The speaker identified several neighboring cities with similar ordinances and recommended public outreach be paired with any ban to increase compliance and understanding.
