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Residents describe widespread raccoon feeding and disease; council directs staff to draft nuisance ordinance
Summary
Neighbors reported repeated feeding of raccoons with mange and roundworm in a concentrated neighborhood; the town manager said staff has met with the health department and will draft an ordinance to prohibit feeding and to permit abatement, with a draft expected at the next meeting.
Residents from the Yorkshire/Phelps neighborhood told the council they have repeatedly encountered mangy raccoons and believe feeding by local residents has created a colony that threatens public health. David MacArthur (1107 West Phelps Drive) said neighbors have live-trapped and relocated dozens of animals and that he had to euthanize several sick raccoons; he urged the town to act.
"They're friendly. They've been fed. They're hungry, and they're dangerous. They carry diseases," MacArthur said during public comment, describing multiple sick animals and citing a recent dog infection attributed to raccoon-transmitted roundworm.
Town staff and council discussed limits under Indiana law and DNR guidance for wildlife control, and noted the county health department has been involved in early conversations. Christopher Cook, the town's administrative manager, told council members he has been working on draft language that would prohibit feeding wild animals when it creates a nuisance and would authorize the town, through staff or contractors, to abate a nuisance in certain circumstances. Cook said he expects to have a draft ordinance to circulate to council before the next meeting.
Council members and residents flagged operational and legal issues: state wildlife rules limit municipal authority over wild animals; licensed rehabilitators and DNR rules create constraints on treatment; and abatement actions (trapping, removal) can prompt public pushback if images or video appear online. Staff said the proposed ordinance will include exceptions (for bird feeders, for instance) and that town attorneys will work with the health department and animal-control partners to define permissible abatement steps.
Why it matters: Residents say the problem is concentrated and growing, and the proposed ordinance would give the town a regulatory tool to reduce feeding that staff and residents say is sustaining a raccoon colony carrying disease risks to pets and children.
What’s next: Staff will circulate a draft ordinance for council review; no ordinance was adopted at the Feb. 11 meeting.
