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Resident urges ordinance to stop feeding wild animals after repeated skunk and raccoon encounters
Summary
At the April 28 council meeting, Park City resident Randy Peek described trapping and relocating dozens of skunks, possums and raccoons and asked the council to consider an ordinance to prohibit feeding wild animals; staff said they would research ordinance language and enforcement options.
Randy Peek, a Park City resident, told the council during public forum that wild‑animal feeding near his home has produced escalating nuisance and safety issues and asked the city to consider regulatory remedies.
"To date, in a year and a half, I have trapped and relocated 53 skunks, 24 possums, and five raccoons from my backyard," Peek said, recounting incidents of dogs being sprayed and animals becoming dependent on human food. He described spending nearly $650 on traps, bait and fencing and said he drives animals about nine miles to relocate them. Peek said he had spoken with a compliance officer previously and that he could find no Park City or Sedgwick County ordinance specifically prohibiting feeding wild animals.
Council members thanked Peek for bringing the matter forward. The mayor and staff suggested the city could prepare ordinance language for council consideration but flagged enforceability as a complicating factor: what behavior to prohibit, how to detect violations, and who would enforce them. Staff said enforcement mechanics would be part of a later conversation.
No motion or ordinance was introduced at the meeting; council directed staff to return with options for regulation and enforcement. Peek’s comments were taken under advisement as an item for future staff follow‑up.
