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Caro City council asks DNR for options as residents press for action on deer and feral cats
Summary
After a DNR item on the agenda, Caro City Council requested the department provide options to the city manager and asked that residents be given information about possible deer-control approaches; public commenters also urged action on deer and raised feral cat concerns.
Mayor Karen Snider and the Caro City Council discussed the city’s growing deer concerns following an agenda item listing a DNR presentation on the topic.
Council members requested that the Michigan Department of Natural Resources provide City Manager Scott Czasak with information about options to control deer and asked that the city make those options available to residents so they can weigh and respond to them. The council’s discussion also included a question of sequencing, with some members saying the feral cat issue had not been resolved before moving on deer control options.
Public commenters reinforced the concern. Nancy Ault raised the deer issue during public comment, and Bob Eschenbacher later spoke during the additional public comment period about both deer and feral cat issues and expressed concern about issuing block permits to eliminate deer. Other residents (Brenda Peters, Lori Krywko, Vicky Brown and Tanya Batschke) commented on related community concerns including communication with departing firefighters and sidewalk project impacts.
The council did not adopt a specific deer-control policy at the meeting. Instead, it directed the manager to obtain additional information from the DNR about available options and to arrange for residents to be informed about those options. Councilor Heidi Parker specifically asked for more information on approaches to reducing feral cat populations, and the council asked staff to report back with details.
Next steps: the city manager will receive information from the DNR for council consideration and for distribution to residents; no formal action or ordinance on deer or feral cat control was taken at the Aug. 4 meeting.
