Police chief withdraws request for deer-hunting ordinance; committee removes item from agenda as resident praises program

Police Chief Keith Tarase told the Safety Committee on June 17 that he was withdrawing his request for Ordinance 25-103, which had been proposed in connection with deer hunting and nuisance permits. Later in the meeting Chair Michael Wos moved, and Vice Chair Heidi Webber seconded, a motion to remove Ordinance 25-103 (suspension of the nuisance abatement program for the 2025–2026 season) from the Safety Committee agenda; the motion carried with two yeas and one excused.

During the public-comment period, resident Ed Baznik of 6160 Bunker Road praised the city’s hunting program and said he has been participating since the ordinance began in 2016. “It’s been a huge difference in the ecological system,” Baznik said, adding that he has personally removed “over 30 deer” from his property and that his neighborhood has seen undergrowth and pollinators return. Baznik also thanked Officer Kipp by name and offered to help city leaders and the county wildlife officer if the program’s rules are reconsidered.

Committee members did not take further action on the ordinance after the withdrawal and the subsequent motion to remove it from the agenda. Chair Wos closed the discussion and the meeting proceeded to other items.

Next steps: There was no vote on changing the nuisance-abatement program itself at the meeting; the ordinance was removed from the Safety Committee agenda and the chief’s withdrawal means no formal committee action occurred on Ordinance 25-103 that evening.