09-18-2006 CC MIN - Laserfiche WebLink

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City Council Minutes September 18, 2006 Page 12 8. Council Updates . Councilmember Motin stated an RFP for legal services has been drafted and will be presented to Council on October 2 for any comments. 9. Staff Updates 9.A. Deer Hunt in Parks Mr. Maertz stated that after the Council approved the deer hunt the Parks & Recreation Commission had a chance to review it at their meeting. He stated the Commission recommends postponing the hunt to 2007 due to three issues: educating the public, timing with high school activities, and the permitting process. Councilmember Dietz suggested the Police Department work with the Parks Department to resolve the issues and still have the hunt this year. Councilmember Dietz apologized to the Parks Commission for not sending this issue to them for review first. He stated the general public has commented that they are being discriminated against by not being allowed to hunt in the parks. Chief Beahen stated the DNR has withdrawn from the process because they didn't want to create any conflict within the city. He wasn't sure the issues could be resolved in time for this year. He stated he and the DNR do not support the general public being involved with the hunt due to safety concerns. ChiefBeahen stated further concerns with the city's liability and a general public open hunt. He stated they have a screening process in place and limit the hunt to known skilled hunters. He stated they were considering a group like the Handicap Hunters Association. . Councilmember Farber stated he disagrees with the Parks Commission recommendation. He stated the City of Fridley has their Police Department thin out the deer herds and donate the meat to local food shelves. Chief Beahen stated it is common in metro area cities for law enforcement officers to thin out the herd with high powered rifles and finish within a few days. Councilmember Gumphrey stated something should be done to control the deer population even if it is to have the officers take care of it. The Council concurred and recommended donating the meat to an organization. ChiefBeahen stated he would contact the DNR and work with the Parks Department to try and work out an arrangement for thinning the deer population this year. He apologized for not involving the Parks Department in this process from the beginning. Ms. Johnson stated the Council needs to discuss the YMCA at a future meeting. Staff will present a schedule and other project information at that time. .