City Discusses Nuisance Deer, TexMo Abatement
September 4, 2019 at 12:21 a.m.
By David [email protected]
The bulk of the council’s 26-minute meeting was on the annual resolution determining the existence of deer nuisance areas within the city, which the council unanimously approved.
Deer Task Force Chair and City Councilman Jeff Grose reported last week the DTF trained the archers that were willing to participate this year, and the participants will be finalized by next week.
The resolution will allow the management team to establish where the reduction zones are located. Grose said there were 25 in 2018, and most are private property.
“But if reduction zone status is given, that will allow only our archers in the program to go into those zones and take deer,” Grose said. “The state of Indiana has given us urban zone status again.” The status will go from Sept. 15 to Jan. 31.
He said there are no major changes to the program this year, except Warsaw teacher and management team member Nate Howett created a log program where archers can record their kills on a smartphone.
Councilman Jerry Frush asked how many does and bucks were allowed to be taken.
Grose said new members who qualify for the program are asked to take three doe before they take a buck. Veteran archers can take a doe, a buck and then are asked to take two more doe before taking a second buck.
About 20 new archers were interested in participating in the program this year.
Mike Klondaris, councilman, asked how a property owner could let the Deer Task Force know they are open to letting archers hunt on their property. Grose said if a land owner is interested in applying for reduction zone status, they can go to the city website, get the landowner form and turn it into the Warsaw Police Department. That property will then be reviewed for eligibility. Not all property qualifies due to safety concerns.
As for total number of deer taken, Grose said, “We’ve tipped the tipping point. We went over 500. No way would I have imagined that years ago. And a very, very, very, very high percentage is doe.”
The second and third items before the council were a noncompliance waiver and a tax abatement for Texmo Precision Castings U.S. Inc.
City Planner Jeremy Skinner said the noncompliance waiver was advertised in the newspaper.
“They did file their CF-1 back in April, mid-May with us but they did not file it with the county on that deadline. The county denied their application and is requesting that we complete a waiver,” Skinner said.
He said the city council approved the abatement in June but it’s back before the city because the county denied the tax abatement and the county requested the city complete the waiver of noncompliance.
With the city’s approval of the noncompliance waiver and tax abatement, it will go back to the county for its approval.
The last item approved was a planning ordinance for conflict of interest in the issuance of permits. It was approved on first reading, with the second reading to be given at the council’s next meeting Sept. 16.
Thallemer said the ordinance is the result of a state statute that was recently passed.
Skinner said the state passed the statute “which requires us to have an ordinance in the event that there’s any conflict with any party that’s issuing a permit, whether it would be the mayor, inspector, building commissioner and I think it even references police in here.”
If there is a conflict, there is a process to resolve it.
“Basically, it makes the mayor aware of any conflict and the mayor would consult with the city attorney and then designate an agent to represent that permit during that conflict of interest,” Skinner said.
The bulk of the council’s 26-minute meeting was on the annual resolution determining the existence of deer nuisance areas within the city, which the council unanimously approved.
Deer Task Force Chair and City Councilman Jeff Grose reported last week the DTF trained the archers that were willing to participate this year, and the participants will be finalized by next week.
The resolution will allow the management team to establish where the reduction zones are located. Grose said there were 25 in 2018, and most are private property.
“But if reduction zone status is given, that will allow only our archers in the program to go into those zones and take deer,” Grose said. “The state of Indiana has given us urban zone status again.” The status will go from Sept. 15 to Jan. 31.
He said there are no major changes to the program this year, except Warsaw teacher and management team member Nate Howett created a log program where archers can record their kills on a smartphone.
Councilman Jerry Frush asked how many does and bucks were allowed to be taken.
Grose said new members who qualify for the program are asked to take three doe before they take a buck. Veteran archers can take a doe, a buck and then are asked to take two more doe before taking a second buck.
About 20 new archers were interested in participating in the program this year.
Mike Klondaris, councilman, asked how a property owner could let the Deer Task Force know they are open to letting archers hunt on their property. Grose said if a land owner is interested in applying for reduction zone status, they can go to the city website, get the landowner form and turn it into the Warsaw Police Department. That property will then be reviewed for eligibility. Not all property qualifies due to safety concerns.
As for total number of deer taken, Grose said, “We’ve tipped the tipping point. We went over 500. No way would I have imagined that years ago. And a very, very, very, very high percentage is doe.”
The second and third items before the council were a noncompliance waiver and a tax abatement for Texmo Precision Castings U.S. Inc.
City Planner Jeremy Skinner said the noncompliance waiver was advertised in the newspaper.
“They did file their CF-1 back in April, mid-May with us but they did not file it with the county on that deadline. The county denied their application and is requesting that we complete a waiver,” Skinner said.
He said the city council approved the abatement in June but it’s back before the city because the county denied the tax abatement and the county requested the city complete the waiver of noncompliance.
With the city’s approval of the noncompliance waiver and tax abatement, it will go back to the county for its approval.
The last item approved was a planning ordinance for conflict of interest in the issuance of permits. It was approved on first reading, with the second reading to be given at the council’s next meeting Sept. 16.
Thallemer said the ordinance is the result of a state statute that was recently passed.
Skinner said the state passed the statute “which requires us to have an ordinance in the event that there’s any conflict with any party that’s issuing a permit, whether it would be the mayor, inspector, building commissioner and I think it even references police in here.”
If there is a conflict, there is a process to resolve it.
“Basically, it makes the mayor aware of any conflict and the mayor would consult with the city attorney and then designate an agent to represent that permit during that conflict of interest,” Skinner said.
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