Warsaw is again aiming to reduce its deer overpopulation. Warsaw City Council Tuesday night approved a resolution to declare eight deer nuisance zones within the city limits. The zones still need to be approved as reduction zones by the city. The hunt will be Sept. 15 to Jan. 31 if approved by the city. The new nuisance zones are the northeast zone north of U.S. 30, including Warsaw Municipal Airport and the east central zone southeast along U.S. 30. Nuisance zones that were previously hunted in and still need to be approved as reduction zones for this year are Country Club Road; the northwest zone north of Warsaw and west of Ind. 15N; Kosciusko Community Hospital and Springhill Addition; Hire Park; the former Madison School area and Boggs Addition; Rozella Road and Logan Street. Council President Elaine Call made a motion to approve the nuisance zones, seconded by councilman Mike Klondaris. The deer management committee still needs to establish deer reduction zones that the city council will need to approve, Jeff Grose, deer task force chairman, said. Grose said there have been 250 deer taken so far over the last six years, and there were 50 deer taken last year. This is the seventh year for the hunt, according to Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer. Thallemer said the hunt has been safe and effective. He thanked the management committee for their efforts to make sure there is a safe hunt. Thallemer said the city will review the reduction efforts every year to make sure they have been effective. Training sessions were in August for archers for this year’s hunt, and there are more than 60 archers who qualified, Grose said. Grose said archers who participate in the hunt have the opportunity to donate the meat to local charities. Grose thanked the deer management committee, volunteers, the city and archers in making the deer reduction effort a success. Archers are only permitted in wooded areas, must hunt from tree stands and must hunt at least 70 yards from homes. Archers must first take a doe before taking a buck. For more information about the deer reduction effort, visit the city’s website at warsaw.in.gov under the police department tab. In other business, the council approved non-profit budgets for 2013. Animal Welfare League of Kosciusko County budget was approved at $17,500; City-County Athletic Complex, $25,000; Kosciusko Area Bus Services, $18,500; Warsaw Community Development Corp., $12,600; Warsaw Housing Authority, $25,000 and Housing Opportunities of Warsaw was approved at $25,000.Thallemer said the assessed valuation for the city of Warsaw dropped 8 percent due to reassessments. He said those dollars will affect 2013 budgets. “There will have to be some cuts, without question,” Thallemer said. The first public hearing for the budget is Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. The proposed budget will have its first reading Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. and the budget will be considered for adoption Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. By state statute, Nov. 1 is the deadline to adopt 2013 budgets. The city previously reviewed city departmental budgets at its Aug. 20 meeting and reviewed non-for profit budgets then. City employees are looking at a 3 percent across-the-board pay raise if the proposed budget is passed. Thallemer said he is asking the city department heads to hold capital spending for 2012 and to prepare line two cuts.
