Solon Spent $132K On Deer Culling In 2013

Solon spent as much as $132,719 on its deer culling program this year, about $50,000 less than last year.

Sharpshooters with the U.S. Department of Agriculture killed about 200 deer this past winter. That contract, which expires at the end of July, was formally approved by city council Monday.

Also included in the contract is a proposed fee of $14,000 to perform an aerial visual survey to gain an accurate count of Solon's remaining deer population.

This was the second year that the USDA has been hired to run Solon's sharpshooting efforts.

The goal of the program is to slash Solon's deer population to reduce car wrecks caused by deer. Solon officials have said Solon has more deer than the city's geography can handle. The program is controversial, as many residents tried to stop the city from being able to hunt deer.

Last year, snipers culled 300 deer from the city.

In 2012, the city spent $183,353. That total cost includes a $103,000 payment to USDA and other associated costs, including meat transportation and processing, police overtime fees and other administrative costs.

Meat from the deer are processed and donated to hunger shelters in the area.