ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Ann Arbor’s deer cull will not happen this winter as the city takes steps to reduce its budget for the next fiscal year.
The annual cull was among other items included in a recent $1.2 million budget cut for the city as part of a multi-step approach to recover from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Interim City Administrator Tom Crawford explained that the deer cull was temporarily suspended for the next fiscal year in order to help the city deal with short-term financial problems. Deer management related expenses, like data collection and the cull, costs the city $140,000.
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A highly debated topic within Ann Arbor, there have previously been five culls in order to manage the city’s deer population.
In January, 109 deer were lethally removed by sharpshooters from designated parks, nature areas, University of Michigan properties, Concordia University properties and selected private properties in Ann Arbor.
The City Council approved a $466 million city budget during its May 19 meeting but is in the process of creating an economic recovery plan to counteract current and anticipated impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.