By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Bowling Green City Council heard the first reading Monday evening of an ordinance prohibiting outdoor feeding of wild animals in the community – except for feeders for songbirds.
At least one human was not happy with the proposed ordinance.
Bruce Kidder expressed his concerns about the legislation to council members. While he understands the proposed ban on salt licks placed in yards to attract deer, he is worried that some rules will cause more problems than they solve.
“It needs some work,” he said.
Kidder said the way the ordinance is written, he would be in violation if his bird feeder attracted squirrels. Certain landscaping plants attract deer – as many residents are aware since those plants are often nibbled down to the base.
And what about bird baths, Kidder asked. “If a deer drinks out of it, I’m in trouble, too.”
Working with the ODNR, Bowling Green officials came up with legislation intended to prevent deer from devouring landscaping plants, turkeys from pecking people, and raccoons and opossums from crawling into spaces they don’t belong in houses. The proposed ordinance is based on one already enacted in the city of Dublin.
Wild animals fed by humans can become accustomed to people, according to ODNR, causing the animals to lose their fear of people and become aggressive. The ordinance addresses other negative impacts from wild animals being fed by residents, including the spread of disease, disruption of natural foraging behaviors, and more vehicle-animal crashes.
The ordinance covers feeding of domesticated animals that are running without a leash, and wild animals including squirrels, chipmunks, groundhogs, raccoons, skunks, opossums, muskrats, deer, foxes, black bears, wild turkeys, bobcats and coyotes.
City Council will have two more readings of the proposed ordinance before voting on it. And council member Bill Herald said a public hearing will be held prior to council acting on the ordinance.
Also during Monday’s meeting, a resident of the 700 block of West Gypsy Lane Road, returned to council to repeat his concerns about speeding vehicles in that section of roadway.
Matt Sayre thanked the city for conducting a speed study of the road, but pointed out the study saw “just a snapshot” of the problem. He also thanked police patrols in the area.
However, as speeds inch up during the summer, Sayre invited city officials and a plain-clothes officer with a radar gun to sit and have a cup of coffee with him – “and see what the real speed is.”
Sayre proposed the city install two speed cameras on West Gypsy Lane Road, to discourage speed violations and to free up police officers for other duties. However, when asked later in the meeting about the legality of speed cameras, City Attorney Hunter Brown said they have been found to be illegal.
Another resident in the area, living on Tomahawk Lane, also expressed concerns about vehicles speeding in the area. Sherry Potocnak said one neighbor is too afraid to cut her grass by the road.
Potocnak thanked city officials for installing two speed limit signs after she contacted them. But she said the signs don’t seem to have slowed traffic.
In other business, City Communications Director Amanda Gamby updated council on the city’s proposed Climate Action Plan. The committee met earlier in the day to work on the final draft.
Because the plan is broader in scope than originally planned, it has been retitled the “Climate Action and Resiliency Plan,” Gamby said.
Also at Monday’s meeting, Wood County Park District Director Chris Smalley presented Bowling Green Parks and Recreation Director Kristin Otley with a $2,806 local park grant to be used for a security camera at Carter Park near the inclusive playground and restrooms.
(More news from BG City Council will be posted later this week.)
