Now that the deer hunting issue was passed in the March primary election, it’s time for the city to get down to the work of writing the legislation that will determine the parameters of the program. All six communities passed the measure. In North Royalton, 6,395 voters voted for the measure and 2,968 voted against it.
Last November, the North Royalton City Council unanimously adopted a resolution that would allow a deer hunting measure to be placed on the March ballot. The resolution is one that also came in front of City Councils of the other communities in a regional effort to thin the herd of deer in the area.
Each of the cities held public information meetings last November to publicize the measure and inform residents of what the legislation would entail. In North Royalton, about 70 residents, Council members and members of the North Royalton administration attended the meeting regarding proposed legislation that would place a deer hunting measure on the March ballot. Mayor Bob Stefanik and North Royalton Law Director Tom Kelly explained that the measure would go to the voters in an effort to get a pulse on the wishes of the constituency.
On Monday, March 28, Mayor Bob Stefanik hosted a meeting of city officials from Broadview Heights, Parma, Parma Heights, Seven Hills and Strongsville to discuss the legislation that will ultimately be introduced at each city’s Council. Members of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), including the Division of Wildlife, as well as representatives from groups that would certify archers were also in attendance.
“We still have a little bit of homework to do,” said Stefanik. He noted that although the group had made “a lot of great progress,” they are working on the certification of archers. “We have a few options as far as the certification process is concerned. We want to get the safest. Our number one concern is always safety.” The main goal is to “continue to keep a regional approach” in dealing with the deer issue. In that light, the legislation that will be introduced at the various City Councils will be identical, according to Stefanik.
At this point, there is no defined timeframe set for the introduction of the new ordinance. Stefanik said that each city will do further research and then reconvene one last time to draft a new ordinance. For North Royalton, the newly drafted ordinance would amend the city’s “Codified Ordinances of the City of North Royalton, Part Six General Offenses Code, Chapter 618 Animals, Section 618.12 Hunting Prohibited.” If approved by Council, the drafted ordinance would permit the limited hunting of white-tailed deer by cross bow or long bow.
By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer