Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
This will be the 20th year for the Warsaw Deer Task Force, and they expect to eclipse the 1,000 deer mark by the end of the season.
Monday, the Warsaw Common Council approved the annual resolution determining the existence of deer nuisance areas within the city.
Todd Braddock, director of the task force for the past two years, said, “This is our 20th year serving Warsaw in this regard. The Deer Task Force was created in 2005. That first season then was in the winter of 2006. It’s really been a valuable service to our community in reducing the deer herd here in Warsaw. Over the course of 20 years, we’ve been able to successfully harvest close to 1,000 deer. Very proud to mention that we have been reduction focused for the last 20 years; 90% of the deer, plus or minus, have been antlerless deer.”
He said over the course of time, their focus on deer reduction has remained.
“We’ve had anywhere between - I think there were 10 archers, 15 archers that first year - to keeping, on average, about 45 archers per season,” Braddock said.
Having some electronic means to collect data has made the process of keeping track of data and the task force’s effectiveness a lot easier, he stated.
A former teacher and now Lakeview Middle School’s principal, Braddock said, “We’ve used the Google products, Google forms, and so the data collection aspect of what we’re doing has been really remarkable. We’re able to not only monitor the number of deer that we harvest, but how many times our archers go into the field, and it’s just been a really positive thing for our program.”
He stated Warsaw’s Deer Task Force program has been modeled over the state of Indiana.
“They’ve taken on some of our protocols and procedures that we’ve put in place. 2005, Councilman (Jeff) Grose, at the time, and the management team, they put in place ‘to earn a buck,’ which is basically you have to harvest an antlerless deer before you harvest an antler deer. And so, the state of Indiana, within their reduction zones, has modeled that same concept,” Braddock said.
He often gets emails from different cities around Indiana wanting more information about what the Warsaw Deer Task Force is doing.
“So, I think we’ve been the standard over the course of 20 years. We’ve done it safely, effectively, humanely. And so a lot of people are asking about it, and so that’s been a positive as well,” he said.
Last year, Braddock said they harvested around 60 deer, with 40 archers with compound archery equipment. He didn’t have specific data on how many harvested deer have been donated to food pantries and others, but have had quite a few.
“So a lot of our archers do (donate). Not only do they volunteer their time, pay for their own tags, but they’re also donating the harvested animals to people who need it. That makes me really proud,” Braddock said. “I think this year, working with some of the management team, we’re going to track that number so that in the following years I can give you more specific concrete data with that.”
This year, he said they’re looking to keep around 35 to 50 archers, depending on who applies. On Aug. 21, they will have their annual training at the Warsaw Police Department for archers. After the training and proficiency tests, the task force management team will look at the number of archers and approve the group.
For this year’s reduction season, the state of Indiana has declared Warsaw in the reduction zone. Braddock said the resolution approves those nuisance zones to be a part of the reduction hunt, if the city council approves the resolution.
The reduction zone season starts on Sept. 15 and ends on Jan. 31.
The council approved the resolution 6-0, with Council President Jack Wilhite absent.
City Planner Justin Taylor presented a sign ordinance to the council, which was approved on first reading. The second reading of the ordinance will take place at the council’s Aug. 18 meeting.
“Since code enforcement went over to (Warsaw Police Department), I’ve been looking at ways to streamline their processes and just make it a little bit easier for them to do some of the enforcement work that would make the city safer,” he said.
The sign ordinance he presented Monday is a “minor tweak” that was inferred before, but Taylor wanted to make it more concrete for code enforcement so “they didn’t have to analysis each sign violation situation separately.”
He said the ordinance will allow code enforcement to remove signs that are placed clearly in the public right-of-way that are causing a nuisance or hazard to public safety.
The Warsaw Plan Commission reviewed the ordinance on July 14 and approved a favorable recommendation for it.
Councilman Mike Klondaris asked what type of signs were he referring to.
“So these are temporary signs that are typically placed in the right-of-way in violation of the city’s ordinance,” Taylor responded. “... It’s mostly for the most egregious ones. They still have the option to put a sticker and notify the owner, but this would just enable us to not just have signs sprinkled around the city and causing hazards for motorists and pedestrians.”
Klondaris said he’s noticed there are signs where property owners have not kept bushes or trees properly trimmed so a person can’t see the sign almost to the last minute. He asked if there was something that addressed that problem.
Taylor said public works has the ability to trim back vegetation that is blocking or creating a hazard in the right-of-way. Street Superintendent Dustin Dillon said his staff does go out weekly.
“Residents call in, let us know if there’s any sign blockage. I will promise you our team are not arborists, so if you are really partial to your bush, to your tree, to whatever you have out there, help us help you and not come over and butcher the tree,” Dillon said.
People can call 574-372-9561, Monday through Friday; or email publicworks@warsaw.in.gov to report overgrown bushes and trees.
Under old business, the council approved on second reading the ordinance for the Kosciusko Area Bus Service (KABS) bus stops. They approved it on first reading at their July 21 meeting.
KABS General Manager Kristin Rude reminded the council, “This is an ordinance that proposes updates to chapter 74 of the city code to establish the regulations for use and operation of public bus stops within city limits.”
Key provisions in the ordinance include bus stop designation and sign installation, bus operation standards, passenger engagement, traffic behavior and use of the bus stops, she said. “The ordinance is designed to help enhance public safety, support reliable operations and improve accessibility.”
Councilwoman Diane Quance made a motion to approve the ordinance. Councilman Jerry Frush seconded it and the motion passed 6-0.
