Kennedy said hunting would be a financially viable option for East Lansing, but it might not be as acceptable as other more expensive options, such as trapping and euthanizing the animals.

“I would not look at a single park or a single area,” he said. “I would want to look at the city of East Lansing and the entire Lansing area to look at what the options are.”

East Lansing resident and former mayor Liz Schweitzer spoke on behalf of the Red Cedar neighborhood — a heavily wooded area on the city’s west side — voicing the concerns of the residents on the increasing presence of deer, particularly near schools and parks.

Schweitzer said the neighborhood loves having wildlife in area, but many residents are concerned the deer population is becoming destructive and unfazed by human presence.

“We’ve encountered anywhere from 22-38 deer present in the area at a given time,” she said. “Before a problem becomes too much of a problem, we’d like to see the city do something.”

East Lansing Mayor Vic Loomis said the city will attempt to circulate a survey to citizens of East Lansing to see what concerns they have and what solutions they would be open to.

The council also discussed the upcoming selection of a new city manager, laying the foundation for a group of community members to review the applicants.

The group, which will be called the Citizens Committee, tentatively will consist of two council members, a representative from the neighbor association, a member from the East Lansing School Board, an MSU administrator who lives in East Lansing and well a representative from ASMSU, MSU’s undergraduate student government.

There also was discussion of including a representative from the senior citizen community, as it is the fastest growing segment of East Lansing’s population.

Thus far there has been a good deal of input from citizens, but councilmember Kevin Beard said he wanted to hear more from community members to find out what else they should include in the search.

Before moving forward, Loomis said he wants the council to consult with Scott Reilly, CEO of Pennsylvania-based Affion Public, an executive search firm that has been selected to search for the next city manager.

“We’re spending money, and we’re hiring a professional to guide us through this,” Loomis said. “I want to hear what he has to say.”

After talking to Reilly, the council will take community members’ opinion for selection criteria into consideration at the their next work session.