Safety Committee Talks Hunting; State of Police, Fire Departments

Hunting in the city limits was a topic at Monday’s Zanesville’s Public Safety Committee meeting.

Mayor Zwelling asked the committee to allow hunting, specifically deer within the city limits. Public Service Committee Chairman Andrew Roberts says he along with other committee members have had residents approach them about allowing hunting, but as of now, it doesn’t look like the city is going to budge.

"I don’t know that at this point in time, we’re really that interested in opening up hunting across the board in the city," said Roberts.

Roberts says they will discuss and consult the issue further with other agencies like the ODNR to help come up with a solution to the issue. The committee is also looking into legislation for punishing residents that feed wild animals. A current city ordinance forbids residents from feeding wild animals but there is no penalty for it.

"We’re going to look into deer and species that will come and be invasive, not so much bird feeders or peanuts for the squirrels and things like that," said Roberts.

Also discussed at Monday’s meeting was the current state of both police and fire departments in the city. Police Chief Eric Lambes said overtime will increase slightly because of training for some officers but will not affect their current budget. Zanesville Fire Department Interim Chief Craig Stemm said testing for the new fire chiefs positions will take place in May and June.