Ballard Vetoes Plan Requiring Council Approval Of Deer Hunts

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard has vetoed a proposed ordinance calling for City-County Council approval of deer management programs in city parks two weeks after a controlled deer hunt killed 142 bucks and does in Eagle Creek Park.

Ballard vetoed the measure Friday, saying "wildlife management decisions should be handled by the experts."

The council voted 19-9 earlier this month to require the council and the city parks board to both sign off on future hunts. Democrats who sponsored the proposed ordinance said it was drafted in response to concerns that the Eagle Creek hunt was pushed forward by the mayor's office and the parks board without adequate public comment.

The parks board took two hours of public comment in September before unanimously voting to allow the controlled deer hunt.