Trap and Bolt anyone?

From the Municipality of Mt. Lebanon website:

FINAL SHARPSHOOTING REPORT 2019 Deer Management Program 


Tony DeNicola killed 44 deer this year for $59,605 or $1,354.66 per deer. Twenty-eight deer (64%) were "harvested" from private properties while 16 (36%) were "removed" from the four public properties available.

The original plan:

In 2014 in the interest of public safety, Mt. Lebanon’s elected officials set a goal of reducing the deer/vehicular crashes by 50 percent over five years. http://www.mtlebanon.org/DocumentCenter/View/15824/final-Deer-FAQ-January-2018?bidId=

Do the math, Folks.
Deer Pick-up/Vehicle Data

The spin this past year, according to Sharpshooting 2019 FAQ:  In the interest of public safety, Mt. Lebanon’s elected officials implemented a comprehensive deer management plan with the goal of reducing the number of deer/vehicular crashes.

They forgot to include "a goal of reducing the deer/vehicular crashes by 50 percent over five years."

We just completed season six and there is no end in sight. DeNicola now wants to kill deer in Williamsburg Park. He is suggesting trap and bolt but it sounds so much better when he calls it "non-traditional lethal management activities in very tightly developed areas (i.e., capture and euthanize)."

DeNicola is claiming four years, but we have actually had SIX killing seasons of high powered weapons in Mt. Lebanon. Don't forget Merlin the Magnificent who got in so much trouble when he used the trap and bolt method.

We're talking "scary deer." Not alligators, Commissioners.

Looking for deer "management" on the municipal website? Good luck!

After searching for the link to Mt. Lebanon's deer "management" program, I finally did a search. Sure enough, it was hidden on December 5, 2018. To find it, go to  

1. Home >
2. Services
>
3. Administration
>
4. Official Documents>
5. Deer Management Information>
6. Historical Deer Management Information

Whew! That was easy. There is no information about Tony DeNicola's proposal for killing up to 75 deer for no more than $59,605. Such a bargain!!! Want to hear more about this deer killing sale, go to tomorrow evening's commission meeting where you will hear Craig Grella (the guy who is afraid of deer) read this action item on the agenda. We go through this exercise every year. Nothing is posted on the municipal website. No car crash reports. No proposals.  No documentation whatsoever.

Last year, we spent $1352.81 per deer killed in Mt. Lebanon. 57 deer were killed. If DeNicola kills 57 deer next year, it will only cost taxpayers $1045.70 per deer. Remember, Tony told us that it would only cost us about $200-$300 per deer, while sterilization would cost much, much more.

Read about it here: https://lebocitizens.blogspot.com/2018/03/are-you-sitting-down-135281-per-deer.html

DeNicola loses out

The commission's agendas for Monday, July 23, 2018 have been posted.

Discussion session
Adjourned meeting

Consideration of a proposal for professional deer management services. The Municipality received proposals from two organizations for the provision of services to manage the hunters participating in the deer management program for the 2018-2019 archery season. The proposals are as follows:

 Bid Items
Suburban Wildlife Management Solutions $8,000
White Buffalo $9,000

Municipal staff has reviewed the proposals and deemed the low bid to be accurate. Recommended Action: Move to authorize the proper officials to execute the contract with Suburban Wildlife Management Solutions, LLC for deer management services utilizing archery for the 2018-2019 season.

The archery season for 2018-2019 is  Sept. 15- Nov. 24 and Dec. 26 - Jan. 26, 2019.

A little background on Suburban Wildlife Management Solutions. They can take the Wild Out of Your Life. Animal control is offered for skunks, ground hogs, raccoon, mink, muskrat, opossum, woodchuck, beaver, fox, coyote, rabbit, squirrel, mice, rats, chipmunk, and others! I wonder how the PA Game Commission feels about them. Deer was not listed.

White Buffalo archery results for 2017-2018 25 deer killed at a cost of $360 per deer. Tony DeNicola's White Buffalo charged Mt. Lebanon taxpayers $1352.81 PER DEER for their "sharpshooting" program. Original cost was estimated to be between $200-$300 per deer.

Are you sitting down? $1,352.81 PER DEER KILLED

Mt. Lebanon has posted the final report for the 2018 "Sharpshooting" Program. FIFTY SEVEN deer were killed for a total cost of $77,110. That comes to $1,352.81 PER DEER. 31 of those deer were killed on private property, costing taxpayers $41,937.11. Are you f-ing kidding me?

Here is the report.

2018 "Sharpshooting" Final Report

Recommendations for next year:

1. Add Williamsburg Park and Hoodridge Park to discharge high powered rifles.

2. Extend the shooting hours of high powered rifles on private and public property to seven days a week and 3:00 PM to midnight.

3. Non-traditional Trap and shoot in areas such as Morrison Drive and Virginia Manor's Valleyview Drive. (Remember Merlin the Magnificent?)

4. Conduct another deer population estimate*

*The last estimate was done by Tony's buddy (who estimated on the phone, had never stepped foot in Mt. Lebanon, nor knew the size of Mt. Lebanon) to be between 700-900 deer.

Come on Mt. Lebanon residents - WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!

T W E N T Y F I V E Deer

The 2017-2018 Archery Report has been published on the municipal website.  http://www.mtlebanon.org/DocumentCenter/View/15939

Poor Tony. They lost some good customers because they moved away and the new owners don't think there is a deer problem.

  It has been hard to convince the new landowners to participate given, from their perspective, they do not have a deer problem with reduce deer numbers in their neighborhoods.

They will try to get them to change their minds for next year. Yes. Next. Year.

 Given the favorable results for three consecutive years of the archery program, we recommend that the municipality continue to include this program as part of the overall deer management strategy.

We paid Tony $9000 to manage the volunteer archers this past year. Archery season ran from the middle of September to the end of January, with a short break between Thanksgiving and Christmas and all they killed were twenty five deer. That comes to $360 per deer. Twenty five hunters. Twenty five deer killed.

Here is the breakdown:

Total Deer Harvest: 25

White Buffalo Hunters – 25

Hunter Cooperative – No data

Antlered – 1

Antlerless – 24 (1 male, 23 female) Total

Female Harvest – 23

Total Male Harvest – 2 %

Female Harvest – 92%

Public Property Harvest – 18

Private Property Harvest – 7

White Buffalo Public Property Harvest Summary

Conservation District – 0

McNeilly Park – 4

Municipal Golf Course – 10

Public Works/Robb Hollow – 4

Twin Hills – 0

Eight deer were donated to Hunters Sharing the Harvest. That doesn't sound like much sharing to me.

Our commission majority voted to pay DeNicola $77,110.11 without knowing the results of the archery hunt.

More unbalanced reporting from Hayes

I stopped subscribing to the PG because of their "Outdoor Editor" John Hayes and his unbalanced "reporting." I got what I expected to read when someone forwarded a link to his article in yesterday's PG. In Michigan, a deer management experiment scrapped in Mt. Lebanon begins its second season

The PA Game Commission's mouthpiece is buying into the BS that deer killer Tony DeNicola is dishing out. Who else would be charging to kill 250 deer during a non-lethal "experiment?" Why does baiting not work during frigid temperatures OR milder temperatures? In either scenario, DeNicola is justifying his failures. 

Hayes also forgot to mention that DeNicola originally quoted MTL commissioners $250 per deer for "sharpshooting." This year, our commissioners are willing to pay $771.10 per deer, even more lucrative than Timmy's annual increases! That is based on killing 100 deer. What will be the true cost this year?  We will learn more in April, after DeNicola has cashed his check.

Tis the season for the Haters Fa la la la...

'Twas the week before killing, when all thro' the town,
The gardeners were stirring, all with a frown.

The signs were hung at the golf course with care,
In hopes that DeNicola soon would be there;

The haters were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of bloodshed danced in their heads.
And Susan in her Gucci, and Keith ready to snap,
Had just settled down to write some more crap.

When out in the Park, there arose such a clatter,
they jumped from their desks, and dropped their shrimp platters.
Away to their limos, they drove in a dash,
Tore open the windows and Looked Up Lebo. (wait that doesn't rhyme.)

"Now, Brumfield! now Bendel! now Silverman too!
On Aaron, On McLean! Rudy! but not Fraasch. Boo hoo!
It's September and time for the cull.
Now kill away! Kill away! Kill away all!

Absolutely no comments will be accepted related to deer under this or any other post.

Git them varmints

The white deer attractant powder has resurfaced in Twin Hills Park. This is just in time for the deer killing again, which is starting September 16, 2017. Deer Management Archery Program FAQs Unfortunately for the hunter, the hunter assigned to Twin Hills Park can be cited.

Under Pennsylvania law, it generally is unlawful to hunt in or around any area where artificial or natural bait, hay, grain, fruit, nut, salt, chemical, mineral or other food – including their residues – are used or have been used within the past 30 days as an enticement to lure game or wildlife.

It doesn't matter if the hunter placed the deer attractant there.

Hunting over bait is a summary offense punishable by a $150 to $300 fine.
But like many violations of the state’s Game and Wildlife Code, one violation might mean others are present, too, Grohol said.
For instance, if someone hunting illegally through the use of bait kills a deer in that area, he or she not only would be charged with hunting over bait, but for unlawfully taking the deer – a charge punishable by up to an $800 fine and a month in jail, he said. There would also be a minimum $800 replacement cost for the deer, and if the deer was classified a trophy buck, the replacement cost would be $5,000, he said.

If attractant is found, the law requires the area be closed to hunting for 30 days after the bait and all residue is removed. But here in Mt. Lebanon, our manager and commissioners will tell you that they know nothing about the deer killing. That is why they are paying Tony DeNicola $9,000 - so they can say



Last year, I brought it to the attention of our manager, but since I couldn't get a lab report for the unidentified substance, my concerns were ignored, once again.

The State Supreme Court would not hear my case concerning the locations of the private properties. The irony of it all is that thanks to 12:06 AM, we do not have the right to know where the killing will take place.

Will private properties used for hunting be identified? Mt. Lebanon does not have a list of the properties. Property owners contacted White Buffalo directly and donated their properties based on a condition of confidentiality. The Pennsylvania Game Commission regulates all hunting in the state and permits hunting on private property, provided both homeowner and hunters follow Game Commission rules related to permits, safety zones, hours, etc. Game Commission laws supersede local ordinances. Owners are not required to notify the municipality that hunting is taking place on their properties.

 And the best part?

A statement from Commission President David Brumfield:

We have all seen the tragedy in Charlottesville, Virginia.  A tragedy both due to the violence that occurred ending a young life and in showing us the the darkest part of of human nature. The hate-filled message that the rally projected was one that unfortunately we have heard too many times before.  The ongoing coverage of these events has focused on how we respond to those who believe skin color, religious belief, ethnicity or sexual identity are cause for exclusion and violence.  One would hope that it would go with out saying where reasonable men and women stand on such an issue.  But the foolishness of a few forces us to stand and say what we all should already know to be true.  There is no place in this world for such hate.

Last year our community had a very different rally.  Our State Representative Dan Miller with the help and support of our Municipality and School District brought the community together to champion Unity.  It was a message of love over hate, inclusion over prejudice and understanding over ignorance.  This Commission and Representative Miller want everyone to know that we are still committed to the message of Unity, as we always shall be.  To our residents, neighbors, visitors and friends please know that though there will always be those who spew vile messages of bigotry and hatred, Mt. Lebanon is a place where those messages will be opposed by a community that has chosen Unity over hate.

On Behalf of the Commission, Staff and People of Mt. Lebanon,

David Brumfield, Commission President

You see, he pushed for taking me to court to appeal the PA Office of Open Records Final Determination. He knew full well why I wanted to avoid those areas. Yeah, again thanks to 12:06 AM, now everyone knows why. 

It was a message of love over hate, inclusion over prejudice and understanding over ignorance. 

You know what I say to that? BULLSHIT!

The letter of the law vs. the spirit of the law

The Deer Feeding Ban Ordinance was introduced by Kristen Linfante, the commissioner who was obsessed with killing deer in Mt. Lebanon. The intent was by instituting a deer feeding ban, it would help to reduce the amount of deer-vehicle collisions. Allegedly.

Background:

To: commission Cc: kmcgill ; alauth ; rsukal
From: egillen476
Subject: Re: Feeding deer SECOND REQUEST
Date: Wed, Aug 2, 2017 12:24 pm

Commissioners,

I sent this email to eight people and the only response I got was the out of office memo from Aaron Lauth. I wasn't sure who to address this issue so I sent it to all of you. I sent it to the commissioners because it involves a resolution that you folks passed - the Feeding Ban. I sent it to Steve Silverman because it is in your back yard. I sent it to Dave Brumfield because he is the president. I sent it to Steve McLean because he is my commissioner. I sent it to Kelly Fraasch because she has been an anti kill advocate. I sent it to John Bendel because he is concerned about the deer/car collisions - as are the rest of you. Allegedly. I sent it to Keith McGill because he is the manager. I sent it to Rudy Sukal because neighboring Public Works has been used to kill deer. I sent it to Aaron Lauth because this is a safety issue and he is our chief of police. Aaron has an excuse for not replying. What about the rest of you?

As of yesterday, I saw the deer teetering off the curb in front of the apple tree. Cars on Gilkeson Road were slamming on their brakes. Are you not responding so that you can get those deer/car collision figures up to push your personal agendas or is this just a way to cull deer without paying DeNicola?

Elaine Gillen

-----Original Message-----From: egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>To: commission <commission@mtlebanon.org>Cc: kmcgill <kmcgill@mtlebanon.org>; alauth <alauth@mtlebanon.org>; rsukal <rsukal@mtlebanon.org>Sent: Sun, Jul 30, 2017 1:37 pmSubject: Feeding deer

Commissioners,

My heart breaks every time I drive past the apple trees on Gilkeson Road near Cedar Blvd. The ground and street are covered with apples luring deer to come and feed. They don't know that they will be killed just a few feet away in September.

Please enforce the feeding ban. Then the deer won't be crossing that busy highway for apples.

How about cracking down?

Elaine Gillen

Fast forward to today. 

I sent yet another email to Keith McGill about the trees next to my house that are in the park. Yes, I am still dealing with that after how many years? I also mentioned that I had sent an email to him (and seven other people) about the apple trees along Gilkeson Road and NONE of them had the decency to reply.

I finally heard back from Keith McGill. Here is part of the reply from him:

As to your email regarding the apple trees, your request was for that the ordinance prohibiting the feeding of deer be enforced. The prohibition does not include live vegetation. I have attached a copy of the ordinance for your reference.
Keith

The crew just left and finally, after all these years, the tree situation has been resolved. I am thrilled! But the apple tree on Gilkeson Road is just an accident waiting to happen. 12:06 AM, who has so much hate in her heart, wanted to kill all the deer here. I have identified a dangerous condition only to be told that the ordinance does not include live vegetation. Classic.

Bottom line: Drive with caution on Gilkeson Road near Cedar Blvd. Mt. Lebanon is going to leave it up to Tony DeNicola to handle it.

Round Three

Our brainless commissioners will be approving a third year of paying Tony DeNicola another $9,000 for doing nothing but watching The Deer Hunter from his recliner in Connecticut.

The program has included "volunteer" archers and a dozen private "donated" properties, as well as McNeilly Park located near Brookline, Twin Hills located in Scott Township, Robb Hollow and Public Works located located near Scott and Upper St. Clair, and the Golf Course located on the edge of Castle Shannon.

Mt. Lebanon commissioners will be voting on Monday to hire Tony DeNicola to oversee the archery program with his trail cameras that we bought him last year. The donors and volunteers will also benefit with the venison, also on our dime.

Foolish and stupid

That's what one resident called the commissioners on Tuesday (yesterday) since they are considering hiring Tony DeNicola for another $9000 to oversee the archery program and "sharpshooting." They have to continue paying Tony thousands of dollars to protect the identities of the archers and twelve private property owners even though there is a decline in deer/vehicle collisions and dead deer pickups.

None of this adds up. Well, actually, it never did. We were told last spring when Mt. Lebanon paid $815.78/deer for "sharpshooting," that the warm weather was to blame for the low body count. Oh wait, also, they couldn't get to where the deer were hiding. Now, there is a decline in deer/vehicle collisions. We were counting incidents, now we are counting collisions. That is what they should have been doing the entire time. Of course, the manager's numbers are out of whack anyway, so who's counting?

“They have a safety protocol that has so far been impeccable,” said Commissioner John Bendel.

Of course, they refused to follow up with Castle Shannon over the two incidents that were reported to Castle Shannon Police.

The commissioners are going to discuss the deer killing at their June 26 meeting. In the meantime, watch out, Pedestrians! Look up, Lebo!

Manager's numbers are out of whack!

Keith McGill sent this table to the commission, the assistant manager, and the person who requested this information at the last commission meeting. I don't know where Keith got some of these numbers, but his records are not accurate.

Good afternoon,

At the meeting on Monday night there was a request to identify the number of deer removed since we put a deer management program in place and the associated cost. Here is what my records indicate:

Year	Deer Removed	Cost of Removal
2007	79	$19,900  (USDA)
2008	146	$50,837 (USDA)
2015	6	$3,000  (Wildlife Specialists)
2016	101	$15,460 (White Buffalo -Archery)
2016	114	$74,375 (White Buffalo –Sharpshooting)
2017	36	$9,000 (White Buffalo- Archery)
2017	55	$44,868 (White Buffalo -Sharpshooting)
Total	537	$217,440

Keith


There were 69 deer killed in 2007. The permit was for up to 75. http://mtlebanon.org/DocumentCenter/Home/View/8876

In 2008, USDA killed 146 deer, but only knew about 145 deer. The 146th was found dead, in a pool of blood, in someone's front yard on Lindendale. The permit was for up to 150 deer.

The 2016 Archers killed 104 deer. http://www.mtlebanon.org/DocumentCenter/View/13897 Goal was 100.

The 2016 "Sharpshooting" program killed 115 deer. We were told that the limit would be 150 deer.

The 2017 "Sharpshooting" contract was limited to 100 deer. 55 deer were killed.

The only time hunters reached their goal was in 2016. The goal was 100 deer. All the other years, hunters came in short of their goals. I have no idea where Keith is getting his numbers, but these are the numbers I found on the municipal website.

To take this a step further, the cost of killing per deer per year breaks down to:

2007 $288.41 per deer
2008 $348.20 per deer
2015 $500 per deer
2016 (archery) $147.24 per deer
2016 ("sharpshooting") $652.41 per deer
2017 (archery) $250 per deer
2017 ("sharpshooting") $815.78 per deer

Both Steve Silverman and Craig Grella want to continue doing business with that scoundrel, and will vote along with John Bendel and Steve McLean to keep Tony DeNicola. Killing deer causes collisions to increase, but they will continue to bring in lethal weapons because deer are scary.

Bait

Bait...that four letter word that appears on Tony DeNicola's invoice for "sharpshooting" deer. No description. No quantity. Just...Bait $524.30.

Eleven days ago, my email exchange with Commissioner Steve McLean came to a halt. It might be because I wanted answers to the tough questions. I had originally emailed the entire commission on February 21, 2017, and Steve McLean had finally replied with some answers on March 10, 2017.

We may never learn the whole story about the time when Mt. Lebanon was taken to the cleaners by Tony DeNicola. Certainly, the commissioners don't want to know how or why we were charged over $800 per deer!

Dear Pass Time and groad 570 UPDATED

John Hayes has yet another deer story about Mt. Lebanon in yesterday's paper. Mount Lebanon, Michigan town have different approaches to deer problem The usual commenters to John Hayes' biased reporting include pro-kill Pass Time (we all know who that is) and anti-kill groad 570. Both read my blog. So this post is for the two of you.

My buddy, Pass Time, reminded us of this letter sent by the PA Game Commission to Keith McGill on February 5, 2016. The letter came as a complete surprise to State Representative Dan Miller and Commissioner Kelly Fraasch because of the positive meeting Dan set up with Mt. Lebanon and the PA Game Commission. I kept this voice mail on my phone for over a year, waiting for the right time to share. I believe the time is right.




I am also addressing this post to groad 570 since he had the following to say:

I'm sure if the Mt. Lebanon Commissioners stood together as one and demanded that they be allowed to implement a safe approach to deer mgt in their community, and requested the support from their state representatives, that the PGC would grant them their request.

groad 570, as you can hear above, our state representative and commission did stand together as one and asked for sterilization, but it got us nowhere. When the Game Commission has John Hayes and Susan Morgans working with them, nothing can stop the PA Game Commission. They will NEVER approve sterilization because no deer are being killed. Literally, the PA Game Commission is calling the shots here.

So Pass Time, rest assured that you will continue to get deer killed in Virginia Manor. John Hayes had this as his final statement.

In the coming months, commissioners in Ann Arbor and Mt. Lebanon will vote on including the cost of deer management in their 2018 budgets.

What will the deer management be? According to Tony DeNicola's final "sharpshooting" report,

The Commission will need to decide whether to emphasize added non-traditional lethal management activities in very tightly developed areas or transition to sterilization in these areas of the community. 

What are non-traditional lethal management activities that Tony DeNicola uses?

• Live capture followed by euthanasia (More trap and shoot. Think Merlin the Magnificent). 
• Non-hunting participants scaring deer toward tree stands using ATVs. Deer seeking refuge were dispersed to hunters in tree stands by non-hunting participants on foot or in off-road vehicles to increase the likelihood of harvest. 

Mt. Lebanon commissioners strive to please those in Ward 1 and will continue to include deer killing in the 2018 budget. The budget will be approved by the current commissioners: John Bendel, Dave Brumfield, Steve Silverman, Steve McLean, and Kelly Fraasch. Dave Brumfield is not going to be on the commission in January. We're hoping that incumbent Steve Silverman will not win, but he will still be able to vote for more deer killing either way.I'm sure if the Mt. Lebanon Commissioners stood together as one and demanded that they be allowed to implement a safe approach to deer mgt in their community, and requested the support from their state representatives, that the PGC would grant them their request.

Update March 6, 2017 3:29 PM Keith McGill continues to give Nick Meduho one word answers. The cost of the 2017 "sharpshooting" program was $44,868.50. Fifty five deer were killed for $44,868.50. That comes to $815.79 per deer. Of those 55 killed, 22 were fawns, which would have not been born had we sterilized the deer. The foundation was going to pay for the sterilization and would have cost us a minimal amount of money, but the deer haters convinced the commission to continue killing deer at a much higher cost.

Brick Street Policy - 25 minutes, Archery Hunt - 10 minutes

The agenda for tonight's Commission Discussion Session is posted here. If Dave Brumfield adheres to the schedule, "Ian McMeans, Matt Bagaley and others will present the policy for discussion" for twenty-five minutes. Ian McMeans is the assistant manager. Matt Bagaley is from Gateway Engineering. I wonder who the "others" are.

Twenty-five minutes for a discussion about brick streets sounds like a long time to "review of possible policy for the replacement of brick streets." I bet high maintenance Ward 1 gets their way again.

Keith McGill, not Tony DeNicola, will be providing a review of 2016 controlled archery hunt report. In ten minutes or less. What a gig! Tony DeNicola, Bonnie Cross, and Susan Morgans account for almost $500,000 of the municipal budget. Manager McGill earns way too much to answer emails from residents and be the frontman for the deer killing. 

On another note, core drilling took place at Public Works. This is in preparation for the Public Works Facility and Firing Range project at the tune of $6,735,000. I wonder if Tony will lure the deer inside the firing range to kill them. 

Tony Spills the Beans UPDATED

Tony admits that the archers are being reimbursed for their supplies, funded by taxpayers! Mt. Lebanon hired White Buffalo to reduce deer/vehicle collisions, not to focus on addressing residents' complaints on their properties. We all knew it is about the gardeners, and not trying to reduce deer/vehicle collisions. Tony also admits that he was hired to avoid media attention. Everything is a secret. See highlights in email exchange below.

"Deer numbers"

Update January 2, 2017 4:32 PM Oops! Tony has said too much. Keith is taking over now. Sorry, Nick. You've been shut off. Again.

Tony, please return the commissioners' brains

The agenda for Monday's Commission meeting has been posted on the municipal website. The commissioners will be approving more "sharpshooting" for 2017.

John Bendel is introducing the following action item:

Consideration of a contract for a white-tailed deer management program utilizing sharpshooting. 

The Municipality has been developing a multi-faceted deer management program. Mt. Lebanon has an archery program that utilizes trained and licensed volunteer hunters to remove deer on private and public property. The archery program will continue through January 28, 2017. The Municipality desires to follow-up on the archery program with sharpshooting under a PA Game Commission political subdivision permit. This activity would occur from February 1, 2017 to March 31, 2017. 

The Municipality received a proposal from White Buffalo, Inc., to provide deer management sharpshooting services. The municipality has also received a Deer Control - Political Subdivision Permit from the Pennsylvania Game Commission permitting this activity. White Buffalo’s proposal contains two options: one to remove up to 100 deer at a cost of $83,477 or an option to remove up to 150 deer at a cost of $132,038. 

Recommended Action: Move to authorize the execution of this agreement with White Buffalo, Inc., for the removal of up to 100 deer at a cost not to exceed $83, 477, subject to the approval of the Manager and the Solicitor.

Here is what we know. Or don't know.

• Tony DeNicola finished earlier than expected this past March. He couldn't find any more deer.  
• Mt. Lebanon went to the Court of Common Pleas over the privilege of killing deer in Twin Hills Park, a 25 acre property owned by Mt. Lebanon which is situated in Scott Township. Mt. Lebanon won, but there were restrictions including the use of sharpshooting in Twin Hills. Either Mt. Lebanon honors that agreement, or Mt. Lebanon goes back to court for the use of high powered rifles in Twin Hills.
• Archers have killed half as many deer this year, even with the additional 25 acres in Twin Hills.
• The archery program concludes on January 28, 2017.
• The commissioners will not have an official count of kills until February.
• Either there are bogus accident reports being filed with MLPD, or we have sloppy bookkeeping. The numbers don't add up. Increased reported collisions vs. lower accidents vs. fewer dead deer pick ups. 
• We do not know what type of bait or system that White Buffalo will use to distribute the bait. I was told that Tony's bait is proprietary. Evidently, Tony owns the patent on corn and apples. I thought God held that patent. Allegheny County Health Department is ready to fine Mt. Lebanon since ground feeding is not permitted.

Another done deal

There is a public hearing at MONDAY's commission meeting on the budget and proposed tax increase.  But on the same agenda, Mr. Fiscally Responsible Republican Commissioner will be introducing Bill 8-16, fixing the tax rate to 4.76 mills. It is currently 4.51 mills.

Please explain why the commissioners are going through the motions to have a public hearing when they are introducing ordinances to raise the millage. Another dog and pony show. While Mr. Fiscally Responsible McLean ran to kill deer, he also ran to be fiscally responsible and not raise taxes. Why do you uphold the first part of your platform, but not the second, Steve? Both are proof that you are NOT fiscally responsible.

Think about that, when you listen to the charlatan pitch his sharpshooting plan during your commission discussion session on Monday night. He gets thirty minutes to discuss it, Steve.

Maybe the commission will consider hitting up the Virginia Manor residents for the next round of deer killing. Another option is to consider recruiting Mt. Lebanon's finest ladies and the three page poster child in this month's mtl Magazine to raise the funds.

None of the other honorees were fine enough for the photo

Speaking of sharpshooting UPDATED

I can't wait to hear why Tony DeNicola thinks we need to hire him again for possible "sharpshooting" for 2017. Discussion Session Agenda for October 24, 2016.

Is it because the 700-800 deer that we "suddenly" have are too smart for archers, but not too smart for "sharpshooters?"

Will the archery program which runs through January 2017 result in hundreds of surviving pregnant does and we will have a population explosion yielding thousands of fawns?

Will we ever learn what method of distribution Tony will be using for his proprietary corn, patented apples, and magic beans?

Oh wait. I know. Archery is ineffective without the use of bait. Yeah, that's it. See? Tony doesn't have to charge us for his advice. I saved Mt. Lebanon hundreds of dollars.

So commissioners, without knowing how successful the archery program is, without knowing how many deer were killed, without knowing how many deer have survived and live in Mt. Lebanon (and Scott Township), and without knowing if he is doing this day or night, you can approve another "sharpshooting" program and Tony will continue to make you guys look like chumps when he charges us $83,477 to kill up to 100 deer or $132,038 to kill up to 150 deer as per his RFP.

Update October 25, 2016 7:49 AM No worries, Commissionettes. Tony will be on the November 7 Discussion Agenda.

From:	Keith Mcgill <kmcgill@mtlebanon.org>
To:	egillen476 <egillen476@aol.com>
Cc:	Commission <commission@mtlebanon.org>
Subject:	Re: Discussion Session Agenda
Date:	Tue, Oct 25, 2016 6:06 am

---

Good morning Elaine,

Sharpshooting was removed from last night's agenda as Tony DeNicola would have only had approximately 10 minutes available last night due to a commitment in another community, This item will be placed on the November 7th discussion agenda.

Keith

--

Keith McGill, AICP
Municipal Manager
412-343-3684
kmcgill@mtlebanon.org 

Here is why we're spending $9000 UPDATED 2X

Our illustrious Public Information Office has published a list of FAQ (or the ones they want to answer) on the municipal website here. I now see why the commissioners are willing to shell out nine grand to Tony DeNicola to supervise the same archers kill deer on the same twelve private properties. That comes to $750 per property.

A few points to consider:

• Are these properties really being donated? It has now gone to Commonwealth Court.
• Twin Hills is NOT listed. Yay, Scott Township!
• Archery season is not September 17 - January 28, 2017 as the PIO states. The PA Game Commission lists: DEER, ARCHERY (Antlered and Antlerless) WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D: Sept. 17- Nov. 26 and Dec. 26-Jan. 28, 2017. One antlerless deer with each required antlerless license. One antlered deer per hunting license year.  Don't you just love how the PIO makes things up?
•  "All hunters in Mt. Lebanon’s program will carry identification." Just don't ask them for ID or you will be cited for harassment or interfering with a hunt. Just ask Amy Castor. 

Mt. Lebanon paid White Buffalo $9,000 to supervise the same archers on the same twelve properties (Again, that's $750 per property) for this reason only:

Property owners contacted White Buffalo directly and made donations based on a condition of confidentiality. Mt. Lebanon does not have a list of the properties. 

If the people receive any meat, then it isn't a donation, is it? Are these people really doing this out of the goodness of their hearts? Do you think they have an ulterior motive? Of course they do.

Update August 11, 2016 7:03 PM Contacting the commission is futile. I sent this email as a followup to my last email. What do I get back? Keith McGill's out of office email.

Update August 15, 2016 7:15 PM The municipal website has been corrected. I sent out yet another email, after hearing back from my commissioner. I guess Keith McGill came back from his vacation as I received this from him this morning. And yes, I thanked Keith.