Arlington County Board members are expected to take another step toward the culling of deer in the county.
Board members are slated to approve a public hearing, likely to be held Nov. 16, to make changes to the county code allowing for the use of professional sharpshooters on public land.
(Update: On Saturday, following publication of this article, the Arlington County Board voted 5-0 to advertise proposed ordinance changes for a Nov. 16 public hearing.)
While the action planned for this Saturday, Oct. 19 is merely procedural in nature, owing to the controversy surrounding the issue it will get a public hearing.
Had the Board placed the matter on its “consent agenda,” intended for non-controversial items that are approved with a single vote, it likely would have had to have been pulled for a hearing anyway at the request of the public.
Assuming County Board members in November approve requisite code changes — and all indications are that they will — staff will continue moving forward on a plan that could see culling of deer starting the winter of 2025-26.
Board members earlier approved a staff plan for deer management focused on lethal means. In September, county staff affirmed its support of that plan.
At the September meeting, no County Board members suggested they were having second thoughts.
“It’s the right thing to do, I think, personally,” board chair Libby Garvey said at the time.
Where the community stands on the matter, which has been swirling since 2021, is open to interpretation.
One survey conducted for the county government showed sentiment leaning toward non-lethal options for controlling the deer population. A second survey, released more recently, showed majority support for lethal methods.
The most notable critic of the proposal has been the Animal Welfare League of Arlington, which pushed for a non-lethal alternative. But that group recently acknowledged that its efforts had not swayed county leaders.
