After listening to more than four hours of impassioned pleas to use nonlethal means to address deer overpopulation, the Farmington Hills City Council voted 6-1 Monday to authorize a cull, or hunt, to thin the herds.

The cull by professional sharpshooters will take place next year and will be followed in 2027 by bowhunting or crossbow hunting by up to five volunteer public safety officers who would have to demonstrate hunting proficiency.

Councilman Michael Bridges cast the dissenting vote, saying, “I don’t think the case has been made” for a cull.

Other council members said they were taking the advice of experts who believe a cull is the most effective means of addressing overpopulation.

Councilwoman Jackie Boleware said people have strong feelings about the issue on both sides and no decision will make everyone happy.

“My decision is based on research,” she said.

Council members said they are concerned about increasing numbers of car-deer crashes, destruction of landscaping and the possibility that overpopulation is reaching a point where it could become unhealthy for the deer.

At the meeting, those who spoke against the cull outnumbered those who favored it, but council members said they’ve received hundreds of requests for a cull over the past several months. They said residents have been asking the city to take action for about a decade.

Resident Sue Gerrity said she found it ironic that the experts the city consulted maintain that killing is the most humane way of dealing with overpopulation.

She said the city’s documents that justify the cull are “ripped right out of a hunting manual.”

“Will this be a city that condones killing or are we a city that respects all life?” she asked.

Conversely, resident Douglas Gradin said his family stopped growing vegetable gardens because of the deer. His daughter’s car was totaled in a crash with a deer several years ago. It’s not unusual to see 17-20 deer in his backyard. They’ve become too numerous, he said.

“I’m not a deer hunter. I could probably never shoot a deer. But there comes a time when (a cull) is necessary,” he said.

Councilman Bill Dwyer asked two people who have given presentations on deer management at several meetings to counter numerous “erroneous” claims in a flyer mailed to Farmington Hills homes by www.saveMIdeer.com.

Bryan Farmer, deputy director of the city’s Special Services Department, has taken the lead on the deer issue, along with Chad Fedewa, deer specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. They disputed claims that the city will be killing “tame” deer and that the city has not taken any nonlethal steps to control the deer herd.

Fedewa said deer are wild animals; even though they are accustomed to being around people in a city like Farmington Hills, they can act aggressively.

Councilwoman Valerie Knol said she wanted to dispute a claim in the flyer that the cull will endanger residents because it will be conducted in neighborhoods.

“People are not going to be walking down the streets randomly shooting at people,” she said.

A cull is a controlled operation performed at night using rifles with silencers and thermal imaging to identify deer. The sharpshooters are elevated in tree stands, and when a deer is identified, they shoot it from above.

The city will contract with organizations like the U.S. Department of Agriculture to perform culls. Both the cull and the bowhunting will be performed on designated public property, such as parkland, and large pieces of private property, with the owners’ permission.

The professional culls and the bowhunting will only take place for about two days per year.

Venison from the culls and hunts will be donated to charities that address food insecurity.

Bridges said the number of car-deer crashes averaged 122 per year over the last several years, not enough to justify the cull or hunting. He said the city hasn’t done enough to educate people about the kinds of landscape that are resistant to deer.

He said the council passed a feeding ban in 2017 but has not issued one citation. Farmer said the city investigates complaints about people leaving food out for the deer but so far has only issued warnings.

More than 200 people attended the meeting, which was moved to The Hawk, the city’s recreation center, to accommodate the crowd. Meetings are usually held at City Hall. The council’s vote on the deer management program came just before 1 a.m. Tuesday.

Mayor Theresa Rich said the area needs a regional solution to deer overpopulation. She said the Farmington and Southfield city councils will vote on deer management programs next week.