By Ashley M. Casey

Staff Writer

Walker’s Wildlife Solutions was hired by the village of North Syracuse to trap nuisance animals, but it seems residents have become the nuisance instead.

At the June 8 meeting of the board of trustees, Mayor Gary Butterfield said Mike Walker told him June 2, “We’re not going to do this anymore. We have too many problems in the village.”

The village pays Walker a yearly stipend for his services. Residents must pay a $20 removal fee. According to Butterfield, Walker said some residents who call for services are refusing to pay that fee.

“They won’t pay. They won’t answer the door,” Butterfield said. “They move the traps on him; they paint the traps. [They’re] just kind of being a nuisance.”

Butterfield said the village needs the coverage, so he plans to meet with Walker to review the village’s regulations and see if the agreement can be salvaged.

“He is frustrated, but I do want to reach out to him,” Butterfield said. “Hopefully we can mend the fence and get residents to cooperate.”

The mayor also said residents should consider whether an animal is truly being a nuisance before they call the trapper.

“I think a lot of calls are for animals that people don’t like to look at, but they’re actually beneficial,” Butterfield said.

“Possums are ugly to look at,” Butterfield acknowledged, but he said they are “one of the best removers of ticks.” According to the National Wildlife Federation, possums scratch, lick, chew and sometimes eat ticks that live on their fur. One study showed that only 3.5 percent of ticks found on a possum “survived to drop off.”

“Mayor, do we have a contract with [this] wildlife service? Can they just break it like that?” Trustee Pat Gustafson asked.

Clerk/Treasurer Dianne Kufel said the contract “probably says either party can discontinue” the service.

Trustee Chuck Henry expressed his disappointment with the situation.

“I just think it’s really sad … that we have residents who actually call for this service and are very rude to Mr. Walker,” he said.

Trustee Diane Browning said the people who refuse to pay the $20 removal fee will be the “ones that are going to do the most complaining about the skunks getting into their garbage.”

On a related note, the village board tabled a discussion on dog control services. Butterfield said the village had considered contracting with the CNY SPCA. In light of the firing of former Executive Director Kerrin Conklin, Butterfield said the village will wait until the “turmoil … kind of settles down” before pursuing the issue further.