Roadkill cleanup in Macomb County a question of funding
Macomb County's roadkill problem continues to grow
Motorists in the metro Detroit county are seeing more roadkill these days. But the question of whose job it is to pick up the dead carcasses isn't always clear.
(FOX 2) - Roadkill is already unsightly for drivers, and it's becoming an increasingly common one in Macomb County.
Motorists are taking note, including one who told FOX 2 about a recent drive down 26 Mile, where she spotted seven dead deer, four dead cats, a few squirrels, and more.
Carlee Hall, a resident in the county, is also seeing an uptick.
"They're not being picked up, not being taken care of," she said. "You see (them) scattered across the roadway."
It's a problem on dirt roads, Hall said, but added it's the main streets where the most roadkill is found.
According to the county executive, part of the reason is timing. Fall is often the season when collisions with deer climb to their highest rate of the year.
The question next asked is: who is responsible for removing the carcasses?
"If it’s a county road and in our right-of-way, we’ll manage that problem, but in a municipality that has their own DPW or their own road crews, that is their responsibility," said Mark Hackel.
Often, the first call is made to animal control. But that doesn't always follow through because it's not their responsibility.
And as the number of roadkill rises, the county has hired out the job of removing dead animals. But the price isn't cheap, which means the county is weighing whether to ask for more money to manage the problem.
"We’re possibly looking at going to the board of commissioners for funding and seeing if they want us to do this county-wide," Hackel said.
But doing so would require sorting through where the company would operate and if they would take over the responsibility in other cities with their own jurisdiction as well.