The City of Syracuse is taking another step to combat its deer and tick overpopulation problem.

After two public meetings and months of research, the Syracuse Tick and Deer Management Advisory group has a plan. The group spoke with the common council Tuesday citing concerns of increased cases of Lyme disease, the incidences of deer-vehicle accidents and the impact of deer on parks, gardens, and the ecosystem.

It was presented to Mayor Ben Wash last week.

The report calls for resident education on tick-borne disease as well as a cull of the deer.  Another recommendation is to consider non-lethal methods, including sterilization, to lower the reproductive rate of deer.

A variety of wildlife-biology and environmental management experts were on hand to discuss the methods.

"The city of Syracuse is planning to hire USDA sharp shooters,” said Cornell Cooperative Extension Forestry Program Specialist Kristina Ferrare. “They are a very safe and professional team that conducts deer management through-out the state of NY. The sights have not been determined yet. We know where we have high pressure points of deer population across the East and West side of Syracuse"

The common council will vote on the plan Monday. If approved, it will be reviewed by the Onondaga County Environment Office and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.