"If the vote is to cull the deer, we have to vote to cull the deer," Mayor Ruth Beier said. "If the vote is to not cull the deer, we have to vote to cull the deer or not vote."

Mayor Pro Tem Aaron Stephens said he's heard from a lot of people for the deer cull and a lot of people against it, which is why he feels the ballot question is a good idea.

"I don't know what the community wants, and this is a community issue," Stephens said.

Councilman Mark Meadows said he is in favor of culling the deer because it's much cheaper than non-lethal measures, such as sterilization and birth control and results shown by other places that have culled.

"I'm ready to say let's cull the deer, frankly," Meadows said. "But I'm willing to support this (ballot question)."

If a cull were to take place, sharpshooters would set up at designated areas in the city at night. There would be police around the area to ensure the safety of civilians, said Catherine DeShambo, East Lansing environmental services administrator.

"We would take great, great care,” DeShambo said. “We would have everything covered in terms of the boundaries in any area that we were conducting any kind of activity."

A cull would likely reoccur over a number of years and results wouldn't be seen immediately.

"It's more of a marathon versus a sprint," said Chad Stewart, a specialist in the Michigan Department of Natural Resources' deer, elk and moose program. "You generally don't see or expect to see results or impacts of a cull after just one year or two years of doing it."

If city council does pass a solution to cull deer, the first installment would likely happen next winter, City Manager George Lahanas said.