Humane Officer Matt Atkinson clarifies deer-program duties; committee to forward hunting recommendations to Howard Village Board

The Deer Committee met July 16, 2026, and heard a presentation from Humane Officer Matt Atkinson clarifying his duties under the village’s deer program. Citizen Member Scott Beyer called the meeting to order at 18:05; roll call recorded Citizen Members Tom Hansen, Scott Beyer and Mike Kelnhofer, Trustee Cathy Hughes and Humane Officer Matt Atkinson.

The meeting minutes note that Atkinson left the meeting at 18:09 to respond to a serious canine injury call and returned at 19:00. After his return, the committee discussed agenda Items 6–9; the minutes record that those items were discussed but do not provide detail on the content of those conversations.

At Item 10, Atkinson presented a clarification of duties related to the deer program. The minutes summarize that Atkinson presented the clarification but do not list specific operational duties or text of the presentation. Committee members and meeting attendees then discussed Item 11 and identified several positive suggestions they plan to present to the Howard Village Board to consider adding to the program to increase hunting success. The minutes do not name the public commenters or provide verbatim proposals; they record only that "several persons spoke with suggestions to make the program more successful."

Trustee Cathy Hughes moved to approve the meeting agenda, and Citizen Member Mike Kelnhofer seconded; the motion "passed unanimously," according to the minutes. The meeting closed after a motion to adjourn by Citizen Member Scott Beyer, seconded by Trustee Hughes; the minutes do not include a roll-call tally for the adjournment motion. The committee did not set a date for a future meeting.

The committee’s minutes identify the Howard Village Board as the intended recipient of the committee’s recommendations on hunting-success measures; the minutes do not specify what, if any, next administrative steps the Board will take or any timelines for implementation.