Mayor: No $5 Rat Bounty In St. Clair Shores

ST. CLAIR SHORES (WWJ/AP) - The mayor of a metro Detroit community says officials won't offer a $5 bounty for every rat caught in the city as part of a broader rodent-control effort.

The idea was part of a multipronged proposal to deal with rats in St. Clair Shores, which is among a number of communities facing rodent problems.

Mayor Kip Walby said the decision against offering the bounty came following negative comments on the city's Facebook page about the issue as well as what officials considered negative media coverage.

Under the proposal, the city would pay residents $5 per dead rat they collected. The rats had to be trapped, not shot, and brought into city offices in a clear plastic bag. To qualify for payment, however, residents would have to allow the city to inspect their property where the rodent was caught in order to determine if conditions there are conducive to harboring.

"Maybe it was aggressive, or not the best idea," Walby said at Monday's City Council meeting. "Maybe it was too much."

Instead, the city is considering a broader rat-control program that could include efforts such as inspections, baiting and updated garbage cans.

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