A doe with twins in the deer pen last June at Iron Mountain’s City Park. The bucks have been left intact, which means a new round of fawns in the pen each spring. (Betsy Bloom/Daily News photo, file)

IRON MOUNTAIN — A plan to send the deer at Iron Mountain City Park to an Upper Peninsula zoo is moving forward, one step at a time.

Barring a glitch, a transfer could take place much later this year.

A new Michigan license is in hand that reclassifies the deer enclosure from a “game ranch” to “breeding,” City Manager Jordan Stanchina said Monday. The next hurdle is to bring the U.S. Department of Agriculture on board with moving the deer to the DeYoung Family Zoo in Menominee County.

Ingalls veterinarian Dr. Barry Wehner is working with the city on getting the USDA to extend its permit for the facility, Stanchina told the city council.

“The extension is needed to allow sufficient time for the transfer of the deer, as they will require two tuberculosis tests conducted four months apart prior to being moved,” Stanchina said.

In May, Dr. Brianna Waldrop, a USDA veterinary medical officer, instructed the city to improve the 6-acre enclosure and develop a care plan under supervision of a local veterinarian.

At a Feb. 2 meeting, facing a deadline for renewing the pen’s licensing, the council voted 5-2 to eliminate the pen and its 17 deer. Initially, there was no option for relocation, but the recent reclassification by the state Department of Natural Resources may make it possible.

The tuberculosis tests, as well as the transfer, will require tranquilizing the deer, Mayor Dale Alessandrini said. With fawns being born this spring, and sedation carrying a survival risk, no timeline has been set on when testing will occur.

Alessandrini had earlier raised the possibility that under a breeding license the city could one day introduce a new herd at the park — moving animals both in and out. That would depend, however, on several factors, including approval from the council, the availability of a veterinarian, and the status of the pen and its licensing.

Friends of City Park has encouraged the city to maintain the attraction, which dates to the 1940s. Critics, meanwhile, have termed it a cruelty perpetuated by decades of inbreeding.

DeYoung Family Zoo near Wallace is an 80-acre facility that has been open to public since 1990. It’s open from May until the end of October and, according to its website, includes a number of natural habitats.

In other action, the city council:

— Learned that Bacco Construction, under a contract with the Michigan Department of Transportation, on May 4 will begin concrete replacement and paving work on Stephenson Avenue from Kent Street to Traders Mine Road. To minimize disruptions to traffic, milling and paving will take place during overnight hours for about a week in June, Stanchina said. Completion is targeted for June 25.

–Due to damage from lightning strikes Friday night, approved the purchase of new variable frequency drives for two of the city’s four wells. The cost of the VFDs, which control the speed of pumps, is $13,845 each, plus installation, Stanchina said. Staff will look into whether to file an insurance claim. The city also has a backup VFD that was repaired after previous lightning damage, Stanchina said.

–Received a notice from the Iron Mountain-Kingsford Wastewater Treatment Plant that its budget will include a 3% increase in charges. It amounts to a $1 increase per 1,000 cubic feet — or 7,481 gallons — of usage.

— After receiving four proposals, accepted a bid for audit services for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 from CliftonLarsonAllen LLP at a cost of $34,335 for the first year and $35,070 for the second. The price includes a likely required “single audit” of federal funds spent by the city. The CliftonLarsonAllen LLP bid carried the lowest cost per hours of service at $110 per hour. A lower total bid from Maner Costerisan of Lansing applied only if its audit was conducted remotely.

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Jim Anderson can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 85226, or janderson@ironmountaindailynews.com.