North Suburb Offers Skunk 'Bounty'
VERNON HILLS (CBS) -- Skunks are nothing new to the northern suburbs, but the problem has become so bad that one community is offering homeowners cash for skunks caught on private property.
Vernon Hills has trapped the animals since 2013 on village and park district property. But village manager John Kalmar says the mild winter and lush summer have caused a skunk explosion, with many of the animals bypassing the baited traps and making homes on private property.
Residents of the Deerpath subdivision are on their own to have traps installed by a licensed trapper.
Now, a public assistance payment of up to $75 per skunk goes toward the cost of removal on private property. There is no limit, so Kalmar says that if you were to catch two you could get a payment of up to $150 and so on.
The village and park boards agreed upon the program after reviewing a charting of skunk sightings by a neighborhood group. More than 120 skunk icons dot the map south of Illinois 60 between Butterfield Road and Fairway Drive, each representing a sighting.
The program is retroactive to May 1 and runs through the end of the year.
Lists of trappers, and program rules, can be found at vernonhills.org.