Anyone seeking to give an elk a handout in Gearhart will have to think twice, if a city ordinance is adopted.

The City Council met at a Tuesday night work session to consider a draft ordinance on feeding wildlife, the first step, members say, in helping the city tackle an increased elk presence within city boundaries.

After a Gearhart resident proposed a “don’t feed the elk” policy in July, members of the City Council consulted with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The department asked Gearhart to consider prohibit a no-feeding ordinance, Mayor Matt Brown said. “According to the ODFW, there have been reports of folks in town feeding, so they strongly suggested that would help with safety mitigation of the herd.”

According to the Gearhart draft, “attracting or feeding” of wildlife within the city limits could be declared a public nuisance prohibited at all times.

Along with elk, City Administrator Chad Sweet said, wildlife would be defined as bear, cougar, coyote, wolves and other animals. Feeding “anything that would be considered wild” would be considered a possible violation.

The ordinance also addresses the feeding of smaller animals such as skunks, raccoons and geese, Brown said, which has led to not only some potential health issues, but safety issues as well.

Like a similar no-feeding ordinance in Warrenton, the feeding of songbirds or squirrels would not be regulated.

Violation of the Gearhart ordinance could bring a penalty of up to $500, but officials hope they’ll find compliance with the public before issuing fines. “We’re going to work with people for a period of time before we start issuing tickets,” Sweet said. “If we take care of large wild animals and have this ordinance, and keep it simple, it will probably take care of 90 percent of the problem. If we find unintended consequences, we can always make an adjustment.”

Brown and councilors asked city staff to begin crafting the no-feeding ordinance, to be presented at a future meeting.