CLARKSVILLE, Ind. (WDRB) -- After hundreds of geese were killed in Clarksville, the Town Council is crying foul.

Council members said they would have voted to relocate the geese that lived on the town hall campus, not euthanize them.

"We were told they wouldn't be harmed in any way ... just relocation. That's fine. Great," said Jennifer Voignier, a Clarksville Town Council Member. "Then when we found out they were euthanized, we just went ... why?"

Voignier said she learned 200 geese from the town hall campus were euthanized earlier this summer: not from town officials, but from a text she received from her daughter, who lives across the country.

"On that text it said, 'Mom, why'd you do this? Voignier said. "And I was just in shock."

Town Council never voted to euthanize the geese. The service contract didn't need council approval.

According to its by-laws, it's not required for items under $10,000.

"Five of seven council members have been very outspoken that they did not know that the geese were going to be euthanized," said Tim Hauber, Clarksville Town Council Vice President. "We were told they were going to be relocated, and I guess we took that for face value."

"We are still looking back at minutes to see what was actually discussed," said Kevin Baity, Clarksville Town Manager.

Baity said he consulted with state officials on geese removal. The DNR sent the town a pre-filled application for Baity to sign off on.

"The method that was chosen by the state, because they're the ones that retain the authority on whether the geese are relocated or euthanized, the state made the choice to have the geese euthanized, so the contractor took care of that," Baity said.

The geese have cost the town a lot of money over the years. On top of the mess, they've attacked people, destroyed grass and caused an E.coli outbreak in a retention pond.

"I'm not totally against what happened, because these geese have been a problem for many, many years," Hauber said.

Some council members say they want to revisit their policies about voting requirements.

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