The City of Hannibal will use poison to reduce the number of pigeons that are roosting in the city, despite efforts years ago that caused a public outcry.

The Hannibal City Council voted Tuesday to spend $3,560 for the first eight weeks of service from Reliable Pest Control, with an additional $720 for 28 days of maintenance.

The company will start by putting feeding stations on eight buildings to attract the birds. In the fifth week, the company will put out Avatrol, a fast-acting poison. The company says the birds will be literally falling out of the sky, so city employees will be asked to collect the dead birds.

Councilman Mike Dobson says the pigeon population needs to be reduced because the birds’ waste can carry potentially fatal illnesses such as E. coli.