Chickens are in Monmouth's Future

Sending heart felt gratitude to those that made time to attend the June 5, 2012  City Council Meeting and to our City Councilors for sticking it out until a compromise could be found. Special thanks to all City staff who researched backyard hens, prepared detailed staff reports and for the creation of the Chicken Survey.

There was much debate at the meeting, and it was hard to predict how the cards would fall at times; I believe our attendance made a difference. We even had three individuals who came in support though they did not want backyard hens for themselves. 

Council determined that they would consider the draft ordinance at an upcoming regular council meeting, with one MAJOR modification. The ordinance will be changed to expire in two years, allowing Council a hard deadline to reconsider backyard chicken after a two year trial. Several City Councilors stated they felt a two year trial would press backyard hen enthusiast to self-police in order to make the trial a success. They also felt, that a two year trail would weed out individuals who may not be serious and would not want to make an investment in a coop and run that could prove temporary. It is important to note, that councilors expressed many concerns, but only recommended one modification to the draft ordinance: A two year trial.

Bottom line:
A draft chicken ordinance will be considered at a regular city council meeting in the near future. Chickens are in Monmouth's future ♥   

How the cards fell
Many thanks to the Mayor and Council for their efforts to reach a compromise - Government in Action!

Mayor John Oberst   Would support 2 year trial. Would prefer larger setbacks.  He does not want chickens 15 feet from his home.

Councilors

Kenn Lehto  Opposes backyard hens. Period.

Ben Meyer Would support  a trial. Ben wants to see continued education opportunities for citizens. He has warmed to the idea.

Chris Larsen Would only support backyard hens with a trial. Chris does not want a repeat of the peacock problem (in Gentle Woods).  He worries about chickens running free, enforcement and wants bigger setbacks.

Darin Silbernagel  Would support a trial. Was surprised with chicken survey results: 71.5% in favor. Stated that cities that allow hens don’t report issues.

Jon Carey  Jon is in full support of backyard hens; he has researched backyard hens as a result of our request. He will support a 2 year trial, but only because this was the only way to move forward. Originally, he was opposed to trial because of costs to home owners, should trial fail.

Cec Koontz  Cec has supported backyard hens from the beginning.  She reported that Dallas has had chickens for three years with only two complaints. She would support a 2 year trial, but only because this is the only way to legalize backyard hens.

Both Cec and Jon stated that they would prefer to adopt an Ordinance without a sunset clause, and repeal it if there were issues...

Police Chief Absolutely against backyard hens. Worried about enforcement issues.  Will assign issues to Community Service Officer and not  Police Officers.
  

“The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it. 

-Unknown