Quote:
Originally Posted by
poltroon
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Gnawsey
Ok...I just got off the phone with someone from the city and she laid out all the options to move forward.
First, there is no appeal. The city council's vote was final. So, to move forward, we could:
#1 Try to privately sway one of the current councilmen to change his vote and address the issue again at any public hearing. (doesn't sound like any of the councilmen would be willing to change their vote at this time)
#2 Wait until there are different councilmen in office and again bring the issue up at a future public hearing.
#3 Start the state initiative petition process and get it on an upcoming ballot to be voted on.
I think if I went with #3, there would need to be some way to educate the public about backyard hens. I would hate to see it get shot down at the polls.
What do you all think? I would love to hear people's ideas.
Stacie
I would suggest #2 and I would suggest not so much leaving it to chance as actively finding/backing a candidate for city council who will support you. Enough of you with even small donations, added to some dedicated volunteer time and effort, to someone open to be educated about chickens might conceivably make the difference in getting him/her elected.
I think if you wanted to do #3, you could start educating your fellow townsfolk about the benefits of chickens. Be sure to have tons of info that is well documented from some promenent sources, your local ag group, Cooperative Extension, ag colleges, other people who have chickens, and maybe most imporantly, info from other towns that have passed the chicken ordances. They need to hear from truly experienced people to hear that the chickens don't smell, have bugs, or make a lot of noise. You may be able to that in conjunction with #2 but if you want it sooner than later, certainly start the process rolling with #3.
