fighting city hall?

[agnes_day]

i want to go to city hall and get them to change the ordinance to allow 2 pgymy goats per family with a permit, and a small flock of hens per family..also with a permit. how to i plan this out, go to city council meetings, write petitions etc?
i want to fight this!!!

i will be here for a while anyways and i want to at least give it a try!
any and all advice will be helpful because this needs to be addressed!!

*cue rocky music*

 

[PeepsInc]

You need to drop the permit part. It's to complicated to explain. It becomes a constitutional issue. I could get you the reference article #. The last time I tried getting it threw the library of congress they wouldn't release it to my public library again. I do have a copy of it tho, signed by our commander & chief in 64.(freedom of information act) There is no power in the world that can over turn a presidential ruling. Learn your rites & you'll know the law!

 

[SproutGirl]

Try talking with one of your City Council Members. That's how we got our chicken ordinance passed in our town. If you have a sympathetic member, that could get you pretty far.

 

[agnes_day]

yes, i should at least try contacting them...i just cant let this drop! i want to see what they will say.

 

[agnes_day]

ok...the city manager just emailed me back and told me to show up at the council meeting next week to address the council under "citizens to be heard"...someone please help me with this and let me know what to do/not do!!!!!

 

[fowler_chick]

i saw a post last night about a person in n.c or n.s going through the same thing....i'll try to find her post for you, that way you can ask her what she had to do..

 

[agnes_day]

thanks!
i just have to figure out how to write out a very short statement asking what i need to do to get the ordinances changed to allow small flocks of chickens and goats in ordinary residential backyards.

 

[wombat]

I'd suggest researching the rules that allow chickens in other urban or suburban areas. If you can bring in examples of workable laws from other jurisdictions it will really help your case. Politicians are a) afraid of offending a bunch of voters to help a few petitioners, and b) lazy. If you can bring in examples of workable laws from other communities, you solve both problems.

Perhaps others on BYC who live in chicken-friendly areas can chime in and help you with which communities have chicken-friendly laws.

 

[SproutGirl]

Most important: be friendly, and don't seem over-zealous or confrontational. Your cause will take a while to pass, and you want to make as many friends along the way as possible. Most people probably don't know a lot about goats, and might think your idea is strange. Try not to be frustrated with them. Just be prepared to be patient, and to share a lot of positive information about your interests.

 

[agnes_day]

sounds good.
unfortunately, i was put in a position of having to permanently give my goats away, or they wouldnt have been able to keep them at all, so now i am goatless! i still have my chickens though and i am almost tempted to focus on getting the city to have more realistic requirements for keeping chickens in your backyard. the ordinances say yes you can have them in city limits, but only if the coop is 150 feet away from any and all residences.
i am going to miss my goats more than anything though

i am trying to figure out how to word what i will say next week..apparently you have only a minute or so to talk.