Aurora Co law up for review again - need resources

[Cleebee]

There is a proposal being brought to city council for allowing 6 hens, no roosters. I wrote a nice long informed letter to council members in support. The response I got was, "My biggest concern is how this may affect our City resources in Code Enforcement and Animal Control." So my question (could make a few phone calls too, but thought I'd start here) is how many calls for a city of 400k-ish animal control might expect per year?

It seems to me that the case load would be extremely minimal but I need numbers. Any ideas?

Thanks!

 

[Laigaie]

Our city is just 73580 folks, and our only chicken-related calls are because folks don't know that they're legal. We've had only two incidents requiring police/animal control officers to show up, and the first was an old woman who kept a great deal of fowl, including peafowl, in the middle of town and let them run free. She had nearly a dozen hens, several roos, and I think four or five peafowl. When the ordinance changed (four hen chickens, no other fowl), she had a few months to get rid of her fowl or move out of town. She failed to do so, and they had to come pick up her chickens and peafowl until she moved out of town and had a new place for them all. The second incident was a loose guinea hen (also not allowed in city) wandering over by the University campus.

So... three years, two incidents, just under 74k folks. To scale that up to 400k, you'd be looking at maybe five annually, other than the calls that are just people not knowing that chickens are legal.

 

[Cleebee]

Thanks! That's helpful. I also found this article - the town is smaller but close to us.

http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_16539044

 

[Slithershimmy]

I am in Aurora, CO as well. I would love to help get the law changed to allow chickens. I will check back here frequently

 

[Cleebee]

I'm not sure where it stands now. Last I heard - months and months ago - it was going to come up for a vote but they didn't have a quorum. So I would contact the city council and see where it stands! I can email my rep and see what she says, too.

 

[Chris in South Park]

Less restrictions = less time/money the city and its code compliance officers need to spend policing the population - its a simple logical argument since the effort complained about is in enforcement of regulations not in the existence of a freedom

 

[Cleebee]

If you live in or near Aurora, please go check out my idea to "make Aurora better" here: http://www.engageaurora.org/how-would-you-improve-aurora and pipe in!

 

[Cleebee]

The city caught us because someone else had a roo that was wandering around the neighborhood, and the animal care control officer "gave us a few weeks" to get rid of our hens. So... I'm considering stretching those "coupla weeks" and performing a little civil disobedience. Apparently the last vote was really close and most people are fine with chickens. My point is by regulating it, the city could go after the folks with wandering roos and leave us law abiders alone.

So my question... are there articles about urban chicken owners and how upstanding, hip, and maybe even well-off they are? I have a very strong hunch that the reason Aurora doesn't want to allow chickens is that they have this fear of being seen as backwoods. The animal control guy made some quip about how if it were allowed then "all the Mexicans" would have hens all over the place. Which is racist BS. And even if it were true, if we had acceptable guidelines, then those would have to be followed.

Help?

 

[gypsybum48]

Hello,
I am fairly new to Aurora and I was saddened to discover, after signing my lease, that Aurora does not allow backyard chickens. I found this extremely disappointing as I was hoping and anticipating finally getting my own brood of lovely ladies. I would love to be involved in getting this pushed back onto the table again. What needs to happen and how can I be involved in this priority?

How is it the City of Denver allows it but not an outlying neighboring city? It makes no sense to me.

Please tell me how to help!

Susan Thompson

 

[Cleebee]

Susan, there are a few city council members who are opposed to the idea. Melissa Miller in Ward 1 was trying to get the law changed, though I'm not sure she's actively pursuing it right now. We need to get residents writing letters to city council and getting their neighbors to sign and write. We are especially looking for people from Ward 5 to write to their representative Bob Roth right now. You can see my letters to city council at cleadanaan.com.