City Issued a Citation and claims we aren’t allowed to have chickens due to neighbor’s complaint. What are my options?

[Pearlescent]

I just read this whole thread, and this is my worst nightmare. I live out of city limits, but I could still lose my tom turkey if someone made a complaint.

I’m so glad you’ve made progress getting your birbs back!

 

[Nym]

Oh that is sooo cute!

Good grief, can they drag this out any longer? I would think that a vote would be a vote - the end.

They do this in the hope that people give up. No other reason. It's chickens for goodness sake. He's hardly trying to get a speed limit on a highway changed.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

@All4Eggz, I was wondering if you've heard any updates or if the vote has happened yet? I just heard about something that sounded similar to your situation and am hoping its not yours.

 

[All4Eggz]

@All4Eggz, I was wondering if you've heard any updates or if the vote has happened yet? I just heard about something that sounded similar to your situation and am hoping its not yours.

Yes, I’ve been meaning to update.

Bad news.

After all that, after our team worked so hard to put together an ordinance that had positive changes… it didn’t go through. The most recent update genuinely had every change to make it very likely to pass. Everything they wanted changed about it, we changed.

I wasn’t at the vote but it was 7-5 and it was a no.

Very disheartening. I think now the only chance is to do a petition. That’ll force it back into discussion and then they’ll know we’re not backing down.

The councilor that helped put it together said he could bring it up again after this year’s election. He said it’ll probably have a better chance passing at that point.
The councilor said they didn’t even read his proposed updates and voted it down. I don’t know how that works but maybe they came into the vote already knowing they want to vote no. Either way, it is not fair to anyone that put so much effort into this, especially the two main councilors. I feel as thought it wasn’t given a serious chance. especially considering we all thought it was going to pass.


That’s that for now, and here again, the ride begins. just when we thought it was over. Funny how that works.

 

[All4Eggz]

This is from the recent article:


“
After a two year effort, the City Council took a final vote on allowing backyard chickens by right in residential zones, shooting it down with five in favor, and seven opposed.

__, who had been shepherding the amended ordinance through the City Council, said the ordinance had been amended again to allow six hens, no roosters, in lots of 7,500 square feet; nine hens in lots of 20,000 square feet and 12 hens in 40,000 square feet. He said the lot lines, which called for coops to be 15 feet from property lines and 30 feet from any structures, remained the same.

However, __ said if councilors did not feel the setbacks were enough, he would entertain amendments.

He then deferred to Councilor ___, chair of Zoning, Planning and Development, who reported that the committee had voted 2 to 1 in favor of the amended ordinance. __ has said she is voting against the ordinance.

Councilor __, another proponent of the ordinance who had made the original attempt to allow for backyard chickens two years ago, said he liked that change that said anybody can go for a special permit if they want more chickens. He said he also liked the requirement that chickens would have to be registered with the animal control officer, which then gives the officer permission to inspect the coop. “Nice job, thank you for all your work,” he said.

Councilor __ said she understood the passions on both sides, but said in the last few meetings on the topic, three ward councilors said they were opposed to the new ordinance. She asked for the opinion of the Ward 5 councilor, Council President __.

“I have a problem with by right,” he said.

Ward 3 Councilor ___, who said she is generally “pro-chicken,” said she had a problem with the minimum lot size of 7,500 square feet. She said she had been looking around some of the denser sections in her ward. “If everybody gets chickens, that will be way too many chickens,” she said.

She called for an amendment to increase the minimum size lot to 10,000 square feet, which passed 7 to 5.

Ward 4 Councilor __ then said he, like this Ward 3 colleague, was not against chickens. “They’re all around my home, but most of the people there have more than 5 acres,” he said, adding, they also have roosters and other fowl.

“What bothers me the most about this and why I can’t vote for this is by right. I’ll leave it at that,” he said.

__, who represents Ward One, said when she first became a councilor, she had a bad experience with chickens and rats, and a dog died. “I just feel that people who have a home in Residential A are not looking to have chickens in their backyards. I don’t think it’s fair to have neighbors having to pit one against the other. You may like your neighbor, but not like chickens and therefore you’re not supporting your neighbor,” she said, adding she thinks it will cause more trouble than it’s worth.

Addressing the question of food insecurity, she said she doesn’t think having backyard chickens will solve the problem. “I agree that there is food insecurity in __,” __ said. She said she put a list together of all of the food pantries and meal programs in __, including the Boys and Girls Club sponsoring lunches all summer long for children at playgrounds and locations around the city.

“I will submit this to the city clerk, and if anybody’s looking for that she could distribute it, because I never would want to vote for anything that would hurt food insecurity,” __ added.

She also said that a chicken coop costs around $300, plus bedding that has to be changed every day, plus the cost of feed, which is an expense that not everybody may be able to manage. “I just think that it’s not a good fit for residential areas,” __ said.

__ moved the question after commenting that the room has been filled with people in the gallery that want chickens on their properties. He also said 95% of Massachusetts municipalities allow chickens in some form, “but we’re going to say no.”

City Planner __ said after the meeting that the current chicken regulations will remain, which may be found in zoning Article 3-40.4 (18).

“If you have 5-plus acres, you can keep livestock — including chickens — basically a farm. But ‘backyard chickens’ usually refers to smaller residential lots, and the current regulations only allow these chickens in the Rural Residential district — mostly the outlying areas — and with a planning board special permit, at six max, no roosters,” he said.

“Special permits are intimidating and expensive, nearly $500 for all associated costs. I think there have been only about three chicken permits ever applied for or issued in Westfield, and I know there are a lot more coops around. With Council’s vote sending a message, despite Planning Board’s positive recommendation, I might expect stricter enforcement to occur — so there may need to be several chickens rehomed outside of town,” he added.

__ also expressed his disappointment. “I am extremely disappointed. I thought we had addressed the major issues from opposing councilors,” he said.
“

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

I'm so sorry about all of this, @All4Eggz. That article that I read earlier was the same you shared above and I was so hoping it wasn't your situation, that's why I had asked. Again, I'm so sorry. I was really thinking you were going to win this. Don't give up and keep trying! Just following your story, I'm so amazed at what you've done for this and to have helped it get this far. (I've been so amazed that I've been telling other people that you need to run for a political position!)
Lots of hugs to you!

 

[cassie]

You can fix something to put the bait in so the rats can get in, but the chickens can't. I have mentioned this before. I used to work on a dairy that was absolutely overrun with rats. They were everywhere. Hundreds of them. My boss got something called Pitch Packs. They are small packets of bait, and you toss them around like down tunnels etc. The rats were gone in a very short period of time. They never came back either. I just googled Pitch Packs and they are still available. They have quite a web site. Look into it. If necessary, lock the chickens up until the rats are gone. It wouldn't be for long.