City of Princeton, IL pulls a FAST one.. . want opinions and ideas!

[FuzzyButtsFarm]

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Having grown up in Ill. I can second the motion. They threw out the corrupt gov. that tryed to sell a sen. seat and after all isn't that where pres. Obama was a sen. and it was his seat he was trying to sell.? They take corruption to a whole new level.

I will now get off my soap box and return you to the thread already in progress. Good luck with your fight with city hall but just remember they play dirty.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

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It is a city of 7500 people, I'd hardly call the administrators of a city of 7500 "upper crust".

Really now, do we need to talk to lawyers and ACLU? Go talk to the administrator and city attorney and tell him that they don't have a leg to stand on. If they still try to give you the run around, then go to a city council meeting and tell them that they can't enforce ordinances that don't exist. Maybe some of the council members will have some sense and call off the dogs.

If they still insist, and try to fine you for an infraction, then get a lawyer involved.

 

[jason_mazzy]

Please get an attorney, if not they will back door hood wink you. happened to me that way. The law is pretty clear and implicit that a law is only what is expressly implied, even if it is quite broad in subject. Otherwise we would need laws to breathe, grow grass, drink city water, blink or many other just as stupid things. A law only governs what is mentioned. If nothing is mentioned than there is no law and you are "free" as a human with soveriegn rights to do so. Now they are under no object not to pass a resolution banning poultry without a grandfather clause, then it is up to you to have to fight said resolution in court. Watch them they can be sneaky.


*this is not legal or law advice. i am not liscensed to interpret or give legal advice. My post is merely my opinion and in no way a direct or indirect interpratation or council of any laws. For all Law manners hire a qualified attorney.

 

[jason_mazzy]

Quote:
It is a city of 7500 people, I'd hardly call the administrators of a city of 7500 "upper crust".

Really now, do we need to talk to lawyers and ACLU? Go talk to the administrator and city attorney and tell him that they don't have a leg to stand on. If they still try to give you the run around, then go to a city council meeting and tell them that they can't enforce ordinances that don't exist. Maybe some of the council members will have some sense and call off the dogs.

If they still insist, and try to fine you for an infraction, then get a lawyer involved.

i would say better to get an attorney now. this way they at least know u r serious enough to spend cash, and won't have the opportunity to backdoor you. I like the ACLU being involved because anytime something is won with them it is easy to find public record ie. you can try and use it yourself later if you need to.

 

[Chicken Lil]

Thanks to all for your support.

Mac - Before I even got my hens I did check the ordinances and found that poultry running at large was not allowed, so I figured that it meant one could have poultry. Even so I checked with the Planning & Zoning Administrator and he said that nothing in the codes prohibited raising poultry. Now it is the city attorney who says that since they are "expressly permitted" than they are prohibited. Not sure where this "attorney" studied law?! And I don't see the point to going to him since this is his ridiculous interpretation.

My father is a retired judge & lawyer, so it isn't a question of paying for legal help. The problem is this town of 7500 has a large population of townies who have been here for generations and run politics in this town. We have only lived here for 4 years, so we don't count. Although I am not positive I believe the problem arose when our new neighbors arrived. These folks are old town family with a lot of connections. I find it suspicious that suddenly this is being brought up, when none of my other neighbors have ever had a problem. I will be going to the next board meeting and putting togetehr a case against this nonsense.

As for you folks who don't like IL, I moved to this state 15 yrs ago from NY, and it used to be okay (at least away from Chicago) but it has gone down the toilet! Although I will fight this, I am looking for work in MN & WI, and hope to leave this corrupt state within the next year. This problem just makes me want to flee even faster.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

In the city ordinances and zoning code, look a the beginning where it lists the uses of construction--it is very common for the uses of construction to include a statement that any use not specifically allowed is disallowed. However, if they do NOT have that statement, then the ordinance or code would have to specifically disallow.

The fact that you previously researched this, spoke to city officials and were told keeping chickens is allowed, and have had them for several years gives you some standing.

 

[Chicken Lil]

Well, Sonoran Silkie, you are right! This is what they are saying that the zoning code lists what is allowed and has a statement tyhat anything not specifically allowed is prohibited.

However, I find it odd that the Planning & Zoning Administrator did not know this three years ago.

I am still going to fight this.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

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I looked at those the other day too, and the zoning regulations do not say anything about animals or pets, or what would be allowed in any specific zone, other than very general references to businesses such as veterinary clinics and farms, yet the municipal code does contain all sorts of regulations on pets, to include cats, dogs, and poultry, which, by the zoning administrator's accounting, are all seemingly banned in your city because they are not recognized in the zoning regulations.

 

[BlackBrookPoultry]

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Moving to WI or MN . . . great idea!

 

[Freedom Fighter]

Hello Chicken Lil,

I live in a small rural village with a population of a little over 300 just outside of Princeton, IL. and after having hens for a couple of years, I just found out today that the socialist dictator communists may not allow chickens here either. { Livestock is no longer allowed within village boundaries however, chickens are not considered livestock, they are considered poultry and further research will have to be done actually determine whether or not people here can have chickens }. This is totally ridiculous. Even more so since I live on a large lot in a small rural village. Prior to purchasing this land, it was a small farm too, for more than a hundred years they had sheep, goats and chickens on this land!

A few years ago when I first moved here, while talkin' to a couple of neighbors, both of them mentioned that they miss hearing the rooster/s that where here right before I moved in and gettin' fresh eggs from that person. So other than friends outside of town and one, maybe two neighbors in town knowing that we have a few hens here, and I'm sure that several kids that cut through a neighboring yard on their way to & from school knowing we have chickens here, nobody else knows. These legghorns get pretty loud quite often when they're layin' eggs too!

I was talking to a village board member and somehow it came up that somebody in town here recently had a couple of goats and the village made that person get rid of them because supposedly no livestock is allowed in town. So I asked him if people were allowed to have chickens. His response was NO! No chickens, goats, farm animals of any kind and your only allowed to have up to three dogs. I responded back "you gotta be kiddin' me, people all around here in surrounding towns have chickens and even horses, rabbits, ducks, etc.. People all across the country from small towns and small cities including Princeton and even major cities like Chicago allow people to have at least hens and sometimes even a goat or two." So they seemed a little surprized at that information and said they would have to look into it but seemed to be set in their ways that for now "NO" was still the answer.

Until just recently we have only had six White Leghorn hens but a few weeks ago I just picked-up eleven straight run Silver Laced Wyandotts and eight straight run Production Reds. So now that at least two roosters will be added to our flock this year it's very possible it may come to the attention of the village board that we have chickens. I was just gettin ready to build an enclosed chicken run for them to since I can't let them free range due to so many people in this town allowing their cats to run at large and become a major nuisance. So it looks like we will be fighting to keep these chickens in the near future. We WILL NOT GET RID OF ANY THEM! In addition to our 1/3 acre organic garden plus other areas of the yard we use to grow organic food, organic herbs and organic medicines, those chickens are also part of our food supply!

Two years ago (2010) when I bought our first hens from Tractor Supply Co. up there in Princeton, they told me the city of Princeton allowed people to have hens but not roosters. So has something changed over there since the time you began this thread? Did you win your fight against them? If you fought them and won, can you please provide some details on how & what you did since I figure now is the time for me to learn what defences, rights and laws I can use to fight the village board when that time comes.


Freedom Fighter
The more rights we surrender to the governments, corporations, and banks the more rights they will continue to deprive us of.
Now is the time to stand your ground and fight for what little rights are remaining! If not, they will be gone very soon too! It's already almost to late so lets use what little time is left and use their own laws against them for the crimes they commit upon us before those are gone too at which time we will be left with no choice other than lie down and die or take up arms against them!