Jacksonville, FL petition to change city statute to allow hens

[dawg53]

First off it is not only ridiculous to ban chickens (at least in anything other than an inner city "urban utopia" - sarcasm intended) it is a vast abuse and a HUGE government intrusion into the lives of its citizens. Let's just summarize that part by saying if you allow a simple healthful pleasure like fetching fresh hot eggs from your nests in the morning to be trampled outright by anal dogwalkers then there is NO limit to what you fully accept may be taken from you, demanded of you and denied to you.

Next if you analyze the motivations behind what drives cities to strive to impose such ordinances there are threefold.

First, is always TAXES. If they ban livestock then people lose their livestock tax exemptions. Most areas won't even grant exemptions to anything smaller than 10 acres but regardless it is a brick in the wall of tax harvesting. Just like speed traps and red light cameras, the quickest way to ensure the wage slaves pay every penny is to build a full quilt of tax collectingstrategies. Collectively it forms a tapestry of tax oppression that ensures that the taxpayers who pay for everything pay well and pay often.

Second, you have your local lawn police (the anal dogwalker crowd) you know the folks who call the city ordinance guy to complain if your lawn grows to 11 inches tall - tsk tsk. Certainly they could not bear the thought of their neighborhood having any chicken cluck noises but it's certainly fine OF COURSE if their miniature pee-brained chihuahua yaps ALL day long at ANYTHING that moves.

Lastly you have your property value queens. Similar to the dogwalker crowd but their concerns are at least legitimate and not based exclusively on narcissicm. They want every home to look the same and have neat manicured yards and fresh paint so when the time comes for them to sell their home their neighbors have all done their part in advance.

The last group can be worked with by simply addressing their concerns and pointing out that by banning common sense things like chickens you also are banning prospective buyers. The first two types cannot be reasoned with and must be fought and beaten like an old carpet. "a dozen hens" is a good thing to shoot for if the noise of roosters is claimed to be an issue - but two or three roos is also worth fighting for usually.

The thing that gets me is the "obtaining a permit" part. Most places simply remove the ordinance banning chickens and the idea that someone must obtain a license or permit to have chickens is a whole new order of magnitude of obscene!

All of the above issues you mentioned were addressed and are no longer a concern. Jacksonville city council approved the chicken ordinance 13 Nov 2013. I was there and addressed the city council supporting the measure as did others.

 

[Woob Woob Woob]

All of the above issues you mentioned were addressed and are no longer a concern. Jacksonville city council approved the chicken ordinance 13 Nov 2013. I was there and addressed the city council supporting the measure as did others.

So you had to get a permit? I have a 3.5 acre lot and only want 3 hens. 32246 Still need a permit?